2018 Controversies Colloquium: Stability of Nanostructures; Irvine, California; February 1-2, 2018

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

A new workshop series, called the Controversies Colloquium, is aimed at providing a venue where thought leaders and subject matter experts can gather to discuss long-standing or new "controversies" in scientific fields, where gaps in knowledge exist that prevent the full understanding of critical scientific phenomena. The first of these workshops is on the subject of the Stability of Nanostructures, and is scheduled to occur February 1-2, 2018, at the University of California-Irvine, in Irvine, CA. This award supports participation by early career scientists and researchers in the Colloquium. The non-traditional small-group presentation and discussion formats will encourage and promote free-flowing scientific dialogue and critical debates, and participation by a diverse group of attendees will provide broad perspective. The structure is intended to inspire a highly active meeting where all participants are constantly engaged. This workshop will move the field closer to achieving truly stable nanomaterials, providing a service to the materials community and broad impact to a number of industries where high strength, lightweight, damage-tolerant materials are needed, including aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors. Nanostructured materials exhibit extreme strength, wear-resistance, fatigue-life and other mechanical properties, but are often limited by the instability of their microstructures. A recent point of focus in the community has been the stabilization of nanoscale grain structures through a variety of techniques that invoke both thermodynamic and kinetic approaches. However, the field is relatively scattered and there is disagreement about the best approaches and the fundamental scientific mechanisms. This workshop aims to help guide the community to close the book on old issues in the field and identify new outstanding problems, using an informal format. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.