Second 2009 中美自然科学基金双边会议

China-US Workshop on Nanostructured

Materials for Global Energy and Environmental Challenges

Changzhou City, Jiangsu, China

October 15-18, 2009

Table of Contents

Page

Acknowledgements 1 Section 1: Executive Summary 2 Section 2: Participants 3 Section 3: Program Highlights 4 Section 4: Summary of Group Discussions 12 Section 5: Report Conclusions 20 Section 6: Implementation 22 Appendices Appendix 1: Workshop Participants 23 Appendix 2: Workshop Program 27 Appendix 3: Student Thesis Abstracts 30 Appendix 4: Consolidated Group Reports 34

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Acknowledgements

As co-organizers of the Workshop, we gratefully acknowledge the visionary leadership and support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in launching this workshop series, and we thank them for the honor of organizing this important event for the second time. We would also like to thank …. …the members of both agencies who took the time to attend this Workshop and share information about US and Chinese funding mechanisms; …the US delegates for making the long trip to China and the Chinese researchers and students who traveled from different parts of the country in the spirit of international cooperation. Their valuable contributions have made this second bilateral workshop a great success; …the organizing team at Tsinghua University and Northwestern University for their outstanding coordination, including workshop coordinators Lei Wang and Jennifer Shanahan, workshop assistants, Rui Ran, Min Li, Shujiang Xie, Xinyan Shi and Li Li. Special thanks also to John Brundage at Northwestern for his online support. We hope that this workshop series will continue to generate new projects and initiatives among Chinese and US partners! Workshop Co-organizers

Duan Weng R.P.H.Chang Tsinghua University Northwestern University

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Section 1: Executive Summary The Second China-US Workshop on Nanostructured Materials for Global Energy and Environmental Challenges was held in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China October 15-18, 2009. This was the second in a series of co-sponsored bilateral workshops to foster US-China cooperation to address shared challenges related to energy and the environment. Co-organized by Duan Weng of Tsinghua University (China) and R.P.H. Chang of Northwestern University (US), the workshop invited experts from the US and China to discuss solar energy conversion, environmental protection, environmental health, and nanostructured materials as applied to these areas. Participants included researchers, students and observers from academia, industry, national laboratories, and government funding agencies in China and the US.

Goals: The two-day workshop program consisted of information exchange, informal networking, a student poster session, and a series of parallel working group discussions. Six US-Chinese working groups were asked to produce the following deliverables:

1. A consolidated list of thematic areas for collaborative research based on complementary expertise and resources in China and the US;

2. A list of research facilities to be shared or jointly developed by Chinese and US partners;

3. A series of recommendations for improving education programs and capabilities at the graduate, postgraduate and public levels; and

4. A series of desirable cyber-infrastructure capabilities to support collaborative research, education, and networking.

A summary of these deliverables can be found in Sections 4 and 5 of this report. Key Findings: The working groups identified several key areas for collaborative research, including: (1) Nanomaterials Characterization and Synthesis; (2) Solar Energy Conversion, including solar cells and solar thermal systems, and solar chemical fuel conversion; (3) Environmental Protection, including conversion, reduction and sequestration of CO2 and other toxic gases; and (4) Nanotoxicology and Environmental Health. These areas are based on complementary expertise, knowledge and resources in both countries. Group discussions made clear the need to link collaborative research to sustainable mechanisms for personnel exchange, education and training, facilities sharing, and cyberinfrastructure development. The concept of a US-China E-Institute, set forth at the first US-China workshop in Evanston last year, was recommended again this year. As described in last year’s workshop report, such an institute would “provide a seamless, sustainable environment for long-term collaborative research, education and networking.” Given the sustained interest in this project on both sides, this model appears to be a promising mechanism for future development. Plans for pursuing its implementation are described in Section 6 of this report. The groups called for a broader range of joint funding mechanisms to foster and support US-China collaborations. Suggestions included expanding the use of supplements to cover international travel for research and research planning, increased support for student and faculty exchanges, and the establishment of new funding programs to develop joint infrastructures. Finally, participants agreed that this bilateral workshop series should be continued, that future workshops should be longer to allow for more focused discussions and research planning, and that activities for students should be expanded.

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Graduate students from China and the US

Chinese researchers attending the summary session

CAS Academician, Chunhui Huang (standing) with representatives from the US and China

Section 2: Participants About 75 invited researchers, graduate students, and government observers attended the workshop, roughly half from China and half from the United States. A list of workshop participants appears in Appendix 1 of this report. Researchers: The co-organizers worked with the NSF and the NSFC to ensure representation by leading solar cell researchers, nanomaterials experts, and environmental scientists and engineers. Twenty six researchers attended from the US and thirty researchers attended from China. Both sides worked conscientiously to assemble a diverse group of attendees from academia, industry and national laboratories representing different regions of the US and China, with an emphasis on diversity of gender, ethnicity, career level and discipline. Participants came from materials science, chemistry, mathematics, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and other fields.

Graduate Students: Student participation was encouraged. Five US students and four Chinese students accompanied their advisors to the Workshop, where they attended talks, presented research posters, and joined working group sessions. Wherever possible, US and Chinese students were lodged together to foster informal networking. It has been recommended that student participation be increased at future workshops, and that satellite activities be added for their benefit.

Government Observers: Nine representatives from the NSF and the NSFC attended the workshop as observers. The NSFC was represented by the Bureau of Engineering and Materials and the Bureau of International Cooperation. The NSF was represented by three divisions within the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences – the Division of Materials Research (DMR), the Division of Chemistry (CHE), and the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS). Agency representatives met privately to discuss joint funding mechanisms and programs to foster US-China cooperation. Cyberinfrastructure Support for Participants: Participants were encouraged to begin interacting several months before the Workshop via a community-based cyberinfrastructure consisting of searchable research profiles, group workspaces, document repositories, and discussion forums. These tools remain available to support ongoing discussions (www.materialsworldnetwork.org)

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Section 3: Program Highlights The two day program was designed to meet the goals of the workshop. Day 1 included speaker sessions, a student poster session, and parallel (breakout) working group sessions. Day 2 consisted of parallel working group sessions and group reporting. Participants also had opportunities for informal networking and cultural interactions. The complete workshop program can be found in Appendix 2. Opening Remarks The co-organizers, Duan Weng and R.P.H. Chang, welcomed participants, introduced distinguished guests, and outlined the goals of the Workshop.

Representatives of the two sponsoring agencies – NSF and NSFC- made welcoming remarks and described the origins and objectives of the jointly sponsored bilateral Workshop series. • Ming Li, Bureau of Engineering and Materials, National Natural Science Foundation of China

• Zakya Kafafi, Director, Division for Materials Research, National Science Foundation, US

• Luis Echegoyen, Director, Division of Chemistry, National Science Foundation, US

• Junping Wang, Program Director, Division of Mathematics, National Science Foundation, US

Division Director, Zakya Kafafi and Program Director, Charles Ying of the Division for Materials Research, National Science Foundation (US)

Ming Li, Bureau of Engineering and Materials, National Natural Science Foundation of China with Workshop Co-organizer, Duan Weng (seated)

Luis Echegoyen, Director, Division of Chemistry, National Science Foundation (US)

Junping Wang, Program Director, Division of Mathematics, National Science Foundation (US)

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Shuit-Tong Lee of Suzhou University gives a talk on silicon and carbon nano materials for energy applications

Richard Flagan of Caltech discusses airborne nanoparticles

Meifang Zhu of Donghua University presents a talk on nanocomposite hydrogels.

Speaker Session 1: Nanomaterials and Energy Session Chair: R.P.H. Chang, Northwestern University Plenary talks were presented by:

• David Ginley, National Renewable Energy Lab (US)

• Shuit-Tong Lee, Suzhou University (China)

• Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, University of California at Santa Barbara (US)

• Chunhui Huang, Peking University (China)

• Bruce Parkinson, University of Wyoming (US)

• Lidong Chen, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Speaker Session 2: Nanomaterials and the Environment

Session Chair: Duan Weng, Tsinghua University Plenary talks were presented by:

• Richard Flagan, California Institute of Technology (US)

• Feiyu Kang, Tsinghua University (China)

• Erin Himmelspach for Kimberly Gray, Northwestern University (US)

• Jian Xu, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Vicki Colvin, Rice University (US)

Speaker Session 3: Nanomaterials and Technology Session Chair: Robert Hull, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Plenary talks were presented by:

• Murray Gibson, Argonne National Laboratory (US)

• Yichun Liu, Northeastern Normal University (China)

• Robert Chang, Northwestern University (US)

• Meifang Zhu, Donghua University (China) Plenary talks are available online at http://materialsworldnetwork.org.

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US graduate student Atiya Jordan of Louisiana State University with her research poster.

UCSB student Jason Lin (right), his advisor T.Q. Nguyen (center) and their collaborator, Liwei Chen of the Suzhou Institute of Nanomaterials

Graduate student, Amanda Grantz of Caltech explains her research to R.P.H. Chang of Northwestern

US graduate student, Erin Himmelspach of Northwestern describes her work to Duan Weng

Student Poster Session Students presented posters describing aspects of their thesis research, including:

• Understanding the Effect of Electrospinning on the Crystallization Dynamics of Low and Highly Crystalline Polymers (Carl Giller, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware)

• Quantifying Airborne Particulate Matter Exposure and Dosage (Amanda Grantz, Chemical Engineering, Caltech)

• TiO2-based nanocomposites for solar fuel production: Engineering the solid-solid interface for specialized photocatalytic function (Erin Himmelspach, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University)

• Dye-sensitized Solar Cells using Dye Nanoparticles (Atiya Jordan, Chemistry, Louisiana State University)

• Structure-Function-Property Relationships of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based Materials for Applications in Solution Processed Organic Solar Cells (Jason Lin, Chemical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara)

Abstracts of this work appear in Appendix 3 of this report.

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Informal Networking and Cultural Interactions Before the Workshop, US visitors were given a tour of Zhouzhuang Water Village.

Meals and after-dinner parties provided opportunities for informal networking.

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Working Group Sessions Working Group breakout sessions were held over two days to generate recommendations for improving China-US cooperation in the topical areas covered by the workshop.

Researchers and students were assigned to one of six working groups as follows: Group 1: Nanomaterials A • Shuit-Tong Lee, Suzhou University (China) - Leader • Meifang Zhu, Donghua University (China) • Yunqi Liu, Institute of Chemistry, CAS (China) • Liwei Chen, Suzhou Institute of Nanomaterials

(China) • Zhongsheng Wang, Fudan University (China) • Murray Gibson, Argonne National Laboratory (US) -

Leader • Isiah Warner, Louisiana State University (US) • Robert Hull, RPI (US) • Ridgway Scott, University of Chicago (US) • Atiya Jordan, Louisiana State University (US) -

student Group 2: Nanomaterials B • Olivia Graeve, Alfred University (US) - Leader • Xiaogang Peng, University of Arkansas (US) • Sarah Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi (US) • John Rabolt, University of Delaware (US) • Jian Xu, Institute of Chemistry, CAS (China) - Leader • Yong Cao, South China University of Technology (China) • Jiaguo Yu, Wuhan University of Technology (China) • Jingbo Li, Institute of Semiconductor, CAS • Kezhi Wang, Beijing Normal University (China) • Carl Giller, University of Delaware (US) - student Group 3: Energy A • Chunhui Huang, Peking University (China) - Leader • Qingbo Meng, Institute of Physics, CAS (China) • Sam Zhang, China Iron and Steel Research Institute

Group (China) • Donghang Yan, Changchun Inst. of Applied

Chemistry, CAS (China) • Hong Lin, Tsinghua University (China) • Bruce Parkinson, University of Wyoming (US) -

Leader • Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, UC Santa Barbara (US) • Jeffrey Yang, United Solar Ovonic, LLC (US) • Ethan Good, SolarWorld USA (US) • Len Feldman, Rutgers University (US) • Jason Lin, UC Santa Barbara (US) – student

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Group 4: Energy B • David Ginley, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

(US) - Leader • Woolas Hsieh, Solarmer, Inc. (US) • Alex Jen, University of Washington (US) • Theodore Goodson, III, University of Michigan (US) • Lidong Chen, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, CAS

(China) - Leader • Changjian Lin, Xiamen University (China) • Yichun Liu, Northeast Normal University (China) • Deren Yang, Zhejiang University (China) • Dechun Zou, Peking University (China) Group 5: Environment A • Jieshan Qiu, Dalian University of Technology (China)

- Leader • Lijie Qiao, University of Science & Technology

Beijing (China) • Man Yao, Dalian University of Technology (China) • Renxian Zhou, Zhejiang University (China) • Rui Ran, Tsinghua University (China) • Richard Flagan, Caltech (US) - Leader • Irene Fonseca, Carnegie Melon University (US) • Amanda Grantz, Caltech (US) – student • Erin Himmelspach, Northwestern University (US) -

student Group 6: Environment B • Vicki Colvin, Rice University (US) - Leader • Neal Armstrong, University of Arizona (US) • Dhimiter Bello, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

(US) • Mamadou Diallo, Caltech (US) • Timothy Schulze, University of Tennessee Knoxville

(US) • Feiyu Kang, Tsinghua University (China) - Leader • Guosheng Gai, Tsinghua University (China) • Meiqing Shen, Tianjin University (China) • Xiaodong Wu, Tsinghua University (China) • Duan Weng, Tsinghua University (China) Group members made brief research presentations, which are available online at http://materialsworldnetwork.org. Group discussions are summarized in Section 4 of this report, and a consolidation of their written reports appears in Appendix 4.

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Murray Gibson of Argonne National Laboratory presents the report from Group1: Nanomaterials A

Group Reporting At the end of Day 2, group co-leaders presented their findings to the Workshop, which are summarized in the next Section. The groups also submitted written reports, which have been consolidated in Appendix 4.

Olivia Graeve of Alfred University presents the report from Group 2: Nanomaterials B

Bruce Parkinson of the University of Wyoming presents the report from Group 3: Energy A

Richard Flagan of Caltech presents the report from Group 5: Environment A

Neal Armstrong of the University of Arizona presents the report from Group 6: Environment B

David Ginley of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory presents the report from Group 4: Energy B

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Workshop Co-organizer, R.P.H. Chang leads discussion during the closing session

Closing Session The Co-organizers led a closing discussion to summarize the workshop findings and define priorities for implementation. Workshop findings are summarized in Sections 4 and 5, and a consolidation of group reports appears in Appendix 4. Priorities for implementation are summarized in Section 6.

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Section 4: Summary of Group Discussions Group discussions produced the following deliverables to inform the establishment of joint funding programs by US and Chinese agencies:

1. A consolidated list of thematic areas for collaborative research

2. A list of research facilities to be shared or jointly developed by US and Chinese partners.

3. A series of recommendations for improving education programs and capabilities at the graduate, postgraduate and public levels.

4. A series of desirable cyber-infrastructure capabilities to support collaborative research, education, and networking.

These deliverables are summarized briefly in this Section. A more comprehensive consolidation of group reports appears in Appendix 4. Deliverable 1: A Consolidated List of Thematic Areas for Collaborative Research NANOMATERIALS • Techniques for discovering new materials with new properties: Nanoscale characterization,

and nano computation

• Nanomanufacturing

• Mathematical modeling of photovoltaics

• Organic photovoltaics

• Nanotoxicology

• Design of functional nanomaterials using an iterative modeling and experimental approach to address global environmental and energy needs. Examples include: Preparation of active nanofibers with incorporated nanoparticles for specific functionalities such as destroying pollutants, for sensing applications, etc.; Polymer photovoltaics, specifically new polymer compositions and designs for enhanced performance.

• Development of specific metal clusters morphologies and the theoretical modeling of their behavior. Specific behaviors would be optical, magnetic, electronic, etc.

• Development of nanoscale techniques for surfaces/interfaces and molecular characterization of nanomaterials.

• Development of synthetic processing methods for nanomaterials to maintain specific shape, size, interface, and functionality in target applications.

• Development of techniques that can result in nanodevices of specific functionalities.

• Development of novel nanometals for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in sensor applications.

ENERGY MATERIALS, ENERGY GENERATION AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY • Materials preparation: single crystals, simple and pure materials to use as model systems to

understand materials properties with specific target application in mind

• Advanced characterization techniques: Tomography; Understanding degradation mechanisms and understand accelerated testing, especially for organic semiconductors, quantum dots, and

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electrolyte encapsulation; Interface engineering: Most energy conversion processes are dominated by interfaces;

• Interfacial Analysis of novel organic, inorganic and hybrid systems are difficult to probe by conventional in lab techniques

• Synthesis and testing of new materials: Hybrid systems for energy conversion and efficiency; Developing new understanding or process science; Novel devices and materials applications.

• Computational resources predicting molecular, polymer and interfacial properties

• Synergistic application of the science developed for OPV, OLED, molecular catalysis, photocatalysis , fuel cells– grand challenges.

NANOMATERIALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT • Resource issues in nanotechnology. Alternate starting materials replacing high value

feedstocks, e.g., nanotubes from coal; Utilizing materials with lower effect on environment – refractory carbon as structural material – reduced greenhouse gases.

• Energy technologies: Nuclear; Photovoltaics; Batteries; Fossil fuel replacements; Fuel cells; Fundamental chemical mechanisms – development of mathematical models; Water splitting.

• Nanotechnology for environmental control: Modeling and experiment; Understand and predict microstructure and properties over a range of scales; Ecosystem effects; Catalytic converters

• Nanotoxicology: Worker and community exposure and health consequences. Determine what is in the air/water/soil/workplace; measure inhalation, dermal exposure, Ingestion, Mechanisms of action and clearance, Environmental behavior of nanomaterials – size effects, Role of scale in health and environmental behavior of materials.

• Relationship between environmental effects of nanotechnology and other pollutants, i.e. Nanotechnology leading to new understanding of existing environmental problems.

• Ecosystem effects of Nanotechnology: How can nanoparticles in the environment be measured/detected? What special features of the environment affect nanoparticle behavior? Development of predictive models of nanoparticle accumulation, transport, and transformations in biota and environmental compartments.

• Factors that limit the lifetimes of nanotechnologies: Radiation damage, photochemical degradation, catalyst poisoning, thermal cycling, etc.

• Water: sensing at micro-, nano-, femto-, atto-molar levels, catalysis for remediation, treatment for desalination and reuse;

• EcoMaterials: life cycle assessment, safety by design, sensors for nanomaterial detection, recycling of high value-added materials (e.g. Lithium from Li-air/Li-ion batteries)

• Environmental Catalysis: air pollution remediation and control (automotive, power plant), indoor air quality systems, integrated into water treatment, virus inactivation, etc.

• Materials for combating climate change: Carbon sequestration (storage and capture), catalysts to lower carbon footprints, CO2 conversion strategies

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Complementary Strengths (Partial List) The groups were also asked what kinds of complementary expertise, knowledge and resources in the US and China would be leveraged by the above-mentioned collaborations. A partial list, gathered from their reports, appears below.

Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources in China and the US (Partial List)

US China Materials characterization, device fabrication, and interdisciplinary research

Materials synthesis and manufacturing

Theory and modeling expertise; Industrial–academic relationship stronger; more developed education/research connection.

Worlds largest PV producer; Expertise in crystal growth; Human resources.

Modeling expertise and resources; understanding of physiological mechanisms; Environmental science and engineering research; Aerosol experiment, measurement, and theory; understanding of microstructures and properties over a range of scales.

Expertise in carbon nanotubes and microcarbons from coal; Two research institutes on nanomaterial safety in Beijing; Analytical science of nanosafety in Nanjing.

Modeling and theory as applied to materials design and processing.

Access to manufacturing /workplace settings where exposure and strategies for minimizing exposure can be studied.

One of the groups also noted several important similarities between the two countries:

Both Countries… Have diverse energy sources, but depend largely on coal and other carbon-based sources

Need to focus carefully on near-term strategies to manage carbon resources

Have diverse geographies and climates

Are likely to pursue multiple strategies for renewable energy in different regions, which requires substantial research efforts and a strong emphasis on the electrical grid

Are very large countries so transportation across vast distances is a shared issue NOTE: Other capabilities were mentioned in the group reports but were not attributed to one country or the other. Please see Appendix 4 for more detail.

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Recommendations to Improve Collaborative Research Personnel Exchange/Training • Expand personnel exchanges for students and faculty

• Establish visiting scholar/lecturer programs

• Joint research proposals should include a fund for two-way internships lasting 3-6 months

• Train students with a global perspective; facilitate and encourage Chinese research experiences for US students.

Industrial Collaboration / Technology Transfer • Encourage industry-centered materials research

• Give students a more entrepreneurial experience

• Develop a framework for intellectual property management and licensing between US and China.

Joint Workshops:

• More bilateral jointly-sponsored workshops are needed to spin-off proposals for joint funding activities. Continue this workshop series: Hold a third US-China Workshop in 2010; involve more students and expand activities for students. Future Workshops should be longer, with more time for parallel sessions, plenary talks, discussion, facility tours and informal networking.

• Launch a series of smaller, tailored workshops on hot topics

• Launch a series of technical challenge workshops in which industrial researchers/developers pose grand challenges in specific technologies.

Cyberinfrastructure • Encourage investigators to contribute to the MWN website so expertise can be shared.

• Establish online resources such as collaborator listings, databases and document repositories. Joint Funding Mechanisms • Increase awareness of existing mechanisms and provide clear guidelines for their use

• Create more “timely” funding mechanisms for collaborative research, such as the EAGER program, Joint “Career” proposals, etc.

• Allocate specific funding for US-China activities to ensure that collaborations are launched

• Expand supplements to cover travel for research planning, lecture visits, and research visits

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Deliverable 2: Research Facilities to be Shared or Jointly Developed FACILITIES FOR NANOMATERIALS Facilities to be Shared • Synchrotrons and neutron sources, and other advanced materials characterization facilities.

• Computational facilities.

• Polymer synthesis capabilities at all scales

• Combinatorial synthesis and analysis

• Electrostatic and melt polymer processing capabilities

• Solid-state NMR and ATR FTIR with variable angle-depth profiling

• Ceramic processing at all scales, including pilot plant scale; Nanopowders synthesis capabilities at small and intermediate scales; High-temperature (up to 2200°C) materials characterization capabilities: DSC/DTA, x-ray diffraction (1800°C)

• Dynamic light scattering for measurement of particle size from 0.8 nm up to 6.5 mm; Static and time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy techniques including sum frequency generation (SFG) planar array IR (PA-IR) and FT-Raman spectroscopy; HP supercomputers for materials modeling; Surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance

• Software for nanoscale modeling

• AFM-based electrospinning Facilities to be Jointly Developed • Instruments to be placed at light sources or neutron facilities

• Collaborative development of unique instruments

• Next generation light and neutron sources

• Table-top instruments for characterization FACILITIES FOR NANOMATERIALS AND ENERGY Facilities to be Shared • National lab and NSF funded centers in US

• Resources to facilitate staff exchanges and instrument support at the exchange locations

• Specific analytical capabilities for hybrid interfaces

• Shared device development capabilities inorganic, organic, hybrid

• Synthesis resources for unique materials inorganic, organic and hybrid

• Combinatorial – high-throughput capabilities. Facilities to be Jointly Developed • New facilities dedicated to solar energy conversion research. For example: a facility in China

to certify device efficiency similar to NREL; Develop low energy and high resolution electron microscopy facilities.

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• Beam line dedicated to hybrid systems

• Way to look at 3D structure of nano-composites

• Combinatorial – high-throughput user facility

• Rapid access to solar/OLED; device process/characterization capability (OLED test and fabrication capability in Korea)

• A shared computational modeling effort for predictive work on hybrid systems.

FACILITIES FOR NANOMATERIALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Facilities to be Shared • Instrumentation for measurement and monitoring of nanomaterials in various environmental

compartments.

• The US may offer models for cloud computing and other intensive computational resources that may be of value to Chinese collaborators.

Facilities to be Jointly Developed • A Joint US/China Institute of Collaborative Research in Modeling for Nanotechnology to bring

people together for extended collaborations. Rotation between countries and institutions.

• Database efforts to gather information and other metrics useful for life cycle assessment; to the extent that databases are public these should shared.

• Because China has such a large manufacturing base for nanomaterials, the country offers excellent potential testbeds for exposure monitoring and other industrial hygiene practices as they are applied to nanomaterials. This could be developed further and investigators from around the world would find access to these workplace environments very important.

• A critical need for energy and environmental issues are testbeds for evaluating prototype technologies. China offers a diverse array of environments and a burgeoning infrastructure that is well suited for early stage technology evaluation.

Recommendations to Improve Facilities Sharing • Develop a way for US scientists have access to the Chinese beam lines and vice versa, for

fundamental work. Provide access to high-end computation facilities if possible.

• Fund programs to train students at facilities abroad; have students travel to labs with device capabilities to test new materials

• Expand cooperation with industry on basic problems

• Establish Mechanisms for moving instruments back and forth

• Develop a database of currently available facilities, including equipment and software. • Establish instrumentation partnerships; a shared computation resource; a high throughput

capability for hybrid materials, etc.

• Fund workshops on development of new techniques

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Deliverable 3: Recommendations for Improving Education Programs and Capabilities at the Graduate, Postgraduate and Public Levels Improving Education Capabilities Graduate/Postgraduate Levels • Give students a global perspective, i.e. exposure to other cultures, technical language and

approaches to R&D.

• More mathematical modeling courses for materials scientists

• Greater emphasis on interdisciplinary education; Rebalance humanities and science (e.g. social, economic, political issues in nanotechnology, energy, and environment)

• Give students a more entrepreneurial experience

• Guidance for new researchers on the use of specific facilities, safe laboratory practices, etc. Public Level • Improve the public perception of science

• Encourage science and math careers

• Improve public awareness of global energy and environmental challenges and the role of nanotechnology in solving them.

• Prepare students on both sides to communicate with the public and the press Recommendations to Improve Education • Create more opportunities for student exchanges; research visits; mobility in both directions.

Develop a pool of resources that can be applied for from both sides to fund internships and exchanges. At the postgraduate level, create a fellows program for young faculty during sabbatical periods.

• Improve networking and collaboration among students; Create opportunities for them to interact and build lasting relationships. More student involvement at international workshops; workshops should include satellite activities for students such as lab visits and short courses; Involve students in planning future workshops.

• Provide advanced leadership training for students and postdocs; Summer schools and study institutes alternating between US and China on a variety of topics (NATO summer schools, Global School for Advanced Studies); Establish mechanisms to foster student collaborations (ex: write mini-joint proposals to return to future workshops.

• Increase mobility of US and Chinese Faculty. lecture visits, short-courses, visiting faculty programs

• Increase cooperation among Chinese and US faculty: Joint student supervision; develop joint courses, beginning with a series of online courses that are valid in US and Chinese universities.

• Establish a US-China Global Institute (suggested at last year’s conference) to house shared graduate students, faculty and shepherd other research initiatives.

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Deliverable 4: A Series of Desirable Cyber-Infrastructure Capabilities to Support Collaborative Research, Education, and Networking Basic Networking Capabilities • Online sharing of research results (web-authored news items, shared documents, databases)

• Easy-to-use online forums, group workspaces, message boards; whiteboards for research collaborations; enhance communications among groups and group members;

• Document sharing: post/download conference presentations and publications. Encourage exchange of pre-prints among partners and groups.

• Basic data sharing via e-alerts (users can subscribe to websites) and RSS feeds (websites can be linked so information from one website can be posted on another.)

• Profiles of Individual Researchers and Research groups Conferencing Tools • Develop basic and advanced web conferencing capabilities at US and Chinese institutions.

Examples include Webcasting (basic) and multisite web-conferencing with shared desktop (for sharing powerpoints, blackboard, etc. (advanced)

• Help in setting up video conferencing and phone conferencing systems (The NSF NCN at Purdue is an excellent resource)

Databases and Other Resources • Database of facilities (including equipment and software) available at various laboratories and

working groups

• Database of Journals - expand access to existing journal databases

• Database of Publications: Establish a free database of publications supported by NSF and NSFC, similar to the NIH database

• Database of materials and materials properties - Analytical results in real time.

• Database of research capabilities

• Database of research topics and funding opportunities

• Bibliographies of publications, generated by participants, with downloadable papers where possible (available on MWN website)

• Joint authorship/publication review tools: Papers from participants, from bibliographies generated by participants, Rate (and annotate) papers for different constituencies.

Remote Experiment Access / Instrumentation/ Data Sharing • Remote experiment access (e.g. synchrotrons)

• Cyber instrumentation: Software repository; Access to quantitative tools (e.g. life-cycle assessment, material properties) that are simple to use, with adequate information for use by a wider group of people. Computational and modeling resources

• Websites/tools for exchanging large datafiles (data sets rather than document files); Fast data sharing via GRID technology

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Sharing/Developing Educational Content • Online courses and course directories

• Distance learning / remote classroom capabilities

• Repositories of educational materials

• Information about internships and research visits

• Database of materials properties, nanomaterials, etc.

• Experimental monitoring and participation online

• Online modeling tools

• Better Video/web conferencing capabilities at US and Chinese institutions

• More smart classrooms at US and Chinese institutions  

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Section 5: Report Conclusions The first US-China workshop, held in September 2008 in Evanston, Illinois, was attended by about 60 participants. This second workshop involved more researchers, working on a broader range of energy and the environmental topics. Once again, nanomaterials and their properties proved to be an ideal cross-cutting focus; producing essential cross-pollination between the two groups and unifying disciplinary perspectives. Participants came from Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mathematics, Materials Science, and Physics; a larger number of mathematicians attended the workshop this year, and mathematical modeling was added to each of the working groups. This year’s workshop aimed to consolidate recommendations from the first workshop, generate new suggestions, and establish a strategy for their implementation. Because many of the recommendations made at last year’s workshop were reiterated this year, the path forward is now clearer. The following conclusions were gleaned from workshop presentations, discussions and from the six reports prepared by the working groups: Collaborative Research: Many opportunities exist for collaborative research. China and the US face similar energy and environmental challenges and possess complementary expertise, knowledge, and resources for facing these challenges. Synergism exists in the following areas:

• Nanomaterials Characterization and Synthesis: The US is strong in characterization and modeling of nanostructured materials, whereas China is highly skilled in their synthesis, large scale fabrication and manufacture.

• Solar Energy Conversion: This area includes solar cells and solar thermal systems, and solar chemical fuel conversion. China is the world largest PV producer and the US is a leader in innovative product design.

• Environmental Protection: China and the US can work together to develop new systems for conversion, reduction and sequestration of CO2 and other toxic gases. Both countries have strong catalysis programs. The US has developed a number of advanced techniques and approaches to address these challenges, and China has a growing number of specialized research institutes in this area. The US is also strong in developing advanced sensors for monitoring and mapping pollutants in the air and water. Samples can be taken in both countries for joint studies.

• Nanotoxicology and Environmental Health: Chinese strength in the large scale manufacturing of nanomaterials provides a variety of manufacturing and workplace settings for US and Chinese researchers to study levels of exposure to nanoparticles, the effects of exposure, and strategies for minimizing exposure. Samples for nanotoxicology and environmental impact studies can also be taken near Chinese manufacturing sites.

Based on group discussion, it is clear that collaborative research in each topical area must be closely linked to mechanisms and programs for education, facilities sharing, and the development of cyberinfrastructure tools. Education: Synergism also exists in the area of education. Working together, US and Chinese partners can help the public better understand global energy and environmental challenges and train new breed of researcher with well-rounded research capabilities and a unique global perspective. It was agreed that some educational materials could be shared and others should be developed jointly. It was also agreed that students on both sides should have more opportunities for networking and cross-cultural exchanges and more experience planning and

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carrying out joint projects. Several groups again mentioned that opportunities for US students should be expanded to balance the movement of students between the two countries. Facilities Sharing: It was suggested that a database of facilities and equipment in both countries be created; that students and faculty have more opportunities to visit and use these facilities for collaborative research, and that workshops be established to discuss specific methods and types of facilities. Participants also called for joint funding to launch instrumentation partnerships and develop specialized facilities to be shared. Cyberinfrastructure: Participants recommended the development/use of cyberinfrastructure capabilities ranging from high-tech to low-tech. High-tech capabilities included remote access to instrumentation. Medium-tech suggestions included advanced web-conferencing and distance learning tools. Low-tech suggestions included: databases (people and their research expertise, working groups, facilities and equipment, etc.) RSS and newsfeeds among websites, shared websites to post events, research highlights, and profile information. Implementation of these low-tech capabilities will require more coordination than advanced technical knowhow or expensive programs. Many already exist on the Materials World Network website, and it was suggested that more people begin using these tools to create a critical mass of information available to the community. Joint Funding Mechanisms: A broader range of mechanisms are needed to foster and support US-China collaborations. Suggested included supplements to existing grants to cover the cost of international research exchanges and planning trips (short term) new programs with specific funds set aside for US-China collaborations (medium term), and funding to develop joint infrastructures such as instrumentation partnerships and a US-China e-Institute (long-term). US-China E-Institute: Participants once again called for a sustainable mechanism to facilitate ongoing personnel exchanges, access to specialized facilities and equipment, development of educational resources, and development of cyberinfrastructure. The first US-China workshop in Evanston last September put forth the concept of a US-China Institute to be jointly funded and operated by a network of US and Chinese universities, research institutes, and industry partners. As described in the report of last year’s workshop, such an institute would “provide a seamless, sustainable environment for long-term collaborative research, education and networking. By virtue of its joint ownership, extended lifespan, and broad scope, such an institute would eliminate many existing barriers to successful US-China collaborations and foster transformative research for rapidly solving urgent global energy and environmental challenges.” This concept was recommended again this year, and based on this sustained interest in both countries, seems to be a very promising mechanism for future development.

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Section 6: Implementation The following priorities have been gleaned from workshop discussions and group reports. 1. Continue US-China Workshop Series This workshop series US-China Workshop Series, with the following improvements:

• Longer workshop with more time for discussion, facility tours and informal interactions • Revised structure that includes parallel topical sessions as well as plenary talks • Focus on launching joint proposals (set goals, establish milestones, etc.) • More student participation from both sides • Include satellite activities for student participants that will enable them to network with one

another, establish long term working relationships, and gain experience planning joint proposals.

2. Hold a Special Workshop for US and Chinese Graduate Students, perhaps in parallel with the next US-China workshop. Teams of students will develop joint projects based on their thesis research, receive mentoring from senior experts, present their work to a panel of reviewers, and write proposals to obtain funding support for their activities. They will also visit local research facilities and go on cultural excursions together. 3. Encourage use of the Materials World Network website to implement the following basic cyberinfrastructure capabilities: • A directory of individual research profiles and research group profiles • A library of useful weblinks, including facilities, research groups, funding programs, etc. • Online workspaces for US-China working groups, including document repositories and

discussion forums. • Posting of research highlights in the US and China – users can write web articles for posting

on the website, and these can be compiled into a quarterly e-newsletter. • Posting of upcoming workshops and events Additional capabilities such as webcasting, web conferencing, shared databases, etc. can also be added over time. Participants of this workshop and last year’s workshop will be added as users of the website and will receive emails containing login information and instructions for contributing to the site. 4. Pursue the Development of a US-China E-Institute by 2011 A US-China Institute Global E-Institute would provide “a seamless, sustainable environment for long-term collaborative research, education and networking” among US and Chinese partners. The NSF International Materials Institute (IMI) at Northwestern University will facilitate the development of such an institute in the coming year. Tsinghua University has agreed to take leadership in China. The new institute will include universities, research institutes, and companies in the US and China, initially 10-12 institutions on each side. An ad-hoc committee will be formed with representatives from the member institutions on both sides. A series of planning meetings will be held to plan various aspects of the institute’s activities and operations such as facilities sharing, energy research, environmental research, student and faculty exchange, etc. The meetings will alternate between the US and China. For example, the meeting on facilities sharing might be held at Argonne National Laboratory in the US, and the meeting on environmental research might be held in China. Leaders and working groups will also be appointed in each of these key areas.

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Appendix 1: Workshop Participants US PARTICIPANTS

No. First Name Last Name Affiliation Role Topical Area 1 Neal Armstrong University of Arizona Researcher Environment

2 Dhimiter Bello University of Massachusetts Lowell Researcher Environment

3 R.P.H. Chang Northwestern University Workshop Co-Organizer

Nanomaterials, Solar Cell

4 Vicki Colvin Rice University Researcher Environment

5 Mamadou Diallo California Institute of Technology Researcher Environment

6 Luis Echegoyen

Director, Division of Chemistry, National Science Foundation

Government Observer Chemistry

7 Leonard Feldman Vanderbilt University Researcher Solar Cell

8 Daniele Finotello

Program Director, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation

Government Observer

Materials Science

9 Richard Flagan California Institute of Technology Researcher Environment

10 Irene Fonseca Carnegie Mellon University Researcher Mathematics 11 Murray Gibson Argonne National Laboratory Researcher Nanomaterials

12 Carl Giller University of Delaware Student Researcher

Nanostructured materials

13 David Ginley National Renewable Energy Lab Researcher Solar Cell

14 Ethan Good SolarWorld USA Researcher Solar Cell 15 Theodore Goodson University of Michigan Researcher Solar Cell 16 Olivia Graeve University of Nevada, Reno Researcher Nanomaterials

17 Amanda Grantz California Institute of Technology

Student Researcher

Chemical Engineering / environment

18 Erin Himmelspach Northwestern University Student Researcher

Environmental Engineering

19 Woolas Hsieh Solarmer, Inc. Researcher Solar Cell

20 Carmen Huber

Executive Officer, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation

Government Observer

Materials Science

21 Robert Hull Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Researcher Nanomaterials

22 Alex Jen University of Washington Researcher Solar Cell

23 Atiya Jordan Louisiana State University Student Researcher

Solar Cell development

24 Zakya Kafafi

Director, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation

Government Observer

Materials Science

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No. First Name Last Name Affiliation Role Topical Area

25 Jason Lin University of California at Santa Barbara

Student Researcher Solar Cell

26 Sarah Morgan University of Southern Miss Researcher Nanomaterials

27 Thuc-Quyen Nguyen

University of California at Santa Barbara Researcher Solar Cell

28 Bruce Parkinson University of Wyoming Researcher Solar Cell 29 Xiaogang Peng University of Arkansas Researcher Solar Cell 30 John Rabolt University of Delaware Researcher Nanomaterials

31 Timothy Schulze University of Tennessee at Knoxville Researcher Mathematics

32 Ridgway Scott University of Chicago Researcher Mathematics

33 Jennifer Shanahan Northwestern University Workshop Coordinator

34 Junping Wang

Program Director, Division of Mathmatical Sciences, National Science Foundation

Government Observer Mathematics

35 Isiah Warner Louisiana State University Researcher Nanomaterials 36 Jeffrey Yang United Solar Ovonic, LLC Researcher Solar Cell

37 Charles Ying

Program Director, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation

Government Observer

Materials Science

CHINESE PARTICIPANTS

No. First name Last Name Affiliation Role Topical Area

1 Liwei Chen Suzhou Institute of Nanomaterials, CAS Researcher Nanomaterials

2 Huai Chen

Director, Division of America and Atlantic, Bureau of International Cooperation, NSFC

Government Observer

International Collaboration

3 Kexin Chen

Director, Division of Metal Materials, Bureau of Eng. and Materials, NSFC

Government Observer Metal Materials

4 Guosheng Gai Tsinghua University Researcher Nanomaterials 5 Chunhui Huang Peking University Researcher Solar Cell 6 Feiyu Kang Tsinghua University Researcher Nanomaterials 7 Shuit-Tong Lee Suzhou University Researcher Nanomaterials

8 Jingbo Li Institute of Semiconductor, CAS Researcher Solar Cell

9 Min Li Tsinghua University Student Researcher Ecomaterials

10 Ming Li Bureau of Engineering and Materials, NSFC

Government Observer

Materials Science

11 Changjian Lin Xiamen University Researcher Energy Materials

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No. First name Last Name Affiliation Role Topical Area 12 Hong Lin Tsinghua University Researcher Solar Cell

13 Yichun Liu Northeast Normal University Researcher Luminescent Materials

14 Yunqi Liu Institute of Chemistry, CAS Researcher Organic Solar Cell

15 Qingbo Meng Institute of Physics, CAS Researcher Solar Cell 16 Quiqing Peng Beijing Normal University Researcher Energy Materials

17 Jieshan Qiu Dalian University of Technology Researcher Ecomaterials

18 Rui Ran Tsinghua University Researcher Ecomaterials 19 Meiqing Shen Tianjin University Researcher Ecomaterials 20 Hongtao Wang Sichuan University Researcher Ecomaterials

21 Lei Wang Tsinghua University

Student Researcher & Workshop Coordinator Ecomaterials

22 Qiuyan Wang Zhejiang University Student Researcher Ecomaterials

23 Ruilin Wang Sichuan University Researcher Ecomaterials

24 Duan Weng Tsinghua University Workshop Co-Organizer Ecomaterials

25 Xiaodong Wu Tsinghua University Researcher Ecomaterials 26 Jian Xu Institute of Chemistry, CAS Researcher Biochemistry

27 Donghang Yan Changchun Inst. of Applied Chemistry, CAS Researcher

Photoelectrical Materials

28 Deren Yang Zhejiang University Researcher Solar Cell

29 Ming Yang Tianjin University Student Researcher Ecomaterials

30 Man Yao Dalian University of Technology Researcher Nanomaterials

31 Jiaguo Yu Wuhan University of Technology Researcher

Surface Chemistry

32 Sam Zhang China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group Researcher Energy Materials

33 Wenqing Zhang Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, CAS Researcher Energy Materials

34 Wanhua Zheng Institute of Semiconductor, CAS Researcher Energy Materials

35 Renxian Zhou Zhejiang University Researcher Ecomaterials 36 Meifang Zhu Donghua University Researcher Nanomaterials 37 Dechun Zou Peking University Researcher Nanomaterials

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Appendix 2: Workshop Program Friday, October 16 8:30 Departure by bus from Shilla Hotel (Lobby of Shilla Hotel, Suzhou) 9:00-16:00 One-day tour in Zhouzhuang Water Village 16:00-17:00 Arrival at Tianmu Lake Hotel (Lobby of Tianmu Lake Hotel, Changzhou) 14:00-18:00 Registration for Chinese participants (Lobby of Tianmu Lake Hotel, Changzhou) 18:30-20:00 Dinner, followed by Beer Party Saturday, October 17 7:00-8:00 Breakfast Opening Remarks (Juxian Conference Hall) 8:15-9:00 Welcome by the Organizers: Duan Weng (Workshop Logistics) R.P.H. Chang: (Summary of workshop goals; introduce working group leaders) Welcome by the Sponsors: NSFC representative: Ming Li (Bureau of Engineering and Materials)

NSF representatives: Zakya Kafafi (Division for Materials Research); Luis Echegoyen (Division of Chemistry); Junping Wang (Division of Mathematics)

Session 1: Nanomaterials and Energy (Juxian Conference Hall) Session Chair: R.P.H. Chang, Northwestern University 9:00-9:15 David Ginley, National Renewable Energy Lab (US) 9:15-9:30 Shuit-Tong Lee, Suzhou University (China) 9:30-9:45 Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, University of California at Santa Barbara (US) 9:45-10:00 Chunhui Huang, Peking University (China) 10:00-10:15 Bruce Parkinson, University of Wyoming (US) 10:15-10:30 Lidong Chen, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 10:30-10:45 Coffee Break Session 2: Nanomaterials and the Environment (Juxian Conference Hall) Session Chair: Duan Weng, Tsinghua University 10:45-11:00 Richard Flagan, California Institute of Technology (US) 11:00-11:15 Feiyu Kang, Tsinghua University (China) 11:15-11:30 Kimberly Gray, Northwestern University (US) 11:30-11:45 Jian Xu, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 11:45-12:00 Vicki Colvin, Rice University (US) 12:00-13:30 Lunch Session 3: NanoMaterials and Technology (Juxian Conference Hall) Session Chair: Robert Hull, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 14:00-14:20 Murray Gibson, Argonne National Laboratory 14:20-14:40 Yichun Liu, Northeastern Normal University 14:40-15:00 Robert Chang, Northwestern University 15:00-15:20 Meifang Zhu, Donghua University 15:20-16:00 Coffee Break and Group Photo

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Session 4: Parallel Working Group Discussions Each group member will briefly outline his/her research, education, and collaborations relating to advanced solar cells, environmental health/protection, and/or novel nanostructured materials, followed by open discussion, with the workshop deliverables in mind.

Group 1: Nanomaterials A (Shubo Hall) Murray Gibson (leader), Isiah Warner, Robert Hull, Ridgway Scott (US) Shuit-Tong Lee (leader), Meifang Zhu, Yunqi Liu, Liwei Chen, Zhongsheng Wang (China)

16:00-16:10 Isiah Warner, Louisiana State University 16:10-16:20 Yunqi Liu, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences 16:20-16:30 Robert Hull, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 16:30-16:40 Liwei Chen, Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology and Nanobionics 16:40-16:50 Ridgway Scott, University of Chicago 16:50-17:00 Zhongsheng Wang, Fudan University 17:00-17:30 Discussion; identification of key points

Group 2 Nanomaterials B (Cuibo Hall) Olivia Graeve (leader), Xiaogang Peng, Sarah Morgan, John Rabolt (US) Jian Xu (leader), Yong Cao, Jiaguo Yu, Jingbo Li, Kezhi Wang (China)

16:00-16:10 Olivia Graeve, University of Nevada, Reno 16:10-16:20 Jiaguo Yu, Wuhan University of Technology 16:20-16:30 Xiaogang Peng, University of Arkansas 16:30-16:40 Jingbo Li, Institute of Semiconductor, Chinese Academy of Science 16:40-16:50 Sarah Morgan, University of Southern Mississippi 16:50-17:00 Kezhi Wang, Beijing Normal University 17:00-17:10 John Rabolt, University of Delaware 17:10-17:30 Discussion; identification of key points

Group 3: Energy A (Yanbo Hall) Bruce Parkinson (leader), Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Jeffrey Yang, Ethan Good, Len Feldman (US); Chunhui Huang (leader), Qingbo Meng, Sam Zhang, Donghang Yan, Hong Lin (China)

16:00-16:10 Jeffrey Yang, United Solar Ovonic, LLC 16:10-16:20 Qingbo Meng, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 16:20-16:30 Ethan Good, SolarWorld USA 16:30-16:40 Sam Zhang, China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group 16:40-16:50 Len Feldman, Rutgers 16:50-17:00 Donghang Yan, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, CAS 17:00-17:10 Hong Lin, Tsinghua University 17:10-17:30 Discussion; identification of key points

Group 4: Energy B (Shuiwen Hall) David Ginley (leader), Woolas Hsieh, Alex Jen, Theodore Goodson (US) Lidong Chen (leader), Changjian Lin, Yichun Liu, Deren Yang, Dechun Zou (China)

16:00-16:10 Woolas Hsieh, Solarmer, Inc. 16:10-16:20 Changjian Lin, Xiamen University 16:20-16:30 Alex Jen, University of Washington 16:30-16:40 Deren Yang, Zhejiang University 16:40-16:50 Theodore Goodson, University of Michigan 16:50-17:00 Dechun Zou, Peking University 17:00-17:30 Discussion; identification of key points

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Group 5: Environment A (Shuilan Hall) Richard Flagan (leader), Timothy Schulze, Irene Fonseca (US) Jieshan Qiu (leader), Man Yao, Lijie Qiao, Renxian Zhou, Rui Ran (China)

16:00-16:10 Timothy Schulze, University of Tennessee at Knoxville 16:10-16:20 Jieshan Qiu, Dalian University of Technology (China) 16:20-16:30 Irene Fonseca, Carnegie Mellon University 16:30-16:40 Man Yao, Dalian University of Technology 16:40-16:50 Lijie Qiao, University of Science and Technology Beijing 16:50-17:00 Renxian Zhou, Zhejiang University 17:00-17:10 Rui Ran, Tsinghua University 17:10-17:30 Discussion; identification of key points

Group 6: Environment B (Shuijing Hall) Vicki Colvin (leader), Dhimiter Bello, Mamadou Diallo, Neal Armstrong (US) Feiyu Kang (leader), Guosheng Gai, Meiqing Shen, Xiaodong Wu, Duan Weng (China)

16:00-16:10 Dhimiter Bello, University of Massachusetts Lowell 16:10-16:20 Meiqing Shen, Tianjin University 16:20-16:30 Mamadou Diallo, California Institute of Technology 16:30-16:40 Xiaodong Wu, Tsinghua University 16:40-16:50 Neal Armstrong, University of Arizona 16:50-17:00 Duan Weng, Tsinghua University 17:00-17:10 Discussion; identification of key points 18:00-20:30 Welcome Banquet 21:00-23:00 Student Poster Session Sunday, October 18 7:00-8:00 Breakfast 8:30-11:30 NSF and NSFC officials meeting Working Group Breakout Sessions 8:30-10:30 Group Discussions and Report Preparation 10:30-10:50 Coffee Break 10:50-11:50 Group Discussions and Report Preparation 12:00-13:30 Lunch Group Reporting (Juxian Conference Hall) Co-chairs: R.P.H. Chang, Duan Weng 14:00-14:10 Group 1: Nanomaterials A: Murray Gibson, Shuit-Tong Lee 14:10-14:20 Group 2: Nanomaterials B: Olivia Graeve, Jian Xu 14:20-14:30 Group 3: Energy A: Bruce Parkinson, Chunhui Huang 14:30-14:40 Group 4: Energy B: David Ginley, Lidong Chen 14:40-14:50 Group 5: Environment A: Richard Flagan, Jieshan Qiu 14:50-15:00 Group 6: Environment B: Vicki Colvin, Feiyu Kang 15:00-16:00 Discussion of implementation plans 16:00-16:10 Coffee Break 16:10-16:40 Agency representatives input and recommendations to the groups 16:40-17:10 Compilation of Group Reports and Workshop Conclusions 17:10-17:40 Closing Remarks

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Appendix 3: Student Thesis Abstracts Carl Giller, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware Thesis Title: Understanding the Effect of Electrospinning on the Crystallization Dynamics of Low and Highly Crystalline Polymers

Abstract: The first part of this study focuses on the electrospinning of recently synthesized well-defined stereoblock polypropylenes that consist of symmetric blocks of isotactic polypropylene covalently attached to a larger block of atactic polypropylene. While the molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of the samples are similar, the amount of total isotactic content varies for each polymer. It was observed by Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopy as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) that the crystallinity of these materials increases with the isotactic content, and that electrospinning has a realizable effect on the microstructure of these polymers. Currently we are examining these materials with small and wide angle x-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) to discern exactly what effect electrospinning has on the long and short range order, respectively, of these materials, as well as the melting and crystallization dynamics of these materials as a function of isotactic content, processing conditions, and temperature. The SAXS measurements are being complemented by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies of these materials to discern the melting and crystallization dynamics of the selectively deuterated isotactic portions.

The second part of this study deals with the role of solvent evaporation on the crystalline state of electrospun Nylon 6 fibers. This was examined by electrospinning Nylon 6 into a closed chamber filled with varying concentrations of solvent vapor. It was found that the thermodynamically stable a form became increasingly present in Nylon 6 fibers electrospun out of both 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and formic acid as the vapor phase solvent concentration increased. It is believed that the formation of the metastable form is due to the fast solvent evaporation kinetics associated with the electrospinning process. By varying the rate of solvent evaporation during electrospinning, we were able to control the resulting crystal structure of the electrospun Nylon 6, as evidenced by XRD and Raman and FTIR spectroscopies. We are currently examining whether this behavior is universally observed across all families of polymorphic polymers. Amanda Grantz, Chemical Engineering, Caltech Thesis Title: Quantifying Airborne Particulate Matter Exposure and Dosage Abstract: Airborne particulate matter has long been recognized as playing an important role in the evolution of air pollutants. Environmental pollutants contribute to climate change, health risks, and other global problems. An increasing potential for environmental release of airborne particles followed by human exposure prompts the need for rapid screening of the safety and health hazards of these materials. The suspended particulate matter may consist of submicron particles originating from combustion processes, biological sources, or industrial manufacturing of engineered nanomaterials. Instrumentation is needed to determine toxic threshold levels for these aerosol constituents in ambient air. The key to assessing toxic effects of the pollutant particles is understanding deposition of inhaled particles in the lung. We aim to further the basic understanding of the links between atmospheric concentrations of respirable particulate material and impacts of airborne particles on human health. The fundamental science of aerosols and detection methodologies will aid in developing detection technologies to characterize particle concentrations and sizes in environmental compartments relevant to potential exposures.

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Erin Himmelspach, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University Thesis Title: TiO2-based nanocomposites for solar fuel production: Engineering the solid-solid interface for specialized photocatalytic function

Abstract: There is a large gap between our present use of solar energy and its enormous untapped potential. The aim of our research is to synthesize TiO2-based nanocomposite materials that harvest visible light to drive CO2 reduction, thereby producing energy rich fuels selectively and efficiently. The focus of our work is to interrogate and then, manipulate the critical features of the solid-solid interface that are fundamental to the high efficiency, visible light photoreduction of CO2 to energy rich fuels such as CH4 or CH3OH. The phase transition occurring at the solid-solid interface of TiO2 composites may induce changes in the coordination state of Ti4+. The tetrahedral coordinated Ti has been proposed as the catalytic active site in a variety of photoactive materials that catalyze the reduction of CO2. It has been shown that Ti can assume tetrahedral coordination when embedded in silica matrices. In our work, we will synthesize TiO2/SiO2 films and further probe the structure and function of the interfacial 4-fold coordinated Ti4+. We will compare these properties to the structure and function of anatase/rutile films in an effort to determine a basis for optimum photocatalyst design. Atiya Jordan, Chemistry, Louisiana State University Thesis Title: Dye-sensitized solar cells using dye nanoparticles

Abstract: Renewable energy, such as solar energy, reduces fuel dependence and provides a continuous and abundant source of energy. Solar energy, in particular, is obtained directly from sunlight and utilizes devices known as solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity. Silicon-based solar cells are well-established solar cells with a high recorded efficiency of 24.7%. The disadvantage of silicon-based solar cells is the expense of manufacturing, which is a drawback for long term mass production. The development of dye-sensitized solar cells by Grätzel and coworkers overcomes this issue by using titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a semiconductor. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are more cost efficient than silicon-based solar cells; however, they produce a lower energy conversion efficiency at about 11%. Developments of optimum dyes can improve this low efficiency. Several studies examine spectral properties of cyanine dyes, which are known for forming aggregates. In recent years, the use of dye self-assemblies in DSSC has been explored. We feel that the use of novel dye nanoparticles with improved spectral features may lead to an improvement of the efficiencies of DSSC. New cyanine dyes and their nanoparticles were developed. The spectral properties suggest the formation of J aggregates in the dye nanoparticles. These new cyanine dyes possess the potential to improve dye-sensitized solar cells. Jason Lin, Chemical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara Thesis Title: Structure-Function-Property Relationships of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based Materials for Applications in Solution Processed Organic Solar Cells

Abstract: Investing in an alternative renewable and clean energy source at lower prices is in urgent need and has been recognized by several government agencies including the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. One such energy source which has the potential to meet all of these requirements is organic solar cells. The use of small molecules in organic solar cells is desirable because they often exhibit long rang ordering and can be readily synthesized and functionalized with high purity. My thesis focuses on how conjugation length and alkyl chain length of diketopyrrolopyrrole-based materials influence on the optical and charge transport properties, molecular packing, thin film morphology, and the overall device performance. For all studies, we use [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester as an electron acceptor. We use a combination of techniques such as atomic force microscopy to probe

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surface morphology and donor-acceptor domain sizes, differential scanning calorimeter to measure the glass transition temperature, x-ray diffraction to gauge crystallinity, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy to measure HOMO-LUMO levels, and single charge carrier diodes to study hole and electron mobilities. The results from these studies will provide design guidelines for new generation of diketopyrrolopyrrole-based materials for applications in organic solar cells.

Ming Yang, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Thesis Title: Studies of Ceria-Based Materials in the Catalysis of Exhaust Control

Abstract: The present report introduces our current focus in the research of ceria-based functional materials/ catalysts. Although cerium is named as a rare earth element, it is not expensive and indeed an important component in automotive and industrial exhaust control catalysts, such as three-way catalysts (TWC), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC), selective reduction catalysts (SCR), and NOx storage reduction catalysts (NSR). The possible applications of these materials are mainly related to providing oxygen storage capacity (OSC), electronic vacancies, surface bonding and surface basicity. Moreover, also based on these properties, their interactions with doped and loaded noble metals, transient metals, alkaline earth elements, and alumina allow these materials to provide exceptional catalytic activities in oxygen buffering effect, oxidation, water gas shift reaction, and adjusting reducing process. We are studying these properties at a fundamental level to understand how ceria-based materials can promote the catalytic activities and to optimize the catalysts’ formulations that are crucial for eliminating air pollution and increasing fuel economy. Part of this work involves developing techniques for analyzing reaction pathways and thermodynamics at frequent switched lean-rich cycles. Our fundamental approach to scientific issues has made interactions with industry quite effective. We usually involve industrial partners in our research of TWC, DOC, SCR and NSR catalysts.

Qiuyan Wang, Institute of Catalysis, Zhejiang University Thesis Title: Influence of rare earths on the structure of Ce0.2Zr0.8O2 solid solution and the three-way catalytic performance over its supported Pd-only catalysts

Abstract: The influences of rare earths (La, Nd, Pr, Sm, and Y) addition to Ce0.2Zr0.8O2 and its supported Pd-only three-way catalysts were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and Temperature programmed reduction (TPR), while the oxygen storage capacity (OSC) was evaluated under static conditions. Special attention was given to the effects of structure modification on the three-way catalytic performance. It was found that the doping of rare earth cations would cause the lattice deformation of the tetragonal Zr-rich solid solution to form a pseudocubic structure and prevent the phase demixing even after severe thermal treatment. The presence of La, Nd, and Pr results in an enhanced thermal stability for both supports and catalysts leading to the higher catalytic activity for the corresponding catalysts. High surface area and porosity for the supports, and the reducibility of PdO active species finely dispersed are favorable to the catalytic activity of the three-way catalysts. The wide Air/Fuel operation window especially in the case of NO reduction relates to the improved OSC which is a consequence of rare earths doping.

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Appendix 4: Consolidated Group Reports The six working groups met in breakout sessions to produce the following deliverables: 1. A consolidated list of thematic areas for collaborative research 2. A list of research facilities to be shared or jointly developed by US and Chinese partners. 3. A series of recommendations for improving education programs and capabilities at the

graduate, postgraduate and public levels. 4. A series of desirable cyber-infrastructure capabilities to support collaborative research,

education, and networking. For each deliverable, the groups responded to a series of questions. Answers from all six groups have been consolidated here, with minimal editing. Deliverable 1: A Consolidated List Of Thematic Areas For Collaborative Research The groups were asked: What topical areas / research questions does your group see as priorities for US-China collaboration? What kinds of complementary expertise, knowledge and resources in both countries would be leveraged by these collaborations? What are the recommended steps for implementation?

Their responses are summarized below.

A) THEMATIC AREAS IN NANOMATERIALS A Techniques for discovering new materials with new properties, for example: 1. Nanoscale characterization 2. Nanomaterials computation 3. Nanomanufacturing 4. Mathematical modeling of photovoltaics 5. Organic photovoltaics 6. Nanotoxicology

Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources: The US is strong in materials characterization, device fabrication, and interdisciplinary research. China is strong in materials synthesis and manufacturing. B) THEMATIC AREAS IN NANOMATERIALS B) 1. Design of functional nanomaterials using an iterative modeling and experimental approach to

address global environmental and energy needs. Examples include: Preparation of active nanofibers with incorporated nanoparticles for specific functionalities such as destroying pollutants, for sensing applications, etc.; Polymer photovoltaics, specifically new polymer compositions and designs for enhanced performance.

2. Development of specific metal clusters morphologies and the theoretical modeling of their behavior. Specific behaviors would be optical, magnetic, electronic, etc.

3. Development of nanoscale techniques for surfaces/interfaces and molecular characterization of nanomaterials.

4. Development of synthetic processing methods for nanomaterials to maintain specific shape, size, interface, and functionality in target applications.

5. Development of techniques that can result in nanodevices of specific functionalities. 6. Development of novel nanometals for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in sensor

applications.

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Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources: Materials modeling and design; Polymer nanocomposites; Surface analysis; Polymer nanofibers; Molecular characterization; Thin films solar cells; Theory of nanocrystals; Functional nanocrystals; Surface chemistry of nanomaterials; Nanoscale effects of nanomaterials; Synthesis and processing of nanomaterials. C) THEMATIC AREAS IN ENERGY MATERIALS 1. Materials preparation: single crystals, simple and pure materials to use as model systems to

understand materials properties with specific target application in mind

2. Advanced characterization techniques: Tomography; Understanding degradation mechanisms and understand accelerated testing, especially for organic semiconductors, quantum dots, and electrolyte encapsulation; Interface engineering: Most energy conversion processes are dominated by interfaces;

Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources: China: Human resources; Worlds largest PV producer; Expertise in crystal growth. US: Theory and modeling expertise; Industrial–academic relationship stronger; more developed education/research connection.

D) THEMATIC AREAS IN ENERGY GENERATION AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY 1. Interfacial Analysis (specific tools/beam lines)

a. – novel organic, inorganic and hybrid systems are difficult to probe by conventional in lab techniques

b. – specific capabilities should be developed and shared: i. Microstructural analysis ii. Morphology iii. Electronic structure.

2. Synthesis and testing of new materials: a. Hybrid systems for energy conversion and efficiency

i. Organic materials with tunable homo/lumo and structure ii. Inorganic photonic materials iii. Hybrid materials systems – Si/organic, DSSC, QD systems

b. Developing new understanding or process science i. Scalability and process optimization in synthesis and fabrication. ii. TCOs and related non-active layer materials (ITO replacement/contacts etc.) iii. Understanding the mechanisms limiting lifetime iv. Develop next generation packaging approaches

c. Novel devices and materials applications i. Alternative applications of materials i.e. ZnO as TCO or LED ii. Thin film silicon based materials on low cost substrates for solar cells iii. Third generation conversion technologies iv. Novel solid state absorber systems v. Look at advance thermoelectric systems and coupling to solar.

3. Computational resources predicting molecular, polymer and interfacial properties 4. Synergistic application of the science developed for OPV, OLED, molecular catalysis,

photocatalysis , fuel cells– grand challenges.

Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources: Synthesis of unique inorganic, nanomaterials and polymer/organic materials with opportunities for integration into new device structures; Major analytical capabilities; Device preparation and characterization; Process and development science; Computational and modeling resources.

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E) THEMATIC AREAS IN NANOMATERIALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1. Resource issues in nanotechnology. Alternate starting materials replacing high value

feedstocks, e.g., nanotubes from coal; Utilizing materials with lower effect on environment – refractory carbon as structural material – reduced greenhouse gases.

2. Energy technologies: Bridging the gap from academic research to real-world implementation. Bring together industry and universities so that academic researchers learn about the real-world challenges related to the new technologies: Nuclear; Photovoltaics; Batteries; Fossil fuel replacements; Fuel cells; Fundamental chemical mechanisms – development of mathematical models; Water splitting.

3. Nanotechnology for environmental control (Modeling and experiment; Understand and predict the microstructure and properties over a range of scales; Ecosystem effects; Catalytic converters)

4. Nanotoxicology: Worker and community exposure and health consequences. Determine what is in the air/water/soil/workplace; measure inhalation, dermal exposure, Ingestion, Mechanisms of action and clearance, Environmental behavior of nanomaterials – size effects, Role of scale in health and environmental behavior of materials.

5. Relationship between environmental effects of nanotechnology and other pollutants, i.e. Nanotechnology leading to new understanding of existing environmental problems.

6. Ecosystem effects of Nanotechnology: How can nanoparticles in the environment be measured/detected? What special features of the environment affect nanoparticle behavior? Development of predictive models of nanoparticle accumulation, transport, and transformations in biota and environmental compartments.

7. Factors that limit the lifetimes of nanotechnologies: Radiation damage, photochemical degradation, catalyst poisoning, thermal cycling, etc.

Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources: China: expertise in carbon nanotubes and microcarbons from coal; Two research institutes on nanomaterial safety in Beijing; Analytical science of nanosafety in Nanjing. US: Modeling expertise and resources; understanding of physiological mechanisms; Environmental science and engineering research; Aerosol experiment, measurement, and theory; understanding of microstructures and properties over a range of scales. F) THEMATIC AREAS IN NANOMATERIALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1. Water: sensing at micro-, nano-, femto-, atto-molar levels, catalysis for remediation,

treatment for desalination and reuse; 2. EcoMaterials: life cycle assessment, safety by design, exposure assessment, sensors for

nanomaterial detection, recycling of high value added materials (e.g. Lithium from Li-air/Li-ion batteries)

3. Environmental Catalysis: for air pollution remediation and control (automotive, power plant), indoor air quality systems, integrated into water treatment, virus inactivation, responsible manufacturing;

4. Materials for combating climate change: Carbon sequestration (storage and capture), catalysts to lower carbon footprints, CO2 conversion strategies

Complementary Expertise, Knowledge and Resources: Similarities in geography and scale create shared challenges in resource management issues and opportunities for collaboration. Both countries must focus carefully on near-term strategies for managing carbon resources (e.g. how to make carbon green). Because both countries possess diverse geographies and climates, they are also likely to pursue multiple strategies for renewable energy in different regions, an approach which requires substantial research effort and a strong emphasis on the electrical grid. Finally, both countries are very large and transportation across vast distances is a shared issue.

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Because China is manufacturing large amounts of nanoscale materials, there is an opportunity for US and Chinese researchers to gain access to workplace settings where exposure and strategies for minimizing exposure can be studied. IMPLEMENTATION STEPS TO IMPROVE RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS Actions recommended by the groups to implement the above-mentioned collaborations fell into the following categories: joint funding mechanisms, personnel exchange, student training, ongoing US-China workshops, and industrial technology transfer. Recommendations for facilities development and sharing are given in the next section. Joint Funding Mechanisms • A number of joint funding mechanisms exist but have not fully flourished. Awareness should

be increased, clear guidelines should be provided, and existing programs should be expanded via ongoing bilateral jointly-sponsored workshops.

• More “timely” funding mechanisms are needed for US and China collaborations. Examples include the EAGER funding mechanism; Joint “Career” proposals, particularly in energy research areas; an NSF/NSFC study group proposal to address broad resource questions in nanotechnology.

• Direct encouragement is needed for consortia that reach across international boundaries so that centers actually have real international collaboration. This would permit particular topics and expertise to be shared across boundaries.

• Specific funding should be set aside for US-China activities to ensure that collaborations are launched. There is a strong precedent in E.U. funding for Organic Electronics – putting “targeted” money on the table, which is obtained based on merit, ensures meaningful collaborations will form.

• A dual focus is needed on top-down and bottom-up approaches (i.e., balance between fundamental science and technology development).

• Travel funds are needed for US-China internships lasting 3-6 months, particularly for US students and faculty to visit China. NSF has effectively used supplements to existing grants to support international travel, etc. Further use of this mechanism, and use of a comparable mechanism on the Chinese side, would be an excellent way to seed larger scale US-China collaborations.

Personnel Exchange/Training • The exchange of personnel from student through faculty should be an essential component of

proposals. Programs cited included the NSF GOALI, and the NSF IGERT.

• Visiting scholar/lecturer programs should be established and proposals should include a fund for two-way internships lasting 3-6 months.

• More students should be trained with a global perspective; Chinese research experiences for US students should be facilitated and encouraged.

• These steps will require that visa processing for visiting scientists, post-docs, and students be simplified and expedited on both sides.

Additional recommendations are given in Deliverable 3: Education. Industrial Collaboration / Technology Transfer • Encourage industry-centered materials research

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• Give students a more entrepreneurial experience

• Resolve and develop a framework for intellectual property management and licensing between US and China.

• Technical challenges workshops in which industrial researchers/developers pose grand challenges in specific technologies.

Joint Workshops: The groups agreed that more US-China workshops should be organized to spin-off proposals for joint funding activities. • Suggestions to improve this workshop series:

o Annual workshops; have a third US-China workshop within one year.

o Longer workshop with more time for discussion, facility tours and informal networking

o Narrower topics or the structure should allow for parallel sessions in addition to plenary talks.

o More junior and mid-career involvement; include mini-courses and satellite activities for students such as university tours, cultural excursions, and project planning / proposal writing activities

o Develop and set scientific/engineering milestones for collaboration and assess them on a regular basis. The next workshop should include a report on progress of jointly funded projects, ideally sparked by prior interactions.

o Consider using the Gordon Conference and its Chinese equivalent Xiangshan conference style.

• Launch a series of smaller, tailored workshops on hot topics, e.g. NATO workshop model

• It was suggested that NSF and NSFC launch a call for proposals for various workshop themes.

Cyberinfrastructure • Have investigators contribute to the MWN website so expertise can be shared.

• Establish materials database for shared compounds, etc. Other • Write a perspectives or review paper on alternate routes to important nanomaterials from a

global resource and impact viewpoint.

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Deliverable 2: Research Facilities to be Shared or Jointly Developed by US and China The groups were asked: What existing facilities can be shared by US and Chinese collaborators and what types of facilities should be jointly developed? Their responses are summarized below. FACILITIES FOR NANOMATERIALS A) Existing Facilities to be Shared • Synchrotrons and neutron sources, and other advanced materials characterization facilities. • Computational facilities. • Polymer synthesis capabilities at all scales • Combinatorial synthesis and analysis • Electrostatic and melt polymer processing capabilities • Solid-state NMR and ATR FTIR with variable angle-depth profiling • Ceramic processing at all scales, including pilot plant scale; Nanopowders synthesis

capabilities at small and intermediate scales; High-temperature (up to 2200°C) materials characterization capabilities: DSC/DTA, x-ray diffraction (1800°C)

• Dynamic light scattering for measurement of particle size from 0.8 nm up to 6.5 mm; Static and time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy techniques including sum frequency generation (SFG) planar array IR (PA-IR) and FT-Raman spectroscopy; HP supercomputers for materials modeling; Surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance

• Software for nanoscale modeling • AFM-based electrospinning.

B) Facilities to be Jointly Developed Instruments to be placed at light sources or neutron facilities; Collaborative development of unique instruments; Next generation light and neutron sources; Table-top instruments for characterization FACILITIES FOR NANOMATERIALS AND ENERGY A) Existing Facilities to be Shared National lab and NSF funded centers in US; Resources to facilitate staff exchanges and instrument support at the exchange locations; Specific analytical capabilities for hybrid interfaces; Shared device development capabilities inorganic, organic, hybrid; Synthesis resources for unique materials inorganic, organic and hybrid; Combinatorial – high-throughput capabilities.

B) Facilities to be Jointly Developed New facilities dedicated to solar energy conversion research. For example: a facility in China to certify device efficiency similar to NREL; Develop low energy and high resolution electron microscopy facilities.

Beam line dedicated to hybrid systems; Way to look at 3D structure of nano-composites; Combinatorial – high-throughput user facility; Rapid access to solar/OLED; device process/characterization capability – OLED test and fab capability in Korea; Develop a shared computational modeling effort for predictive work on hybrid systems.

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FACILITIES FOR ENVIRONMENT AND MATHEMATICAL MODELING A) Existing Facilities to be Shared Share instrumentation for measurement and monitoring of nanomaterials in various environmental compartments: Mechanisms for moving instruments back and forth;

B) Facilities to be Jointly Developed Joint US/China Institute of Collaborative Research in Modeling for Nanotechnology – bring people together for extended research collaborations. Rotation schedule between countries and institutions. FACILITIES FOR NANOMATERIALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT A) Existing Facilities to be Shared No existing facilities were identified that could or should be shared. Participants on both sides have access to advanced microscopy capabilities, and national synchrotron and neutron sources that are vital to research in this area. However, these facilities are operated at a national level and a rationale for sharing is not apparent.

B) Facilities to be Jointly Developed • Database efforts to gather information and other metrics useful for life cycle assessment; to

the extent that databases are public these should shared.

• Because China has such a large manufacturing base for nanomaterials, the country offers excellent potential testbeds for exposure monitoring and other industrial hygiene practices as they are applied to nanomaterials. This could be developed further and investigators from around the world would find access to these workplace environments very important.

• A critical need for energy and environmental issues are testbeds for evaluating prototype technologies. China offers a diverse array of environments and a burgeoning infrastructure that is well suited for early stage technology evaluation.

• The US may offer models for cloud computing and other intensive computational resources that may be of value to Chinese collaborators.

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS TO IMPROVE FACILITIES SHARING New Mechanisms/Funding • Fund scientists to use facilities in the other country (through grant supplements or separate

programs)

• Fund instrumentation partnerships

• Fund workshops on development of new techniques

• Develop a working team for analytical needs to help call out new capabilities needed and the that exist that can be shared

• Fund a shared computation resource

• Look at developing opportunities for collaboration with industry on basic problems

• Fund a high throughput capability for hybrid materials

• Fund programs to train students at facilities abroad; Identify a way to have students travel to labs with device capabilities to test new materials

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Improving Access • Difficulty in obtaining visas to enter the US and access to national laboratories is a barrier. • Streamlined customs processing is needed for shipping/transporting samples • Develop a way for US scientists have access to the Chinese beam lines and vice versa, for

fundamental work • Provide access to high-end computation facilities if possible. Use of Cyberinfrastructure Develop a database for currently available facilities, including equipment and software. Deliverable 3: Recommendations for Improving Education Programs and Capabilities The groups were asked: How can our education capabilities be improved at each level (Graduate, Postgraduate and Public)? What types of joint programs would you recommend at each level? Recommended steps for implementation? Their responses are summarized below. IMPROVING EDUCATION CAPABILITIES Graduate/Postgraduate Levels • Give students a global perspective, i.e. exposure to other cultures, technical language and

approaches to R&D. • More mathematical modeling courses for materials scientists • Greater emphasis on interdisciplinary education; Rebalance humanities and science (e.g.

social, economic, political issues in nanotechnology, energy, and environment) • Give students a more entrepreneurial experience • Guidance for new researchers on the use of specific facilities, safe laboratory practices, etc. Public Level • Improve the public perception of science • Encourage science and math careers • Improve public awareness of global energy and environmental challenges and the role of

nanotechnology in solving them. • Prepare students on both sides to communicate with the public and the press. IMPLEMENTATION STEPS TO IMPROVE EDUCATION Cooperation among US and Chinese Faculty • Brief lecture visits for US and Chinese faculty (visitors give series of lectures in multiple

institutions over several weeks); intensive/short courses during summers or other times

• Longer visiting faculty program or faculty exchange

• Share educational content - translation of textbooks, translation of courses from one institution to another, etc.

• Jointly develop educational content such as courses, mini-courses, textbooks, and multimedia outreach materials for the public. Potential topics include solar energy conversion, energy storage, nanotechnology safety, Introduction to energy and environment, Introduction to technical language – Chinese and English for nanotechnology students, etc.

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• Hold workshops on the use of shared facilities and safe laboratory practices, with guidance from industrial and national lab practitioners

• Joint student supervision (among a network of US-China universities) Student Exchanges and Networking • Encourage small group travel and exchanges to build lasting relationships

• Summer schools and study institutes alternating between US and China on a variety of topics for students and postdocs (NATO summer schools, Global School for Advanced Studies.)

• Research exchanges for students and post-docs, including training in safe lab practices and the use of shared facilities. Some groups recommended 1-3 months, others recommended 6 months or more.

• Graduate students and postdocs from the US and China should have more opportunities to interact with one another and build lasting relationships, and be prepared as leaders: e.g., “A China-US graduate student summit for solutions to grand challenges for materials in energy and the environment.”

• More student involvement at international workshops; when students attend workshops there should be satellite activities such as visits to universities and institutes; organize short courses at future workshops. Consider having a student organizing committee so that this population has some input into the collaboration building process.

• Foster student networking e.g., create a mechanism to have students write mini-joint proposals in order to return to future workshops; or some kind of competition that forces an immediate way for the students to collaborate.

• At the postgraduate level, target young faculty sabbatical periods both for young Chinese and US scientists; there is no easy mechanism for this to happen. The NSF could create a fellows program of sort that would create a set of young scientists with direct experience in each country. Post-doctoral programs are also needed. The focus of these programs should be on creating meaningful periods of exchange (minimum six months) as well as ongoing opportunities throughout the career to reengage and continue interaction.

Joint Funding/Policy Support • Develop a pool of resources that can be applied for from both sides to fund internships and

exchanges.

• The NSF REU program was mentioned to support US undergraduates performing research in China. Create and/or fund comparable programs for graduate students and postdocs and link to similar programs exist in China.

• Engage Chinese Ministry of Education with Ministry of Science • Establish incentives, such as Career awards for Chinese professors who work with REU

students and who do outreach activities • Streamline the visa process • Make Mandarin instruction more available in the US US-China Institute A US-China global institute (an idea suggested at last year’s conference) would be an excellent infrastructure to house shared graduate students, faculty and shepherd other research initiatives.

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Deliverable 4: A Series of Desirable Cyber-Infrastructure Capabilities to Support Collaborative Research, Education, and Networking The groups were asked: What capabilities do you suggest to support research collaborations, education, and networking? What are the recommended steps for implementation? Responses are summarized below. a) Capabilities to Support Research and Networking The following capabilities were recommended to help launch new international collaborations and make existing collaborations work more efficiently Basic Networking Capabilities • Online sharing of research results (web-authored news items, shared documents, databases)

• Easy-to-use online forums, group workspaces, message boards; whiteboards for research collaborations; enhance communications among groups and group members;

• Document sharing: post/download conference presentations and publications. Encourage exchange of pre-prints among partners and groups.

• Basic data sharing via e-alerts (users can subscribe to websites) and RSS feeds (websites can be linked so information from one website can be posted on another.)

• Profiles of Individual Researchers and Research groups Conferencing Tools • Develop basic and advanced web conferencing capabilities at US and Chinese institutions.

Examples include Webcasting (basic) and multisite web-conferencing with shared desktop (for sharing powerpoints, blackboard, etc. (advanced)

• Help in setting up video conferencing and phone conferencing systems (The NSF NCN at Purdue is an excellent resource)

Databases and Other Resources • Database of facilities (including equipment and software) available at various laboratories and

working groups

• Database of Journals - expand access to existing journal databases

• Database of Publications: Establish a free database of publications supported by NSF and NSFC, similar to the NIH database

• Database of materials and materials properties - Analytical results in real time.

• Database of research capabilities

• Database of research topics and funding opportunities

• Bibliographies of publications, generated by participants, with downloadable papers where possible (available on MWN website)

• Joint authorship/publication review tools: Papers from participants, from bibliographies generated by participants, Rate (and annotate) papers for different constituencies.

Remote Experiment Access / Instrumentation • Remote experiment access (e.g. synchrotrons). (good example of impact in chip design –

MOSIS)

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• Computational and modeling resources for molecular properties, structure and chemistry • Access to quantitative tools (e.g. life-cycle assessment, material properties) that are simple to

use, with adequate information for use by a wider group of people. • Share cyber instrumentation: Software repository

o Open source if possible Gnu license

o Documentation o Protocols for citation and acknowledgement of software from others used in

research Other Data Sharing • Websites that permit the exchange of large datafiles ( large data sets, as opposed to basic

document files) • Fast data sharing via GRID technology b) Capabilities to Support Education Recommendations to improve education fell into several categories: sharing existing content, developing new content and disseminating content. Sharing/Developing Content • Share coursework and other teaching materials (Video lectures, Slides, etc.) • Encourage online courses that are valid in US and Chinese educational institutions. • Post teaching resources online • Online experimental monitoring and participation • Models for the behavior of devices and materials • Intern opportunity resource/Experiment opportunity page • “Global course” concept: taught by people from around the world. The very act of setting up

such a course would foster collaboration and be well suited to the needs of interdisciplinary research.

• Create shared databases that would be useful for researchers and educators alike. E.g., “Handbook of Nanomaterials” (example Viper virus database in biology), Database of materials properties, etc.

• Topics mentioned: renewable energy, water around the world, ecomaterials, materials and the energy/water interface, etc.

Disseminating Content • Develop tools to share course lectures, podcasts and other graduate course information. • Develop video/web conferencing capabilities at US and Chinese institutions to exchange

educational resources. Grow the number of smart classrooms at US and Chinese institutions. • Improve distance learning / remote classroom capabilities (taking into account questions of

time difference, school year, curriculum, etc.) • K-12: outreach (Materials World Network); nanomaterials.org? IMPLEMENTATION STEPS TO IMPROVE CYBERINFRASTRUCURE • Provide financial support to develop shared cyberinfrastructure; provide supplements to

research grants to grow cyberinfrastructure.

• Encourage researchers to input information into the Materials World Network website (profiles, research findings/highlights, publications, conference presentations, bibliographies, etc.); This site seems well suited for networking; people’s information is well displayed and it’s possible to find people. The site might be expanded to include conferencing tools, online forums, group

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workspaces, message boards; whiteboards for research collaborations. Integrate this network with others that are developing or are developed to avoid duplication of effort.

• Integrate shared website with open source utilities such as Wikipedia, Facebook, Skype, Google, and other virtual conferencing and communication.

• Use Wikipedia (or other suitable online tools) to develop joint textbooks and databases.

• Consider augmenting or replicating the NCN@Purdue hub system [NSF funded cyberinfrastructure program] with a focus on cyberinfrastructure. Theirs is an excellent model for delivering video conferencing and phone conferencing systems services – virtual ‘meeting rooms’ that let potential investigators exchange information.

• Work with a group with experience – biology; Look at DOE lab user facilities as an example; Create a dedicated web page for this set of interactions.

• Set up example data sharing agreements and policy statements; Standard protocols for metadata and data formatting.

• At the next workshop, offer a short course, taught by an expert, on the implementation of on-line conference and teaching development.