The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences is the first of the five Nanoscale Science Research Centers sponsored by the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

. It is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and is a collaborative research facility for the synthesis, characterization, theory/ modeling/

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...

, and design of

nanoscale The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a lo ...

materials. It is co-located with

Spallation Neutron Source The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is an accelerator-based neutron source facility in the U.S. that provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development.In 2007, SNS was entered into thG ...

Science

The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...

is a

/ Office of Science Nanoscale Science Research Center operating as a collaborative and multidisciplinary user research facility. The CNMS is one of five Department of Energy nanoscale centers that form an integrated national user network. Each of the five is associated with other major national research facilities at one of Department of Energy's national laboratories, enabling their application to nanoscale science and technology. To accomplish this, the CNMS integrates nanoscale science with three national needs: *

Neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...

science, using the Spallation Neutron Source, and the recently upgraded High Flux Isotope Reactor. *Synthesis science, also called “science-driven synthesis,” facilitated by extensive and novel synthesis capabilities in the CNMS' first five scientific themes (described below) and by a new nanofabrication research laboratory. *Theory, modeling and simulation, through establishing a new nanomaterials theory institute, with close connections to the staff expertise and computational capabilities of Oak Ridge's Center for Computational Sciences and the new national Leadership Scientific Computing Facility.

Scientific themes

Research in the CNMS is organized under seven related scientific themes and a nanofabrication research laboratory

clean room A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space, which maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientif ...

) that have been selected to address challenges to scientific understanding as well as nanotechnology opportunities and needs. *

Macromolecular A macromolecule is a very large molecule important to biophysical processes, such as a protein or nucleic acid. It is composed of thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Many macromolecules are polymers of smaller molecules called monomers. The ...

complex systems * Functional nanomaterials *

Catalysis Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

and nano-building blocks * NanoPhysics: magnetism, transport, and scanning probes * Bio-inspired nanomaterials * Nanomaterials Theory Institute: theory, modeling, and simulation * Nanoscale Structure and Dynamics: neutrons,

electron The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no ...

s, and

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

s * Nanofabrication research laboratory

Facility and capabilities

The CNMS is housed in a new 80,000-square foot building on Chestnut Ridge adjacent to the Spallation Neutron Source. Construction of the facility began in August 2003 and was completed in April 2005, with the research program beginning operation in October 2005. The four-level main building comprises wet and dry laboratories, office space, and common areas to promote interaction among staff, long-term research guests, and users. It is equipped with a wide range of specialized tools for synthesis, characterization, and integration of hard and soft materials. The 10,000-square foot nanofabrication research laboratory, housed in a one-level wing of the building, includes clean rooms and an area designed to meet the requirements of electron beam imaging and writing instruments (low electromagnetic field, low vibration, low acoustic noise). The Nanomaterials Theory Institute provides collaborative work spaces, visualization equipment, and high-speed connections to the terascale computing facilities of Oak Ridge's National Center for Computational Sciences and the national Leadership Scientific Computing Facility. The intense neutron beams of the Spallation Neutron Source and of the recently upgraded High Flux Isotope Reactor afford unique opportunities for fundamental studies of the structure and dynamics of nanoscale materials. The CNMS provides a gateway to these and other Oak Ridge user facilities, including electron microscopy, for users whose research can benefit from access to multiple facilities.

User research program

The CNMS user program provides access to equipment for nanoscale research and engineering. Access is through brief user research proposals that are peer-reviewed by an external Proposal Review Committee. Nanoscience user activities were initiated during 2003, prior to completion of the CNMS building, with the first CNMS "Jump Start" Call for Proposals (July–August 2003).

External links

Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
{{authority control Nanoscale Science Research Centers Oak Ridge National Laboratory Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified buildings