By Candace Stuart
Small Times Senior Writer
June 13, 2001 — Uncle Sam wants you . . . if you are a research university involved in nanotechnology that can help protect and facilitate our armed forces.
The U.S. Army announced Tuesday it would like to create a university-affiliated research center to develop nanoscale materials that could be incorporated into a soldier’s gear. That could be a uniform that monitors a soldier’s vital signs, or sends out an alert in the presence of toxins and decontaminates the soldier before any damage occurs. Or it could be a material that changes color to camouflage the soldier or protect him or her against ballistics.
Nanoscale science deals with products in the nanometer range. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, and nanomaterials can be as small as a few atoms. Scientists are developing a variety of materials, from versatile carbon nanotubes – which can be very strong, serve as conductors or carry drugs or other biological products in a body — to nanocomposites that can be strong but flexible.
The Army will provide $10 million for the research center on the campus of an American university. The university must be a leader in nanotechnology and willing to develop partnerships with industry to ensure large-scale production. The Army will select only one university for the center, and expects to issue the award by March 2002.
Several universities already have developed initiatives to promote their expertise in nanoscience and nanotechnology. For instance, Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., unveiled a $34 million Institute for Nanotechnology in May. The federal government also has shown its support for nanotechnology with the creation of the Nanotechnology Initiative in 2000. The initiative received a total of $497 million for fiscal 2001.
Sanford Asher, a chemistry professor at the University of Pittsburgh who has participated in nanotech workshops sponsored by the Army, said he and his colleagues at the university would submit proposals to become contenders. He saw it as a win-win for all parties: Technologies that might otherwise languish in the lab would not only benefit the Army but also commercial users.
“They will take these enabling materials and apply them to make solutions,” he said.
And although the Army is involved, he anticipates any knowledge gained through the collaboration would remain in the public domain.
“The things that are classified are not enabling technologies,” he said. “You can’t keep enabling technology a secret. I don’t think that will be an issue. The issue will be once you take the enabling technology and make something for the Army. It will be classified on the industry side.”
Asher already has developed laser eye protection and chemical sensors under Department of Defense grants. He also is in the process of commercializing a glucose sensor.
The Army will hold two informational meetings for prospective university collaborators in August or September. One is scheduled to be held in San Francisco and the other at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Registration information for the meetings will be posted when available on the Army Research Office Web site. The site also contains a question-and-answer page and guidelines.
Other branches of the military have also shown an interest in nanotechnology. The Navy is creating an Institute for Nanoscience, which will open in Washington, D.C., in March, 2002.
“Nanotechnology has lots of opportunity,” Asher said. “Some are in the short run and some are down the horizon.”
And although many applications may not be seen for a decade, they have the potential to be significant, industry analysts have said.
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CONTACT THE AUTHOR:
Candace Stuart at [email protected] or call 734-994-1106, ext. 233.