Nanotechnology

The National Research Council plays a key role in Canada's goal to be an integral part of the international quest for discoveries at the atomic and molecular level. Nanotechnology – the research, development and commercialization of materials and devices on the scale of a billionth of a meter – is opening up vast new horizons in virtually all sectors of the economy, from materials sciences, to biomedicine, to communications and information technology. Research on nanotechnology is underway in several NRC institutes nation wide in the following sectors. These institutes, in partnership with key players, will increase Canadian expertise and enable Canada to be at the leading edge of the emerging nanotechnology revolution.

• Nanotechnology
• Nanomaterials
• Nano-components, Materials and Devices
• Catalysts, Electrodes and Membranes for Fuel Cell Technology
• Polymer Nanocomposites
• Nanoelectrodes and Biosensors
• Performance of Thin Films and Surfaces
• Nanometrology
  
  

Nanotechnology

		NRC National Institute for Nanotechnology
		Molecular Scale Devices
		Supramolecular Nanoscale Assembly
		Materials and Interfacial Chemistry
		Theory and Modeling

NRC National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT)

Established in 2001 as a partnership between NRC and the University of Alberta, NINT explores the integration at the molecular level of nature's most powerful nano-devices, such as proteins, lipids and other biological structures made from "soft" organic material, with crystalline semiconductors, metals and catalysts made from inorganic "hard" materials.

In 2006, NINT will move to one of the world's most technologically advanced research facilities. At 15,000 square meters, it will be able to accommodate 120 permanent staff, 45 guest workers and up to 275 graduate and post-doctoral researchers.

Nanomaterials

		NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences
		Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science
		Biomolecular Sensing and Imaging
		Molecular and Nanomaterials Architecture
		Materials Structure and Function
		Theory and Computation

NRC-SIMS is investigating the structure and stability of nanomaterials, the correlation between electronic and geometric structures and macroscopic properties, and the application of this knowledge for the design of novel materials with specific properties.

Nano-Components, Materials and Devices

NRC-IMS has been involved in nanoscience from the very beginning; developing the necessary technology to fabricate semiconductor nanostructures, measuring and understanding their properties and exploring their potential applications. The nanoscience toolbox includes advanced techniques that enable the patterning of nanoscale features as well the production of materials engineered to promote the self assembly of quantum dots – tiny structures that will someday be used to form nanocircuits for the next generation of semiconductor devices.

One of the challenges of organic materials is their sensitivity to common processing solvents, oxygen, moisture and high temperatures. The NRC-IMS multidisciplinary team of physicists, chemists and engineers has developed a flexible plastic display using organic thin films and is currently working on transparent plastic electronics and optical devices for telecommunications applications.

		NRC Institute for Microstructural Sciences
		Materials and Processes
		Components
		Technology Base

Semiconductor nanostructures are being used to build a new class of quantum computers that can compute according to the laws of quantum, instead of classical, mechanics, and promise unprecedented computing power. Applications include security (in banking and national defence), communication and information technologies, biology, weather forecasting, engineering and physical sciences. Researchers at NRC-IMS have demonstrated the basic principle behind quantum computation, i.e. that it is already possible to build and combine individual qubits, the smallest quantum circuit. They are now developing technology to build more complex circuits and to couple these circuits with light.

Catalysts, Electrodes and Membranes for Fuel Cell Technology

		NRC Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology
		Material Sciences

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing sector. At NRC-ICPET, scientists are developing nanomaterials with improved functionality in order to create a new generation of products and devices.

For example, NRC-ICPET researchers are working to improve fuel-cell technology by developing polymer-stabilized bimetallic nanocatalysts. The use of these nanocatalysts will provide the most "bang for the buck" higher power density for the same amount of catalyst and, therefore, lower cost for each fuel cell. They are also determining the ideal composition and structure of ternary Pt/Ru/Os, which show better catalytic ability than alloys currently in use.

In addition to catalysis, researchers are developing nanostructured ceramic materials, smart polymers for biomedical and photonic applications, and a new generation of ferro-magnetic nanocomposites.

Polymer Nanocomposites

		NRC Industrial Materials Institute
		Advanced Materials Design

Researchers at NRC-IMI have improved the physical properties of some polymers by 50% through the addition of nanometre-sized particles of clay. Estimates for the market for these polymeric nanocomposites are $3 billion by 2009, with the Canadian market alone being worth $500 million per year by the end of the decade. Similar performance improvements can be foreseen through the development of coatings, catalysts, and membranes.

NRC-IMI, in partnership with a number of major companies, also operates the Technology Group on Polymer Nanocomposites  a research and development program with an annual budget of $300,000.

		NRC Biotechnology Research Institute
		Nanosensors and Nanobiotechnology

At NRC-BRI, researchers are developing biosensors that couple nanostructures with biological elements, electronics and architectures at the atomic and molecular levels. These nanobiosensors can be used to detect pathogens. heavy metals and other molecules in the environment, health and food industries.

Performance of Thin-Films and Surfaces

		Performance of Thin-Films and Surfaces
		NRC Institute for Industrial Materials Research
		NRC Institute for Aerospace Research
		NRC Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Institute
		NRC Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation

NRC researchers across Canada are developing new surface coating techniques that provide significant performance benefits to existing products. In Boucherville, Quebec, plasma spray coatings have been used by NRC-IMI to provide wear resistant surfaces for plastic and metal injection moulding tools. At NRC-IAR, work has been underway to develop a more environmentally friendly process for hard chrome plating and to provide wear and corrosion resistance for turbine blades. Other institutes in Ottawa have developed new thin film vapour deposition techniques targeted primarily to the electronics industry. NRC-IMTI is a leader in laser consolidation of nano-sized metal powders for coating and rapid tooling development. NRC-IFCI in Vancouver houses NRC's tribology research group, which is working on the understanding of wear and friction properties at the nanoscale.

Nanometrology

NRC Institute for National Measurement Standards

NRC-INMS Dimensional Metrology Program supports Canada's nascent nanotechnology programme by providing comprehensive calibration services for highest accuracy dimensional measurements in Canada. Dimensional parameters supported by the program include length, angle, flatness, roundness, diameter, surface roughness and 3-D form. The group also develops state-of-the-art instrumentation for custom measurements, conducts and coordinates investigations, fundamental research and scientific studies. NRC-INMS is a member of the key international committees that are developing standards for nanometrology and through its participation will ensure Canadian manufacturers have access to the reference materials they will need.

DID YOU KNOW?

World's First Single Molecule Electrical Circuit

Researchers at NINT are building the computer of the future – one molecule at a time. The team has created a single molecule electrical circuit, a discovery that could pave the way to miniaturizing computers and creating sensors fine enough to detect single-molecule interactions.

Currently, the ability to make smaller computers is limited by the size constraints of the transistors they use. Each transistor has three electrodes, which must be in physical contact to allow electricity to flow. Having three electrodes touching a single molecule is almost physically impossible, so the research team did the next best thing – they made two electrodes do the work of three.

Computers contain millions of transistors that turn on and off, allowing the processor to perform logic functions. Current transistor technology requires about one million electrons to switch the electrical state of a single transistor, using lots of power and generating lots of waste heat. The research team is trying to get multiples of their single-molecule units to create an integrated circuit of molecules. Using just one electron, instead of a million, would provide enormous speed advantages and power savings.

The team is also working to turn their discovery into a sensor that could be used in medical diagnostic devices, capable of detecting when a single molecule attaches to a receptor on a cell.