Materials by Design: A Proposal for an NSF-Sponsored Workshop to be held in the University of California, Santa Barbara; Thursday, March 17 through Saturday 19, 2011.

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL A workshop, to be held in the University of California Santa Barbara in March 2011 on the topic of Materials by Design, is supported by programs in the Division of Materials Research (Solid State and Materials Chemistry and Condensed Matter Physics), Division of Chemistry (Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry), and the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate (Office of Multidisciplinary Activities). Research in Solid State and Materials Chemistry spans the full spectrum of exploration from constituent atoms, to bonding, to physical properties in extended materials. The strong links to physical properties and the functional behavior of materials is a key aspect that distinguishes solid state and materials chemists from other practitioners of chemistry, physics, and materials science: a unique approach that includes inorganic and organic materials research, incorporating both crystalline and amorphous materials, and probed at the deepest level. The goal is frequently to achieve the desired physical properties in materials that enable a given application. In this context, we employ the term Materials by Design (MbD) to refer to research that seeks to create new materials for specific applications by design. The materials may range from solution-prepared nanoparticles, to small-molecule and polymer advanced electronic materials, to organic/inorganic hybrid materials, bulk oxides, main-group compounds, and intermetallics. One of the central goals of MbD is to make extensive routine use of computational techniques applied at multiple length scales to understand and predict new materials properties. Clearly, a vision for MbD needs to be inclusive and would rely heavily on collaboration with allied disciplines within Condensed Matter Physics (CMP) and Materials Science which will be discussed at this workshop. NON-TECHNICAL The workshop offers the opportunity for junior and senior researchers from the disciplines of chemistry, condensed matter physics, theory and materials science to come together and discuss new mechanisms for working together to advance the concept of Materials by Design. The outcome of the workshop will be better approaches to materials discovery and a path to restoring the US to a position of preeminence in this area.