The Nature of Nano

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago Council on Science and Technology and Argonne National Laboratory present “The Nature of Nano”

CHICAGO, Illinois (November 21, 2013) –From tennis rackets to sunscreen, from stained glass windows to computer memory, the applications of nanoscale materials research are all around us. New television displays, cell phones and other digital devices incorporate nanostructured polymer films known as light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs.

At a very small, or “nano” scale, materials behave differently. The study of nanomaterials is much more than miniaturization – scientists are discovering how changes in size affect a material’s properties.

Research efforts over the past decade have enabled scientists to make single nanoparticles, and current research efforts are focused on putting different nanoparticles together to make nanomaterials. For instance, by reducing the distance that electrons have to move, these nanomaterials will produce batteries with greater efficiency.

Applications utilizing nanotechnology abound in the energy field, from cheaper flexible solar panels to improved catalysis for fuel production and better batteries. Medical applications are also showing promise, in the areas of imaging and diagnostics.

Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) and Argonne National Laboratory are proud to present “The Nature of Nano,” featuring both the research into and applications of nanotechnology. The program will feature materials scientist Dr. Amanda Petford-Long, director of Argonne National Laboratory’s Nanoscience and Technology Division, and Adam Khan, president of AKHAN Technologies, a company recently recognized with an R&D 100 award—also known as the “Oscars of invention”–for its Miraj Diamond™ Platform.

Petford-Long, with 25 years of experience in the field, will present current research efforts and advances in nanotechnology, and highlight the societal implications of CNM’s research. She holds a D.Phil in Materials Science from University of Oxford (1985) and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from University College, London (1981).

Khan is founder and chief executive of AKHAN Technologies. AKHAN Technologies, in collaboration with Argonne National Lab, has developed an energy-efficient semiconductor process that combines two newly-developed diamond-technologies, low-temperature nanocrystalline diamond deposition developed at Argonne’s CNM, and an efficient semiconductor doping process (doping, or introducing impurities into semiconductors, allows them to behave more like conductors, such as metals) to create cheaper, better electronics that rely on integrated circuits—transformational to telecommunications, consumer electronics, defense, and aviation electronics.

DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. 5pm Registration and social hour, 6 pm program.

Northwestern University Chicago Campus – Hughes Auditorium 303 E. Superior St. 60611 Chicago, IL.

Discounted parking will be made available to the first 50 attendees at the 222 E. Huron St. garage; ask for a ticket at the registration desk upon arrival to the program.

Lecture is free and open to the public. However, space is limited, so registrations is recommended. Visit www.c2st.org

For more information, contact Andrea Poet at apoet@c2st.org, or 312/567-5795 or 773/505-6007