Consensus Study Report

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COMMITTEE ON THE QUADRENNIAL REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE (2025)

VICKI L. COLVIN, Louisiana State University, Chair

CATHERINE J. MURPHY, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Vice Chair

CRAIG B. ARNOLD, Princeton University

ANGELA M. BELCHER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

STACEY F. BENT, Stanford University

HAROLD G. CRAIGHEAD, Cornell University (emeritus)

TRAVIS EARLES, Sonder.Works

OMOLOLA (LOLA) ENIOLA-ADEFESO, University of Illinois Chicago

Y. SHIRLEY MENG, University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory

CHRISTINE PAYNE, Duke University

RICARDO RUIZ, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

MICHAEL G. SPENCER, Morgan State University

JESSE B. TICE, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Study Staff

BRYSTOL ENGLISH, Senior Program Officer, National Materials and Manufacturing Board (NMMB), Study Director

MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, NMMB

ERIK B. SVEDBERG, Scholar, NMMB

AMISHA JINANDRA, Senior Research Analyst, NMMB (through April 2025)

JOE PALMER, Senior Project Assistant, NMMB

HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Senior Finance Business Partner

SUDHIR SHENOY, Associate Program Officer (through December 2024)

MASON KLEMM, Mirzayan Fellow (March–May 2024)

LUKE YARBROUGH, Research Associate, NMMB (through March 2025)

NATIONAL MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING BOARD

THERESA KOTANCHEK (NAE), Evolved Analytics, LLC, Chair

JOHN KLIER (NAE), University of Oklahoma, Vice Chair

KEVIN R. ANDERSON (NAE), Brunswick Corporation

FELICIA J. BENTON-JOHNSON, Georgia Institute of Technology

WILLIAM B. BONVILLIAN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

GARY S. CALABRESE, Corning Incorporated (retired)

JIAN CAO (NAE), Northwestern University

ELLIOT L. CHAIKOF (NAM), Harvard University

JULIE A. CHRISTODOULOU, Office of Naval Research (retired)

TERESA CLEMENT, Raytheon Missile Systems

AMIT GOYAL (NAE), State University of New York at Buffalo

JULIA R. GREER, California Institute of Technology

SATYANDRA K. GUPTA, University of Southern California

THOMAS R. KURFESS (NAE), Georgia Institute of Technology

Y. SHIRLEY MENG, University of Chicago

OMKARAM (OM) NALAMASU (NAE), Applied Materials, Inc.

THOMAS W. PRETE, Pratt & Whitney

STANLEY RENDON, 3M Company

JOHN D. RUSSELL, Fives, Inc.

Staff

MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, National Materials and Manufacturing Board and Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics

ERIK SVEDBERG, Scholar

JONLYN (BRYSTOL) B. ENGLISH, Senior Program Officer

AMISHA JINANDRA, Senior Research Analyst (through April 2025)

JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Project Assistant

HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Financial Officer

SUDHIR SHENOY, Associate Program Officer (through December 2024)

MASON KLEMM, Mirzayan Fellow (March–May 2024)

LUKE YARBROUGH, Research Associate (through March 2025)

Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

SAMUEL ACHILEFU (NAE), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

DAVID BISHOP (NAE), Boston University

CATO T. LAURENCIN (NAS/NAE/NAM), University of Connecticut

QINGHUANG LIN (NAE), Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc.

DANIEL LOPEZ, Pennsylvania State University

JODIE LUTKENHAUS, Texas A&M University

CELIA MERZBACHER, SRI International

JEFFREY NEATON, University of California, Berkeley

TERI W. ODOM (NAS), Northwestern University

PAUL WESTERHOFF (NAE), Arizona State University

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by ELSA REICHMANIS (NAE), Lehigh University, and DIANNE CHONG (NAE), Boeing Research and Technology (retired). They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Acknowledgments

The committee would like to thank the following individuals who added to the members’ understanding of the nation’s nanoscale research and development infrastructure and the communities it is serving: Emmanuel Akala, Howard University; Shyam Aravamudhan, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Ilke Arslan, Argonne National Laboratory; Osama Awadelkarim, Pennsylvania State University; Joe Baio, Oregon State University; Luke Baldwin, Air Force Research Laboratory; Karl Behringer, University of Washington; Christian Binek, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Paul Braun, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Judy Cha, Cornell University; Wei Chen, Northwestern University; Jim Ciston, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Marina Dobrovolskaia, National Institutes of Health; Vinayak Dravid, Northwestern University; Liesl Folks, University of Arizona; David Foord, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Ana Galiano, University of Louisville; Eric Goergen; Thermo Fisher Scientific; David Gottfried, Georgia Institute of Technology; Zachary Gray, Pennsylvania State University; Franklin Hadley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Paula Hammond, MIT; Todd Hastings, University of Kentucky; Alison Hatt, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Carrie Huguenin, MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Ania Bleszynski Jayich, University of California, Santa Barbara; Kei Koizumi, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Rainer Kuemmerle, Bruker BioSpin; Robert Langer, MIT; Robert Lavelle, Pennsylvania State University (former student); Gabriel Montaño, Northern Arizona University; Tyler Myers, Forge Nano; Doug Natelson, Rice University; Jeff Nelson, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory; Sherine Obare, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Robert J. Pohorenec, JEOL USA, Inc.; Thomas Searles, University of

Illinois Chicago; Marc Segers, AIP Publishing; Debbie Senesky, Stanford University; Jonathan (Joff ) Silberg, Rice University; Trevor Thornton, Arizona State University; Rick Vaughn, Rio Salado College; Peter Vikesland, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Jelena Vučković, Stanford University; Kevin Walsh, University of Louisville; Paul Weiss, University of California, Los Angeles; Jason C. White, Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station; Stephan Wilhelm, University of Oklahoma; and Victor Zhirnov, Semiconductor Research Corporation. Additionally, the committee would like to thank the many industry, academic, and government representatives who participated in the virtual town hall.

The committee would specifically like to thank those who helped support this study on behalf of the National Science Foundation and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, including Khershed Cooper, Mihail Roco, Branden Brough, and Quinn Spadola.

Contents

PREFACE

SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS THE NATION’S NANOTECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE?

Study Background and Committee Task and Scope of Work

Study Process and Data Gathering

Report Structure

Shaping the Context for Nanotechnology Infrastructure

Increasing Relevance of Nanotechnology

What and Where Is the U.S. Nanotechnology Infrastructure?

Who Is Using the Infrastructure?

The Intentional Evolution of the National Nanotechnology Initiative

2 OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS FOR RENEWING AND COORDINATING THE NATION’S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IN NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE

Global Benchmarking on Nanotechnology Research and Development Infrastructure

Barrier: False Perception That Coordination Is No Longer Needed

Barrier: Reporting Variability and Administrative Burdens

Barrier: Insufficient Metrics

Barrier: Unaccounted Infrastructure Depreciation Costs

Barrier: Insufficient Support for Staff

3 TRENDS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND EMERGING USE CASES FOR NEXT-GENERATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NANOTECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE

Facility Trends and Opportunities: The Need for Expansion

Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Nanotechnology

Opportunities to Expand Relationships with Industry

Emerging Use Cases for Nanotechnology Infrastructure

Future Infrastructure Prospects and Challenges

4 BARRIERS TO USE FOR COMMUNITIES NOT FULLY ENGAGING IN NANOTECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE

Outreach Activities Key for Workforce Development for the Industries of the Future

Nanotechnology Infrastructure and User Metrics

Awareness as a Barrier to Use

Accessibility as a Barrier to Use

Intellectual Property and Contractual Agreements as a Barrier to Use

Financial and Travel Logistics as a Barrier to Use

5 CONCLUSION AND LIST OF ALL REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

Full List of Recommendations

APPENDIXES

A Statement of Task

B Acronyms and Abbreviations

C Public Meeting Presentations

D Committee Member Biographical Information

Preface

Nanotechnology, the science and technology of objects and phenomena at the 1–100 nm length scale, is an iconic example of how the United States has leveraged national science and technology policy to lead in the highly competitive global research market. Two decades after authorization of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, or NNI, the United States can claim multiple Nobel Prizes and diverse technologies that are the envy of the world. This success is a demonstration of what is possible when Congress harnesses the strengths of its many federal agencies and directs them to collaborate in support of an emerging area of knowledge.

Even more is possible now. While nanotechnology is no longer new to scholars, it is far more relevant to the nation. To fully reap its economic, social, and national security benefits, it is essential to make it possible for anyone in the nation to practice nanotechnology at the highest level. Students, entrepreneurs, teachers, and corporate researchers from across the nation are all vital partners for the next chapter of nanotechnology. They will be the users of a nanotechnology infrastructure constructed during the first two decades of nanotechnology investments. This powerful collection of instruments, facilities, and people will train the workforce that the nation needs for nanotechnology’s new industries as well as allow large and small companies to create economic benefits from our nanotechnology research leadership.

It is fitting that after two decades, this seventh review centers on the preservation and expansion of this nanotechnology infrastructure.

Vicki L. Colvin, Chair
Catherine J. Murphy, Vice Chair
Committee on the Quadrennial Review of the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (2025)