Workshop 1: Functional Materials
Robert Freer (robert.freer@manchester.ac.uk)
Biography
Robert Freer graduated in Physics from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1972 and subsequently obtained his MSc and PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He then spent two years as Research Fellow at Strathclyde University and three years as Research Fellow in the Experimental Petrology Unit of the Grant Institute of Geology at Edinburgh University. After four years as Senior Lecturer then Principal Lecturer at (what is now) Staffordshire University, he joined UMIST in 1986 as Lecturer in Ceramics. He was subsequently promoted to Senior Lecturer, Reader and then to a Personal Chair in Ceramics in 1999. He was awarded DSc by UMIST in 1998. From 2000-2004 he was Head of the UMIST and then the joint University of Manchester/UMIST Materials Science Centre. He is currently Deputy Head of the School of Materials, responsible for Materials Science. His main research interests are microstructure-property relationships in functional ceramics, particularly (i) high frequency dielectrics for mobile telephone applications and (ii) ceramics that relay on grain boundary processes for their operation (including varistors). Extensive use is made of transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron high resolution X-ray diffraction to understand the microstructure control of electrical properties. Atomistic modelling of structures and properties is undertaken for ceramics and minerals. There is active collaboration with groups in Europe and Asia and Bob Freer currently chairs an EU supported Network on functional ceramics.
Abstract: Microstructure Control in Microwave Dielectric Ceramics at Different Length Scales
Ceramics intended for use in mobile communications applications need to exhibit high relative permittivity, high Q value and the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (f) should be close to zero. The dielectric properties of such ceramics depend critically on the microstructure. In this presentation examples will be taken primarily from two different perovskite structure dielectrics, Ba(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 and CaTiO3, to illustrate the information that can be gained by laboratory and synchrotron radiation (SR) based analytical techniques to help understand the controlling mechanisms. The microstructure and dielectric properties of solid solutions of CaTiO3-La(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3 and CaTiO3-based perovskite ceramics have been investigated as a function of processing conditions. Structural analysis, using Transmission Electron Microscopy and X-ray diffraction, showed that twin domains associated with displacive phase transitions in CaTiO3 based perovskites from cubic and tetragonal to orthorhombic symmetries dominate the microstructure of these ceramics. The capability of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) for investigating domain structures and EXAFS for investigating local atomic environments will be discussed. In the niobate ceramic Ba(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (BZN), additional components such as Ba(Co1/3Nb2/3)O3 (BCN) or Ba(Ga1/2Ta1/2)O3 (BGT) are required to bring f close to zero. Transmission electron microscopy has shown that the Q value is sensitive to the degree and type of cation ordering. The benefit of TEM studies for perovskites, and SR tomographic imaging in related materials will be highlighted.
 

Ding Jun (masdingj@nus.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr Ding Jun obtained Dipl. Phys. from University of Wuppertal in 1986 and PhD from Ruhr-University Bochum in 1990. He worked as Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, before he joined NUS in 1997. Now, he is working as Associate Professor at the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, NUS. Dr Ding’s current research interests are magnetic thin films of high-coercivity, magneto-electronic and Hall properties of thin films and patterned structures, magnetic nanocomposite powders for Radar absorption and other microwave applications. Recently, his research has extended into biomagnetism and molecular magnets.
Abstract
Magnetic media for high-density magnetic recording
Recently, magnetic thin films with high coercivity have been intensively investigated for the next generation of high-density magnetic recording media. The development of nanostructured magnetic thin films with high coercivity is one of our major research objectives. In this presentation, I will show some of our recent results in the area. We have developed nanostructured FePt thin films with high coercivity and large perpendicular anisotropy. Excellent magnetic properties have been achieved in Co-ferrite thin films. All of these thin films have shown the potential in high-density perpendicular magnetic recording.
 

Shi Luping (SHI_Luping@dsi.a-star.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr. Lu Ping SHI received Master in solid physics in Shan Dong university, P.R. China in 1988 and Dr of science in Cologne university, Germany in 1992. In 1993, he worked as a postdoctral fellow in Frauhofer applied optics and precision machine institute, Jena Germany focusing on integrated optics. In 1994-1996 a postdoctoral fellow in optoelectronics center City University of Hong Kong research on integrated opto-electronics and thin film technology. He joined Data Storage Institute Singapore DSI in 1996 as a senior engineer. From 1998 to Oct 2003 he had been leading the optical media group. In Oct 2003 he became manager of Optical Materials & System division. His research areas include non-rotation and non-volatile solid state memory, optical data storage, integrated opto-electronics, nano science & technology, artificial cognitive memory. He has authored and co-coauthored 1 book chapter, more than 150 scientific papers and 20 invited talks. He is a member of two working groups to make INSIC ( international storage industry consortium) Optical Storage Roadmap.
Abstract: Phase Change Materials for Data Storage
Phase change materials is one of the most important materials used for data storage materials. In the presentation, the phase change material and main feature including laser induced thermal and optical phase change and electric pulse induced phase change is reviewed. The application of phase change materials on rewritable optical media and non volatile and non rotation solid state memory is also introduced. A superlattice like structure (SLL) incorporating two non-promising phase change materials was proposed to engineering the materials. A properly designed SLL structure could balance both phase change speed and stability. SLL Memory cells exhibited very excellent performance.


Roger W. Whatmore (r.w.whatmore@cranfield.ac.uk)
Biography
Professor Whatmore joined Cranfield in 1994 as Royal Academy of Engineering Professor of Nanotechnology, and Director of the Cranfield Nanotechnology Centre. Previously Technical Director of GEC Marconi, Materials Technology at Caswell, Northamptonshire. His research areas include Ferroelectric materials and their applications, Fabrication of materials and devices for microelectronics, Nanotechnology in sensors and actuators and Microsystems technology. Prof. Roger W. Whatmore holding about 37 patents, published more than 190 International scientific journals and has authored and co-coauthored 5 book chapters.
Abstract: Ferroelectrics as advanced functional materials in microsystems and nanotechnology – current position and future trends
MEMS devices are of considerable commercial interest in a wide range of applications covering, amongst others, the automotive, healthcare, consumer and professional market sectors. The inclusion of ferroelectric materials into MEMS devices offers the MEMS designer new levels of functionality, particularly exploiting the pyroelectric and direct piezoelectric effects in sensing applications and the converse effect for actuation. This paper will review the problems associated with integrating ferroelectric materials into MEMS devices and some novel solutions that have been developed. These include the low temperature deposition of sol gel thin films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) directly onto silicon substrates, and the effects of changing the films’ crystallographic orientation and composition on the film properties, novel techniques for depositing thick films of PZT by using a mixture of sols and ceramic particles and the use of high precision grinding and bonding technologies for integrating wafers of bulk PZT ceramics onto silicon wafers. The uses of ferroelectric materials in practical devices will be illustrated with specific reference to novel pyroelectric infra-red detector arrays, a three-axis accelerometer structure, micro-actuators and piezoelectric micro-motors.
Ferroelectric materials also offer considerable potential in nanoscale devices. In particular, the field associated with the ferroelectric polarization can be used to induce ordering in charged species from solution. Examples will be given of the way polarized ferroelectric thin films can be used to attract virus particles and induce the deposition and ordering of nanoparticles of silver and other metals from their salt solutions. The potential for future developments of ferroelectrics in Microsystems and nanotechnology will be discussed.
 

Andrew J. Bell (a.j.bell@leeds.ac.uk)
Biography
Andrew Bell is Professor of Electronic Materials and Director of the Institute for Materials Research at the University of Leeds. He gained a degree in Physics from the University of Birmingham (1978) and holds a PhD in Ceramic Science and Engineering from the University of Leeds (1984). He has spent a number of years in industrial R&D with Plessey Research (1978-81), Cookson Group (1984-89) and Oxley Developments (1995–2000). He has also been a Lecturer at the University of Leeds (1989-91) and a Senior Lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne (1991-95). His research activities have centred on the processing, properties and applications of ceramics and related materials for use in the electronics industry, with a wide perspective from theory through to device design and fabrication. His current research interests embrace the physics of ferroelectric solid solutions, new piezoelectric materials and devices, including single crystals, thin films and materials for use at high temperature, novel electro-optic and photonic materials, dielectrics for microwave communications and aspects of advanced electronic and photonic packaging. He is co-ordinator of the EPSRC’s Ferroelectric Materials Network.
Abstract: Piezoelectric Materials for High Temperature Applications
Piezoelectric materials have become the key elements in an increasing number of sensor and actuator applications throughout modern technology. For the last 50 years, the perovskite ferroelectric ceramic, lead zirconate titanate (Pb(ZrxTi1 x)O3 or “PZT”), has been the predominant piezoelectric material, particularly compositions close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between the Ti-rich tetragonal compositions and the Zr-rich rhombohedral at x=0.52. In actuator applications, these materials outperform their nearest rivals by at least a factor of 2. However, the range of applications for which PZT may be used is limited by its upper operating temperature, which is approximately 200C. Hence for the recently developed piezoelectric automotive diesel injectors, PZT only just meets the operating temperature requirement (~180°C), whilst other applications require materials with significantly higher operating temperatures. A particularly challenging environment is that of gas turbine aero-engines in which there are potential performance and economy gains if piezoelectric actuators can be employed in a number of the control systems; such applications require a material with an operating temperature of at least 450°C.

One candidate material for high temperature use is BiFeO3-PbTiO3 (BFPT), which, like PZT, exhibits a morphotropic phase boundary and therefore is expected to possess high piezoelectric activity. Moreover it has a Curie temperature of 635°C, suggesting high temperature operation is feasible. The spontaneous strain has a reported value of 18% on the tetragonal side of the morphotropic phase boundary, perhaps the largest spontaneous strain of any ferroelectric perovskite and identifying BFPT as an exceptional material.
Nevertheless, at present, two factors hinder the exploitation of BFPT ceramics in actuators. Firstly, the electrical conductivity is too high, hindering poling and rendering the bandwidth unacceptable for the majority of low frequency devices. The existence of free carriers also effectively screens the piezoelectric response from the applied fields, thereby increasing the fields required to induce useful strain. This effect appears to be exacerbated by the large spontaneous strain in the tetragonal phase which produces large internal stresses in randomly oriented ceramics and also impedes piezoelectric switching in the material.

Here we report the results of a broad experimental survey of the composition-structure-property relationships in ceramics, single crystals and thin films of BiFeO3-PbTiO3, using a variety of characterization techniques. The composition-temperature phase diagram of the system is complicated by the high levels of internal stress associated with the large spontaneous strain, however the largest piezoelectric strains are to be found on the rhombohedral side of the MPB. Prospects for achieving materials with acceptable electrical time constants are discussed in the light of electronic measurements on doped and un-doped materials.


Thirumany Sritharan (assritharan@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
The speaker obtained his first degree in engineering from Sri Lanka and then went on to do a PhD at The University of Sheffield, UK where he was awarded the Brunton Medal for research in metallurgy. Subsequently, he went on to do postdoctoral research at the University of Melbourne, Australia and then worked for Comalco Aluminium Ltd. before joining the Nanyang Technological University in 1992. He has researched in light alloys, mechano-chemical synthesis, interface phenomena in microelectronics and nanostructured magnetics. His present interest is in design and synthesis of materials with specific property combinations. He has published about 100 papers in international journals and conferences
Abstract: Design, Synthesis and Application of Multiferroic Materials
There are ceramic materials that are either ferroelectric or ferromagnetic but the combination of both properties in one material is rare. Ferroelectricity arises from the crystal structure while magnetism depends on the electronic structure of the ions in the crystal. Therefore, in principle, it is possible to have both properties in the same material by getting the right crystal structure with the right kind of ions. This talk gives some ideas by which one could achieve this by material design from basics, and appropriate synthesis. Attempts were made to design and synthesize such ferro-electro-magnetic materials at NTU which showed promise. Further improvement is required to the properties to make them commercially attractive. Some niche applications where this rare property combination could be invaluable are also discussed.

 

Yao Kui (k-yao@imre.a-star.edu.sg)
Biography
Yao Kui received the B.E. degree in E.E. and the Ph.D in electronics materials and devices, both from Xi'an Jiaotong University, and the M.S. degree in technical physics from Xidian University, China. He is currently a Senior Scientist with the Micro- & Nano Systems Cluster at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Singapore. His research interests cover smart materials with sensing and actuating functions, and their applications as sensors and actuators, particularly in micro- and nano systems.
Abstract: Smart materials for micro and nano systems
The working principles of sensors and actuators often involve transduction mechanisms that convert one form of energy into another. Smart materials, as a family of functional materials, exhibit a wide range of transduction properties, making them inherently valuable as a variety of sensors and actuators. Their applications in micro and nano systems are extremely attractive, since many of the standard materials used for fabricating the microstructures in micro systems cannot by nature provide the required sensitivity to physical, chemical or biological inputs of interest or the required mechanical actuation. In addition, micro systems techniques can also serve as ideal platforms for sensors and actuators due to their capabilities of batch processing, miniaturisation, and integrating electronics and micromechanical structures. In this talk, ferroelectric materials and their applications as electromechanical sensors and actuators will mainly be introduced. Our development work of ferroelectric thin film, thick film and co-fired metal-ceramic multilayer materials, and the demonstration of several miniaturized ferroelectric and piezoelectric devices will be presented. Materials integration, processing compatibility and device miniaturization, which are particularly essential to realize the potential application value of the smart materials for micro systems, will be discussed.
 

Workshop 2: Materials for Clean Energy Systems
Nigel Brandon (n.brandon@imperial.ac.uk)
Biography
Professor Nigel Brandon holds the Shell Chair in Sustainable Development in Energy at Imperial College London. Prior to joining Imperial College in 1998 he spent fourteen years in industry, with both BP and Rolls Royce. His career has been focussed on R&D in the energy sector, and for the past 14 years his research interests have on focussed fuel cell technology. Prof. Brandon is an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, sits on the steering committee of the Grove Fuel Cell Conference, is a visiting Professor to the Univ. Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Centre, and a co-founder and Director of Ceres Power Ltd.
Abstract: Materials for Fuel Cell Technologies
Fuel cells are an emerging energy technology which offers the prospect of clean and efficient generation of electricity and heat for a wide range of applications, including fuel cell engines, fuel cells for laptops and consumer electronics, and combined heat and power units for the home, commercial and industrial use. This presentation will discuss the materials used in two of the leading fuel cell technologies, the polymer fuel cell and the solid oxide fuel cell, and review future trends.
 

Lin Jianyi (phylinjy@nus.edu.sg)
Biography
Professor Lin Jianyi currently is Principal Scientist at Institute of Chemical and Engineering Science. He is also an Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics, NUS
Abstract
Some Clean Energy Researches in Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and Physics Department, NUS
In ICES and Physics Department of NUS hydrogen production, storage, purification and fuel cell application have been studied. We have developed a 1wt%Ni loading NiB catalyst supported on CaAl2O4/Al2O3 supports, which has high activity/selectivity for partial oxidation of methane to syngas and has very low carbon deposition. We are working on a new oxide catalyst which reacts with methane in one step to produce syngas and recover the oxide by air in another step. We have worked on hydrogen storage by nanostructured materials including AAO-templated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT), N-doped CNT, Mg-based metal hydrides, nanostructure oxides and nitrides such as ZnO, TiO2, VOx and BN, and Li3N-based materials. The adsorption mechanism at various conditions was investigated. We prepare controlled-sized gold nanoparticles for preferential CO oxidation. We also study the H2-O2 polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell and found that carbon nanotubes can be used as Pt support with 25% enhancement of output energy density. We have also invented a high-Zn-content high performance Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst for methanol synthesis from syngas. The mechanism derived from our SIMS/XPS/FTIR studies is in excellent agreement with theoretical simulation recently presented by British scientist (CCLRC) Dr Bromley by using quantum embedding technique.
 

Jiang San Ping (mspjiang@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr. Jiang San Ping is the current Deputy Director of Fuel Cell Strategic Research Program in Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). An Associate Professor in NTU School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering since 2001, he held a BSc. in Materials Science & Engineering from South China University of Technology (Guangzhou, China) and a PhD. in Electrochemistry from The City University (London, UK). Upon completion of his PhD study, he joined University of Essex, UK as a Post-doctoral fellow. Three years later, in 1991, he moved to Australia to work in the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Manufacturing Science and Technology Division. His current appointments include Guest Professorships in Wuhan University of Technology (China) and University of Science and Technology (Hefei, China) as well as Visiting Professorship of Sichung University (Chengdu, China). He is also a member of several accredited professional bodies such as The Royal Australia Chemical Institute (RACI), Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IMMM - UK) and The Electrochemical Society, USA. Over the years, he has published two patents and over 80 publications in international referred journals.
Abstract: Development of Nano-Structured Materials for Fuel Cells
The performance of fuel cells, be it high temperature solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) or low temperature polymer electrolyte and direct methanol fuel cells (PEFC & DMFC) are critically dependent on the microstructure of the electrode and electrode/electrolyte interface. For solid oxide fuel cells operating at intermediate temperatures of 600-800oC, the cell performance is dominated by the electrode polarization. The introduction of nano-sized catalytic active phase to the porous electrode network via ion impregnation is shown to be the most effective method to significantly enhance the electrocatalytic activity of the conventional electrodes for intermediate temperature SOFC. Recent results indicate that electrochemically there is clear transition of the composite two phase electrode to a single phase electrode via this nano-structured approach. Finally, this talk will briefly introduce the recent development in the layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly of charged nanoparticles for polymer electrolyte and direct methanol fuel cells.
 

Workshop 3: Materials for Next Generation of Electronics
Bill Milne (wim1@hermes.cam.ac.uk)
Biography
Bill Milne has been Head of Electrical Engineering at Cambridge University since 1999 and Head of the Electronic Devices and Materials group since 1996 when he was appointed to the ‘‘1944 Chair in Electrical Engineering’’. He obtained his BSc from St Andrews University in Scotland in 1970 and then went on to read for a PhD in Electronic Materials at Imperial College London. He was awarded his PhD and DIC in 1973 and, in 2003, a D.Eng (Honoris Causa) from University of Waterloo, Canada. From 1973 until 1976 he worked at the Plessey Res Co, Caswell after which he joined Cambridge University Engineering Department as an Assistant Lecturer. His research interests include large area Si and carbon based electronics, thin film materials and, most recently, MEMS and carbon nanotubes for electronic applications. He collaborates with various companies including Dow-Corning, ALPS, Marconi, Thales, Advance Nanotech, Philips, Samsung, FEI and NS3 and is also currently involved in 4 EU projects and several EPSRC projects. He has published/presented ~ 550 papers in these areas, of which ~ 100 were invited .Abstract: Carbon Nanotubes for Electronic Applications
Over the past several years Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have been touted as being one of the most promising material systems for future electronic applications. CNTs are a unique form of carbon filament/fibre in which sheets of sp2 bonded graphite with no surface broken bonds roll up to form tubes. Single wall CNTs can exhibit either metallic-like or semiconductor-like properties and multi-wall tubes exhibit metallic-like behaviour. Their future application in the electronics industry is based upon several unique properties which the CNTs possess, e.g. they have the highest thermal conductivity, they can exhibit ballistic electron transport and do not suffer from electron migration. However there are still major problems to be overcome before CNTs can be used in devices and circuits. This presentation will cover the growth, characterisation and potential electronic applications of both SWCNTs and MWCNTs and will attempt to provide a realistic appraisal of their future in the electronic industry.
 

Tan Ooi Kiang (eoktan@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
Tan Ooi Kiang received his PhD from the Nanyang Technological University, MSc from the University of Edinburgh and B.Eng (1st class Hons) from the National University of Singapore. He has been the Sub-Dean (Students Affair). He is currently an Associate Professor and the Head of Division of Microelectronics in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University heading a 46 Faculty strong division. He has been actively involved in the Nano-electronics and functional devices and materials research in the Microelectronics Center, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University. These includes the area of microelectronics materials and devices design for electronics, bio-medical, functional sensor and actuator applications; the synthesis, fabrication and characterization of semiconductor & ferroelectric nano-structured materials, thick and thin film devices; high-energy ball milling and sol-gel processing, ICP-CVD nano-technology; bio-chemical sensor and actuator applications; and silicon-based device fabrication & integration. Currently Dr Tan is principal investigator to 3 research projects with a funding of $1.44 millions. He has been appointed as member of International Steering Committee for the Biennial East Asian Conference on Chemical Sensors. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE. He serves in numerous national boards and committees, including the SERC A*STAR Steering/Management Committee for NanoElectronics Programme with 13 projects of amount $13.8 millions
Abstract: Nano-structured Materials for High Performance Semiconductor Chemical Sensors
Nanoscience and nanotechnology has captured the attention of the scientific community worldwide in recent decades as a revolutionary “bottom-up” manufacturing technique that produces materials with novel and unique properties compared to conventional materials. In the aspect of solid-state semiconductor chemical sensors, nano-structured materials present new opportunities for enhancing the sensitivity and response time of the gas sensor, due to the much higher surface to volume ratio and nano grain size comparable to the depth of space-charge layer. To fully realize this potential, multiple challenges are associated with preparation and integration of nano-structured materials into reliable and reproducible gas sensors. This talk will provide an overview of our recent efforts to address these challenges through the development of a custom designed inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) system to deposit nano-structured SnO2 thin films for high performance gas sensors. Nano-sized granular SnO2 thin films with average grain size down to 8 nm have been deposited by MOCVD and PECVD. A unique hybrid microstructure, 1-D SnO2 nano-rods formed on 2-D SnO2 thin films, has been achieved by subjecting the as-deposited SnO2 thin films to post ICP plasma treatment. These SnO2 nano-rod thin films have also been successfully realized using one-step PECVD and direct liquid injection PECVD process. The gas sensing characterization of the granular nano-sized structures, nano-columnar structures, and nano-rod SnO2 thin films have shown good sensitivity to the detection of reducing gases like CO and H2 due to the large surface-to-volume ratio and the tiny grain size in nano-scale range.


Yeo Yee-Chia (eleyeoyc@nus.edu.sg)
Biography
Yee-Chia Yeo received the B. Eng (first class honors) and M. Eng degrees in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the M.S. and Ph.D degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. He had worked on optoelectronic devices at the British Telecommunications Laboratories, U.K., on transistor design and fabrication, strained channel transistors, alternative gate dielectrics, and metal gate technology at the University of California, Berkeley, and also on exploratory transistor technologies at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). He is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NUS, Singapore, and a Research Program Manager at the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore (A*STAR). He has authored or co-authored more than 90 journal and conference papers, and a book chapter. He holds 22 U.S. Patents, and has more than 60 U.S. Patents pending.
Abstract: Material and Device Structure Innovations for Transistors in Sub-45 nm Technology Generations
This presentation briefly reviews the state-of-the-art semiconductor technology for manufacturing integrated circuits, and the projected requirement for future complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) field-effect transistor technology. Continual miniaturization of the transistor in the next decade encounters formidable challenges. This presentation will describe how tommorrow's challenges may be addressed by material and device structure innovation today. In particular, our capabilities and research efforts on novel materials and fabrication processes for CMOS and new CMOS device structures will be highlighted.


Andrew Briggs (andrew.briggs@materials.ox.ac.uk)
Biography
Professor Andrew Briggs is Professor of Nanomaterials at the University of Oxford. He is Director of the Quantum Information Processing Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (www.qipirc.org). He is a Professorial Fellow of St Anne’s College, Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Liveryman of the Clothworkers’ Company, and Guest Professor of the State Key Laboratory of Nanotechnology in Wuhan, China. He is a Director of OxLoc Ltd (www.oxloc.com). He has a degree in theology from Cambridge University, and is a qualified pilot. In 1999 he was a winner of the Metrology for World Class Manufacturing Award. He developed the use of elevated temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy and associated techniques to study in situ the atomic structure of oxide surfaces, and the growth of semiconductors, including self-assembled heteroepitaxial nanostructures such as quantum dots and the nitride family of semiconductor materials. He has over 400 publications, the majority in international refereed journals. His work is characterized by a close relationship between experimental observation and theoretical modelling. He is currently pursuing the application of nanomaterials to quantum computing, especially nitride quantum dots and carbon nanotubes and fullerenes (www.nanotech.org).
Abstract: Advanced nanomaterials for quantum information processing
Quantum computing offers the potential for utterly new information and communication technology. It will not be just a bit better; it will be radically different, and it will make possible certain applications that are simply impossible with digital information. Whereas classical digital information comes in bits, each of which is either a 0 or a 1, quantum information comes in qubits. Although it sounds weird, qubits can be both a 0 and 1 at the same time. Weirder still, qubits can be entangled. If you separate them, they still seem to know what is happening to one another as if by magic, so that measurements that you make on them are correlated in ways that cannot be explained by classical physical laws. How this can be was a subject of much philosophical debate in the early days of quantum mechanics; we are now being forced to understand it anew because will become the basis of a technology. Quantum computers will render current public key cryptography obsolete, and will make possible quantum simulations for applications from materials physics to medicine.

Of the many schemes proposed for quantum computing, most of those in the solid state use nanostructures in which there can be two well-defined states with long quantum coherence times. Candidates include a variety of carbon nanomaterials, in which the qubit can be embodied in excitons or electric charge or spin. It may be that more than one of these should be used, and a recent scheme uses excitons to control the interaction between single electron spins in adjacent regions of quantum confinement. Such schemes can also be applied to compound semiconductor nanomaterials. Molecularly self-assembling materials offer the potential of reproducibility without requiring individual tuning. Endohedral fullerenes have been demonstrated to have long coherence times. The electron spin in N@C60 can be manipulated with exquisite precision, in ways that go beyond what was previously thought possible. The endohedral fullerenes are a versatile family of molecular materials, whose quantum properties are becoming well characterized and understood. One-dimensional arrays can be formed in single-walled carbon nanotubes, which can provide both structural support and controlled interactions. The challenge of addressing large numbers of qubits in such tiny structures may seem insuperable, but that may not be necessary. Schemes have been developed that use global addressing of all the qubits simultaneously, and these have been demonstrated theoretically to be adequate for universal quantum computing. It is too early to say which, if any, of the competing technologies will eventually be used to build a quantum computer, and there is still plenty of scope for challenging and rewarding research in functional quantum nanomaterials.
 

Workshop 4: Materials Modelling
Harry Bhadeshia (hkdb@cus.cam.ac.uk)
Biography
Harry Bhadeshia is the Professor of Physical Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge and Head of the 'Phase Transformations and Complex Properties' Research Group. He obtained his B.Sc. from the City of London Polytechnic in 1976, Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 1979, and was an SRC Research Fellow 1979-1981. He has since then been on the academic staff at the University of Cambridge, is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at POSTECH, Korea, and Consulting Professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology, China. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
He has written several textbooks on steels, has authored or coauthored some 390 research papers, and has published a large collection of teaching materials on the world wide web (www.msm.cam.ac.uk/phase-trans)with some 3 Terabytes disseminated each month. His main research interest is in the theory of solid-state transformations with particular emphasis on steels. The theory and observations are expressed in the form of computer models which can be used to greatly reduce the vast number of parameters that have to be controlled during the creation of new alloys and processes. Many of our algorithms are used throughout the world, in industry and academia, to address the metallurgy of alloys.
Abstract: Metals and Alloys: Exploiting the Gaps between Mathematical Models
Ever since the moratorium on the surface or underground testing of nuclear weapons, explosions have been carried out in virtual reality using mathematical models. This implies an unprecedented reliance on models but at the same time, shows what can be done given the right stimulus. There is talk of “whole engine models” in the aircraft industry, where a simple blade-off test can cost some 9 million pounds. The idea that materials can be designed in this way has often been mooted, but there are difficulties which are greater than those involved in the nuclear simulations, where computer power seems to be the key limitation. By contrast, it is the enormous range of scales that has to be covered in structural materials that causes difficulties. There are chasms between scale-sensitive models, some of which put the Grand Canyon to shame. This lecture will describe how to cope with these issues and exploit both mathematics and metallurgy to achieve tangible materials, particularly the steels which serve us so well. There are many tricks of the trade which avoid the need to link scales, but focus instead on appropriate feedback between models with human intervention to ensure sense. This talk will be illustrated with specific examples of success in predicting alloys which have led to commercial products, balanced by cases where we have failed.
 

Su Haibin (hbsu@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
Haibin Su is an Assistant Professor at School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University. He graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook, while performing his thesis projects in Center for Data Intensive Computing and Materials Science Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Then he went to Caltech for his PostDoctoral prior to joining NTU. His research interest includes development and application of theoretical and computational materials science: i.e., quantum-mechanical and classical simulations and modeling of the electronic, structural, energetical, and dynamical properties of functional materials, emergent collective properties of condensed matter systems, in particular, at nanometer scales.
Abstract: Computational Design of PVDF-based Nano-Actuator and Novel Carbon-based Oscillator
Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers with trifluoro ethylene (TrFE) exhibit excellent electro-mechanical properties such as ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and nonlinear optical properties. We use first principles methods to study energetical and dynamical mechanical properties of the ferroelectric polymer Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymer with trifluoroethylene (TrFE). Using the MSXX first principles-based force field (FF) with molecular dynamics (MD), we find that the energy barrier necessary to nucleate a kink (gauche pairs separated by trans bonds) in an all-T crystal is much lower (14.9 kcal/mol) in P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer than in PVDF (24.8 kcal/mol). This correlates with the observation that the polar phase of the copolymer exhibits a solid-solid a transition to a non-polar phase under heating while PVDF directly melts. We have also studied the mobility of an interface between a polar and non-polar phases under uniaxial stress; we find a lower threshold stress and a higher mobility in the copolymer as compared with PVDF. The atomistic characterization of these “unit mechanisms” provides essential input to mesoscopic or macroscopic models of electro-active polymers. In addition, Our simulations predict that large electrostrictive strains (~5%) at extremely high frequencies (over 1 GHz) can be obtained in a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nano-actuator if the inter-chain packing density is appropriately chosen. We control the packing density by assembling the polymer chains on a Si <111> surface with 1/2 coverage. Under these conditions the equilibrium conformation of the polymer contains a combination of Gauche and Trans bonds which can be easily transformed to an all-Trans conformation by applying an electric field.

A large number of experimental and theoretical studies have been reported on buckyballs-containing nanotubes (a.k.a. peapod) structures since the discovery of these materials. Very recently, it has been reported by Zettle group that frictional forces is very small, c.a. in the magnitude of 10-14 N per A2, during the controlled and reversible telescopic extension of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Moreover, a new type of nano-oscillator operating completely different from conventional quartz oscillator has been proposed based upon this interesting observation. Here we propose a new generation of fullerene nano-oscillator: a (10,10) single wall carbon nanotube with one buckyball inside. The molecular dynamics studies predict the operating frequency is ultra-high, c.a. 50 GHz. The energy dissipation from simulation shows significant effects of temperature, and impulse velocity on dynamic friction force. In particular, it has been shown that edge effects are the main cause of dynamic friction force.


Wu Ping (wuping@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr. Wu is a Senior Member of Technical Staff of the Materials & Industrial Chemistry at the Institute of High Performance Computing. He received his SB. in Physical Chemistry from the Univ. of Sci. & Tech. Beijing (USTB), and his SM in Materials Science and Engineering from USTB, and PhD in Computational thermo-chemistry from Univ. of Montreal (Canada), the latter in 1992. He worked as a post-doctoral Fellow at the Univ. of Queensland from 1991 to 1992.
Dr. Wu’s research focuses on materials chemistry, through developing computational analogies to real-life materials problems. He has authored over 60 journal publications, one granted US patent and a few more pending for approval. In the last 5 years, he has been awarded external research grants from various sources including the microelectronics industry, hospitals, and public research funding agencies of more than 3. Since 1990 he has completed contracted research for many companies including Dupont, Hewlett Packard and Battelle in the United States; Saint Gobine Research in France; Noranda and Cominco in Canada; Mont Isa and WMC in Australia; and Hewlett Packard, Tech semiconductors, Delphi, Siemens, GE Aviation, and three major hospitals in Singapore.
From 2002 to 2004, Dr. Wu was a Faculty Fellow in Advanced Materials for Micro-and Nano-Systems of the first phase of the Singapore-MIT Alliance, and an associate Professor (2000-2003, adjunct appointment) in Materials Science Department of National University of Singapore. He has supervised 3 completed Ph.D. and 7 MSc theses on computational materials modeling
Abstract: Digital Materials Design - An invaluable tool of discovery
To cope with the dynamic market demands for advanced materials, new research strategies, beyond the commonly accepted trial and errors approaches, have to be developed. Digital Materials Design (DMD), based on powerful computing technology and well established fundamental laws, can play a significant role in this competitive research. Because computational models may produce data that virtually describing unexpected materials behaviors, which then lead to new theory to explain the computation, and further to the design of real experiment to fabricate and test the materials.

IHPC has set up a common technical platform for DMD, by integrating three modeling approaches; theory based, modern materials databases and advanced data processing methods. Effective and efficient materials design has been performed for many industrial companies that demonstrate how computational modeling plays a lead role in scientific discovery and technology advancement. At first I shall briefly illustrate the three computational methods. And I shall also show three case studies on (1) Lead-Free Solder Alloys (2) Semiconductor p-n Homojunction using ZnO and (3) Hydrogen Storage Materials, which highlight how computational modeling is an invaluable tool of scientific discovery and technology advancement
 

Workshop 5: Challenges in Materials Characterization
Bill David (Bill.David@rl.ac.uk)
Biography
Prof. Bill David is CCLRC Senior Fellow based at the ISIS Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and is Associate Director of Research Networks at CCLRC. He has been one of the key scientists in UK neutron scattering over the past twenty years playing a pivotal role in the development of the ISIS spallation neutron source. His work has principally focussed on using neutron and X-ray powder diffraction to characterise a broad range of new materials. He was made significant contributions to the structural analysis of lithium battery materials, high temperature superconductivity and C60. More recently, he has transformed the capability of determining organic and pharmaceutical crystal structures from powder diffraction data using global optimisation methods. He is currently developing joint X-ray and neutron powder diffraction techniques for the discovery and characterisation of novel hydrogen storage materials. He was the recipient of the 1990 Charles Vernon Boys Prize of the Institute of Physics for “outstanding contributions to solid state physics and, in particular, to high resolution powder diffraction studies” and received the inaugural BCA Prize in 2002 for “his outstanding contributions to neutron scattering and powder diffraction”.
Abstract: 21st century materials meet 21st century machines: the role of major central facilities in the science and technology of advanced materials
Modern X-ray synchrotron and neutron facilities provide us with an enormous range of capabilities for the analysis of materials from atomic and molecular dimensions through nanometre and micron length-scales to macroscopic measurements of engineering components. These 21st century facilities impinge upon all aspects of the materials world around us from the analysis of quantum complexity in high temperature superconductors and magnetic materials to the high throughput determination of the macromolecular structures that are the constituents of the human genome. After a brief introduction to the UK major central facilities, this talk will highlight (i) real-time measurements of reaction processes, (ii) the screening and identification of novel materials for energy applications and (iii) parametric measurements of novel structural phenomena.


Dong Zhili (zldong@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr. Dong Zhili is an assistant professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University. Dr. Dong Zhili specialises in transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of materials. His research interests include apatite-type ceramics, nanostructured functional materials, advanced coatings and hydrothermal synthesis. Dr. Dong received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering from Tsinghua University, China. During his study towards a PhD degree, he was granted a Japanese Government Scholarship and studied at Osaka University. He completed his PhD work under the Joint PhD Programme of Tsinghua University and Osaka University. Prior to joining the School of Materials Engineering of NTU, Dr. Dong worked at the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering / Environmental Technology Institute of A*STAR as a senior research scientist, School of Mechanical and Production Engineering of NTU as a research fellow, University of Barcelona as a visiting professor, and Tsinghua University as a lecturer.
Abstract: XRD Rietveld refinement and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of advanced nano-structured materials
This presentation is focused on the characterisation of nano-structured materials using X-ray diffraction (XRD) Rietveld refinement, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. The materials studied include bio-apatites, eco-apatites, nano-porous materials, and other functional nano-structured materials, such as carbon nanotubes, diffusion barrier coatings, zinc cadmium selenide nanoparticles, and zinc oxide. The results obtained by XRD Rietveld refinement are based on the average structure, whereas the results from HRTEM reveal local features. The average and local structures are compared using HRTEM image simulation.
 

Chris Boothroyd (chris-b@imre.a-star.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr Chris Boothroyd is a Principal Fellow in IMRE where he is in charge of the CM300 electron microscope. He has 22 years of experience in electron microscopy and image simulation. In the past he studied and worked in the electron microscopy group at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge where he worked on a wide variety of topics including GaAlAs heterostructures, inelastic scattering in high resolution electron microscopy and the design of an energy filtering spectrometer. He has been a visiting scientist at NKK in Kawasaki, Japan where he investigated Boron segregation in Ni-Al, and developed a method of processing electron energy loss spectra to allow the detection of trace amounts of boron. His interests cover a broad range of microscopical techniques from the characterisation of composition and structure of materials on the nanometer scale using conventional transmission electron microscopes to the creation of nanometer scale features using the electron probe in a scanning transmission electron microscope. Current activities include the quantitative interpretation of high resolution electron microscope images by comparison with image simulations.
Abstract: Applications of high resolution electron microscopy
High resolution electron microscopy is an important technique for characterising materials on the nanometer scale. It has been used to study a huge variety of materials problems, ranging from semiconductor interfaces and nanoparticles to crystal structure determination. I will give some examples of how high resolution microscopy can be used to determine the structure of materials and will look at the possibility of extracting more information from images via quantitative high resolution methods. The next generation of microscopes will have spherical aberration correctors, which promise to improve the resolution further so that much
smaller atomic spacings can be resolved.
 

Wu Yihong (elewuyh@nus.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr. Wu Yihong received his PhD from Kyoto University in 1991 for his work on low-dimensional wide-bandgap semiconductors and their applications in blue-green lasers. During the period from 1991 to 1996, he worked in various positions at National University of Singapore, Panasonic Singapore Laboratories and Tohoku University. He re-joined NUS in 1996 as a lecturer, became an associate professor in 1999, and since then he has always been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NUS. During this period, he also initiated the Nano Spin Electronics Group at the Data Storage Institute in 1998 and served as manager of the group until end of 2003. He is presently a Faculty Member of NUS Graduate School and a Fellow of Singapore – MIT alliance. Dr. Wu has been involved in researches in several different physical and engineering disciplines which include optoelectronics, optical data storage, magnetic data storage, spintronics and nanomaterials. His current research interests are in nanoscale spintronics for data storage applications and nanomaterials. He has published more than 100 refereed journal papers and more than 110 conference papers and has filed/granted 7 patents.
Abstract: Electrical and Magnetic Characterization of Magnetic Nanostructures
Inhomogeneity exists in virtually all material systems. Although its influence to material or device properties may be easily ignored in bulk materials, it is no longer the case for nanoscale systems. In the first part of this talk, we will show how the differential conductance technique is powerful in characterizing inhomogeneous magnetic nanostructures made of Fe3O4 and Ge:Mn. The former is a half metallic material with anti-phase boundaries and the latter is a granular-like magnetic semiconductor. In the second part we will talk about our multiple layer magnetic force microscopy tips which exhibit a high resolution and weak tip-sample interaction. Before ending the talk, we will briefly introduce our on-going instrumentation project which aims to develop an integrated tool that allows to probe the magnetic and transport properties of nanostructures simultaneously.


Workshop 6: Biomaterials & Materials in Medicine
Michael Khor Kiam Aik (mkakhor@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
Prof. Michael Khor, has been Director of Research, Office of Research, NTU, Singapore since 2001. He is on secondment from Nanyang Technological University, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering where he is a Professor in Division of Manufacturing Engineering. His research interests include Materials processing, Manufacturing processes, Powder production/synthesis, Materials consolidation, thin films, surface coatings technology. He graduated from Monash University, Australia in 1984 with 1st class honours and obtained his PhD from Monash University in materials engineering. He has published over 200 international publications and also as editor/co-editor of 16 books.
Abstract: Thermal Sprayed Calcium Phosphate Nanostructures and Osteoblast Behavior
This presentation elaborates on the unique nanostructures found in individual calcium phosphate (CP) splats deposited by thermal spray processes. The CP splats were prepared using both atmospheric pressure plasma spraying (APPS) and high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) techniques. Nanostructures (with ~ 30nm grains) within the HA splats was revealed. This is consistent with the nanostructures exhibited within the HA coating. The present results also further confirmed that HA decomposition mainly occurred within the melted part of the sprayed particles. Furthermore, after 2 days incubation of the splats in the culture medium, the osteoblast cells have already very well attached and proliferated on them.
 

Pankaj Vadgama (p.vadgama@qmul.ac.uk)
Biography
Prof. Pankaj Vadgama is a Director of the IRC in Biomedical Materials at Queen Mary, University of London. His research interests cover a broad range from Biosensors, interfaces, polymers.
Abstract: Materials organisation for reliable in vitro and in vivo biosensing
Biosensors offer the capability of a simplified measurement of complex biochemical analytes. Their combination of biological receptor systems with an artificial transducer creates a structurally elegant basis for simplified measurement. These two elements offer an efficient solid state, materials combination capable of simplified, and in some cases continuous, readout. The major drawback, however, has been a lack of surface biocompatibility, whereby the deposition of proteins, colloids and cells on the biosensor leads to progressive degradation of response in biological fluids.

Our work has been predominantly on amperometric, enzyme coated electrochemical sensors capable of simple current output, based mainly on oxidase and dehyrogenase enzymes, notably for intermediate metabolites such as glucose and lactate. However, the particular emphasis has been on polymeric barrier membranes designed to control solute entry into the biosensor and to stabilise the interface. We have thus developed materials based on PVC, cellulose acetate, polyether sulphone, polyurethane, polycarbonate and non-conducting phenolic electropolymerised films as a basis for modifying the surface presented to the biological sample. Additional coatings of diamond like carbon, organosilane and surfactant have proved to be valuable in improving haemocompatibility. Overall, the membranes furnish porous, homogenous and solute partitioning barriers which act as a control step in the overall transduction cascade. The materials approach, developed for in vitro devices (applied to whole blood) has been tested in vivo. Reliable tissue monitoring has been possible by combining optimised materials with a surface flow fluid (Open Microflow) which facilitates operation in subcutaneous tissue. More recently, microfluidics has been used in vitro to create protective laminar flow barriers over a biosensor. Also as an extension of the polymeric constructs, conducting membranes have been designed with bioreceptors for reagentless affinity sensing. The model system tested include avidin/biotin and antibody/luteinising hormone. The transduction method here exploited impedance spectroscopy of polypyrrole; such films appear to be cytocompatible, and open up the possibility of cell monitoring through altered cell-surface interactions.

 

Subbu S. Venkatraman (assubbu@ntu.edu.sg)
Biography
Obtained PhD from Carnegie-Mellon University in Polymer Science; 17 years of industrial R&D in California; 10 of these 17 years were with biomedical firms. Left Johnson and Johnson in 2000 to join NTU. Led development of 3 transdermal drug delivery products. Since joining MSE at NTU, led the Biomaterials strategic programme at MSE; also involved in developing curricula for the new Bioengineering programme at NTU. Published over 50 papers and holds 12 patents in biomaterials. Co-founded a company (Acacia Biomedical) in Singapore in 2004 to exploit biodegradable polymer research.
Abstract: Medical Applications of Biodegradable Polymers
In this presentation, the focus will be on medical implants that use biodegradability as a feature. Several disease conditions require the use of a temporary implant that disappears after fulfilling its function. Together, these applications command a sizeable market; when tissue engineering is successful, this market will mushroom. Examples include drug delivery devices and tissue engineered implants. In this talk, we will discuss biodegradable stenting as one of the applications, along with the use of degradable “stealth” systems that can be used to target tumours. Work in progress in the Materials Science and Engineering group will be highlighted.
 

Toh Siew Lok (mpetohsl@nus.edu.sg)
Biography
A/Prof Toh obtained his BSc (Mech Engrg) and PhD (Mech Engrg) from University of Strathclyde, UK. He is currently the Deputy Head of Div of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and he holds a joint appointment with the Dept of Mechanical Engineering. Before joining NUS, he was a Senior Project Engineer at Babcock Power Ltd., Scotland, U.K. He is also a member of Institute of Mechanical Engineers (UK), American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Experimental Mechanics, Institute of Engineers Singapore and the Biomedical Engineering Society (Singapore). His research interests cover experimental mechanics, biomechanics and functional tissue engineering.
Abstract: Novel scaffold architecture for ligament tissue engineering
Successful tissue engineering of ligaments requires fiber-based scaffolds with favorable mechanical properties, porosity and surface area. In this study, a few novel hybrid scaffolds will be discussed, aiming to facilitate cell attachment and tissue generation on knitted scaffolds.
 

Workshop 7: Nanomaterials
Peter Dobson (peter.dobson@begbroke.ox.ac.uk)
Biography
After a career as a lecturer in Physics at Imperial College and Senior Principal Scientist at Philips Research laboratories he was appointed to a University Lectureship and College Fellowship at the Queen’s College Oxford in 1988 and a Professorship in 1996. At Oxford, he assisted with setting up much of a new joint course of Engineering and Materials Science and his research moved into the areas of nanoparticles, nanostructures, optoelectronics and biosensors. In 1999 he spun-off a company, now called Oxonica, that specializes in making nanoparticles for a wide range of applications, ranging from sunscreens to fuel additives and bio-labels. In 2000, with colleagues in Chemistry, he spun-off Oxford Biosensors that makes a hand-held device based on enzyme-functionalized microelectrode arrays. He was appointed to his present position in August 2002 and has the responsibility of setting up several new research institutes that will combine University activities with company R&D, and leading a team funded by HEIF that facilitates the rapid transfer of technology and knowledge.
Abstract: Nanotechnology as the Solution Provider for Businesses
The development of technology and products from science is something that can be mapped in a range of disciplines and sectors, going back for around 100 years. There are still large gulfs in understanding between scientists, technologists and business, and it is important to understand the main drivers and issues that restrict or facilitate the take-up of new ideas. Nanotechnology is much vaunted as the new driving force behind many products in the next few decades, but this needs to be considered with some caution. Much of the exciting new "nanoscience" being undertaken today is not likely to result in revenue-generating businesses for some time. The current research may, however, lead to "solution providing" especially in a cross-disciplinary way. The issues underlying the “time-gap" for exploitation and its associated "funding gap" will be examined and possible routes to shortening the time-to-market suggested.


He Chaobin (cb-he@imre.a-star.edu.sg)
Biography
Dr. Chaobin He received his Ph.D. degree from Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge in 1995. After graduation, Dr. He worked in Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral associate for two years and later in the University of Southern Mississippi, U. S. A. for another two years before he joined the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering as a Research Scientist in Feb. 1999. Dr. He's current research interests are in the areas of polymer nano-structured materials and functional hybrid materials. He is author of over 90 journal papers and two book chapters. Currently he is a senior scientist and the Manager of Molecular and Performance Materials Cluster in IMRE.
Abstract: Functional Polymer Nanocomposites
The reinforcement of polymers using fillers, whether inorganic or organic, is common in the production of modern plastic. Polymer nanocomposites represent a radical alternative to these conventional filled polymers or polymer blends. Polymer nanocomposites exploit the nano-effect of the fillers, which lead to a range of highly desirable physical properties of the resulting nanocomposites. For example, some nanocomposites consisting of polymers filled with nanometer-sized exfoliated clay have exceptionally high modulus compared to conventional micron-sized fillers of the same chemical composition. Such materials also exhibit excellent barrier property and flame retardant property. In this presentation, I will highlight some of our research activities in this area and demonstrate their potential applications.


Zhou Jijie (jjzhou@ntu.edu.sg)
Biograpy
Dr Jijie Zhou obtained her bachelor and master degree in Beijing University, China, and her doctorate in California Institute of Technology, USA. She joined NTU in 2005 as a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow. Her general interest is the rate process for biomedical applications. She has studied temperature field in tumor, saltatory propagation of calcium in myocardial cells, and fluid transport through nanoporous structures for potential chemical analysis microdevices.
Abstract
Conceptual applications of carbon nanotube arrays
Carbon nanotube arrays are densely packed, discrete, “nailbed”-like surfaces. The carbon nanotube arrays stand in stark contrast to the continuous silicone and polyacrylamide surfaces commonly used in cell migration and traction force studies, and open up many new questions for study. It is important to note that nanociliated surfaces are common in the biological world, for example the endothelial glycocalyx of the vascular system, the micro-cilia of the lungs, and the cervix, and thus cell behavior on our nanociliated surfaces may turn out to be more physiological than other non-ciliated surfaces. In addition, the force measurement resolution with nanotube “posts” should allow high quality mechanical analysis at the level of sub-cellular structures.
 

John N. Chapman (j.chapman@physics.gla.ac.uk)
Biography
John Chapman received both the M.A. degree in Natural Sciences and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, in 1973. Following a Research Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, he became a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Promotion to readership in 1984 and full professorship in 1988 followed; currently he is Head of Department. Professor Chapman?s main research interest concerns the characterization, development, and application of advanced functional materials. Overall his aim is to gain understanding at a microscopic level of how various physical properties relate to material nanostructure and how the former can be improved by the ways in which materials are grown and processed. He studies magnetic materials extensively, with particular emphasis on magnetic nanostructures and multilayer films. Much of his work uses electron microscopy and related analytical techniques. He has co-authored about 250 papers.
In 1991 Professor Chapman was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and of the Royal Microscopical Society.
Abstract: Recent developments in advanced magnetic films, multilayers and nanostructures
Magnetic materials, particularly in thin film form, are very widely used in devices, especially for storage and sensing applications. Through the use of complex multilayer stacks, novel functionality can be introduced leading to enhanced transport properties, giant anisotropies and controlled coupling between layers. Properties change further when the films are patterned into small elements; the changes may be beneficial, leading to new opportunities, or detrimental, requiring ingenuity to recover the desired functionality. In this talk some magnetic multilayers of current interest will be discussed, with emphasis given to the important role that interfaces can play. Also covered will be some of the problems encountered when patterning to extremely small dimensions is undertaken, emphasising the need for advanced nanocharacterisation to understand what is happening in real materials and structures. The talk will end with a look at some emerging and exciting opportunities.
 

Chua Soo Jin (sj-chua@imre.a-star.edu.sg)
Biography
Chua Soo Jin is Professor of Optoelectronics at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He was the Assistant Director of the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) when it was first formed in 1990 and established its wide industry contacts and research collaborations with the tertiary institutions during its first five formative years. In the area of research, he is Director of the Opto and Electronics Systems Cluster and Deputy Director of the Institute of Materials Research & Engineering (IMRE), conducting research on GaN MOCVD and OLED. His research area is in optoelectronics and has published over 230 papers in international journals and co-authored 25 patents. He has received awards for Excellent Teacher and also for Outstanding University Researcher in 1998 and 1999 respectively. He is concurrently holding the position of Deputy Director of Singapore-MIT Alliance, which was formed in November 1998

Prof. Chua is senior member of IEEE. He served as Chairman of IEEE, Singapore Chapter from 1984 to 1986 and as Chairman of Education Committee, Region 10 from 1987 to 1988 and Vice-chairman of SPIE from 95-97.
Abstract: ZnO nanostructures
Zinc Oxide is an emerging material for optoelectronic and electronic applications. Its direct bandgap energy of 3.37 eV is comparable to that of GaN but its large exciton binding energy of 60 meV, almost 3 times larger than that of GaN, promises to yield efficient UV and blue photonic devices. Other potential applications are in spin functional and surface wave devices.
A number of ZnO nanostrutures, such as nanowires, nanorods,nanodiscs have been fabricated using catalyst-mediated vapour phase epitaxy, sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, metal organic vapour deposition and plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. For application in nanoscale photonics, it is desirable to obtain highly oriented nanorods of high quality and preferably fabricated at low temperatures for the purpose of device integration. One such method is hydothermal synthesis and I will describe this technique of growth of ZnO nanorods on GaN substrate carried out in IMRE in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry, NUS.