THURSDAY, February 8, 2007
Time: 4:30 PM
OCNPS 100

Title: Modeling the Nano-Materials Pipeline: Some Successes and the Challenges Ahead

M. Gregory Forest
Departments of Mathematics & Biomedical Engineering
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

There is a preponderance of evidence to suggest that property performance capabilities are greatly enhanced with designer nano-scale particles. These particles could be synthesized or naturally occurring, they could be macromolecules or larger particles, but with at least one dimension on the order of nanometers to "qualify" for the nano label. I will talk about a special class of nano-materials that involve macromolecules which are highly anisotropic: either thin rods or thin platelets. There are many examples of such nano-materials with a variety of remarkable performance properties that have been illustrated. This lecture will focus on a strategy for modeling the pipeline, from the raw materials throught processing to performance evaluation, and an update on progress thus far. One of the take-home messages is that there are fundamental scientific advances necessary to control and optimize nano-materials, with a wealth of challenges ahead.