Archived News and Events

News:

December 31, 2007

Industrial Technologies Program Completes Nanomanufacturing Workshop Report

The Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) has released the Report on the June, 2007 Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency Workshop. The workshop was attended by more then 100 industry experts, scientists, and engineers from various sectors (basic sciences, industrial research, end-users, business leaders, and Federal agencies). The workshop identified target applications in catalysis, coatings light-weight materials, material modification, separations, thermal management, and thin films. The Workshop sessions also identified two primary challenges for industrial nanomanufacturing:

• The ability to produce nanomaterials with the requisite qualities and in quantities useful for industry manufacturing applications, and
• The ability to integrate these nanomaterials at an industrial scale into useful products without sacrificing functionality.

Click here to view the report in full.
More information on the workshop is available at: http://eenm.govtools.us/

October 25, 2007

NAC Contributes to the Foresight Institute’s Technology Roadmap

The Foresight Nanotech Institute and Battelle recently have released a technology roadmap for productive nanosystems which includes contributions from two NAC researchers. This roadmap points the way for development of “Atomically Precise Technologies”, which hold the potential to meet many of the greatest global challenges, bringing revolutions in energy, science, and medicine. Sharon Robinson, Manager of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s NanoApplications Center (NAC) contributed the chapter “Scaling Up to Large Production of Nanostructured Materials” to this roadmap with input obtained from a Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency Workshop sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Program in June, 2007. Dave Geohegan of the NAC also contributed a chapter to the Roadmap.

For more information go to http://www.foresight.org/

August 17, 2007

Nanotoxicology Study of Carbon Nanohorns Could Spur Increased Commercial Use

A team of researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee led by Meng-Dawn Cheng reported no pulmonary toxicity issues for single-walled carbon nanohorns in a paper “Assessing the Pulmonary Toxicity of Single-Walled Carbon Nanohorns” soon to be published in the journal Nanotoxicology (http://www.nanotoxicology.net). The findings of Cheng’s group are much different from those of previous studies involving single-walled carbon nanotubes. The group believes these differences may result from differences in the methods used to produce the two nanoparticles. Nanohorns can be produced through laser ablation of a carbon target without the use of transition metal catalysts. The group speculates that metal contaminants from the catalysts used in production might be the cause of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress reported in inhalation studies using single-walled carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanohorns have potential for drug delivery purposes, and can be useful for hydrogen storage in energy and fuel cell applications. The group believes carbon nanohorns could find large-scale applications sooner than carbon nanotubes because simpler production methods and decreased health hazards.

For the complete news release click here.

August 7, 2007

C3’s Metal Infusion Surface Treatment (MIST) Wins 2007 Micro/Nano 25 Award

Metal Infusion Surface Treatment (MIST) from C3 International has won a 2007 Micro/Nano 25 Award from R&D Magazine. The awards recognize 25 new groundbreaking products, processes and innovations that are likely to have large impacts on both specific industries and on society. MIST is a novel low-temperature coating process that infuses a new alloy several hundred nanometers (nm) deep into metal substrates.

For more information about Mist

April 2 - 4, 2007

Photo courtesy of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NanoApplications Center participated in NanoNexus 2007 held from April 2-4, 2007 in Oak Ridge, TN. These tours featured visits to affiliated facilities at the High Temperature Materials Laboratory (HTML), the Advanced Microscope Laboratory, and the Materials Processing Group's laboratories.

Contact:

March 29, 2007

Dr. Ron Ott was a Keynote Speaker at the NanoFocus 2007 Conference held in Oklahoma City, OK March 28-29.

March 20, 2007

From Nanowerk.com:

"A new material developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Nanoscience Center could replace a costly process in the manufacture of biodiesel that consumes chemicals, water and energy and also reduces the yield of the final product. During production, catalysts must be applied to transform biodiesel from a thick and sticky substance into a fluid form that can easily be pumped into vehicles. Following this process, these corrosive catalysts must be neutralized and washed from the fuel. ORNL researchers Sheng Dai and Chengdu Liang, funded by DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, have created a material of solid acid nanocatalysts that can be fixed inside a reusable column or filter through which the biodiesel can flow, straining out the catalyst materials. This nano-material shows promise for other applications as well, such as fuel cells, batteries and other energy storage and conversion technologies."

March 9, 2007

Amit Goyal of the Materials Science and Technology Division (MSTD) has been invited to join the NanoTech Briefs Editorial Advisory Board.  Amit is a key contributor to the High Temperature Superconductivity Program.  NanoTech Briefs reports on government, industry, and university nanotech innovations with real-world applications in areas such as electronics, materials, sensors, manufacturing, biomedical, optics/photonics, and aerospace/defense.  Each issue of Nanotech Briefs also includes a Special Report on an industry or topic of timely importance to the nanotech field, an In Person interview with a recognized leader in the nanotechnology field, a Perspective from a nano business executive, and a look inside a state-of-the-art nano research facility.

Events:

October 14-19, 2007

Seattle, WA
AVS 54th International Symposium & Exhibition

Sharon Robinson and Claus Daniel of the NanoApplications Center will present “Nano-Manufacturing of Materials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s NanoApplications Center" at the Nanomanufacturing of Materials Session on Tuesday October 16 at the AVS 54th International Symposium & Exhibition in Seattle. Their paper will discuss the capabilities at the NAC and projects involving investigation of infrared-based processing for high temperature processing of metals, development of coating processes that infuse alloys into metal surfaces, and novel real-time characterization techniques to process monitoring and control. Conference information available at: http://www2.avs.org/symposium/seattle/welcome.html

June 25 - 27, 2007

Sharon Robinson of the NanoApplications Center will be attending the Nanomaterials Symposium 2007 from June 25-27 at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado. Stop by our exhibit to learn more about Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s NanoApplications Center. For more information on the symposium go to: http://www.intertechpira.com/

June 13 - 15, 2007

Knoxville, Tennessee
2007 International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry

The NanoApplications Center (NAC) participated in the TAPPI 2007 International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry. NAC sponsored a poster session held at ORNL in conjunction with tours of the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) that attracted over 100 visitors. The Conference explored topics such as reinforced and interfacial structures, self-assembly and biomimicry, cell wall nanostructures, nanotechnology-based sensors, and characterization and measurement of nanoscale structures and properties. TAPPI is the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, and converting industries. Conference information is available here.

May 10, 2007

Innovation Valley Nano Alliance Monthly Meeting
8:00-9:30 am @ Tech 2020 in Commerce Park in Oak Ridge, TN
Superhydrophobic Nanostructured Material
John T. Simpson, Ph.D.

John T. Simpson, Senior Research Scientist with the Engineering Science and Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss material hydrophobic and hydrophilic behavior via surface tension and how to amplify the effect of this surface tension by patterning the material's surface. He will also describe a simple and elegant way of forming nanometer sharp surface features using glass that produces the world's highest quality superhydrophobic behavior.

There is no fee to attend the Innovation Valley Nano Alliance meeting. Please register by emailing rsvp@tech2020.org or by calling 865-220-2020.

The Innovation Valley Nano Alliance meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month, 8:00-9:30 am at Tech 2020.