International Union of Materials Research Societies
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International Conference on Electronic Materials Held in Australia for the First Time www.aumrs.com.au/ICEM-08 Meeting Scenes: www.mrs.org/ICEM-08
For the first time, a meeting of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS) was hosted by the Australian Materials Research Society (AMRS). The 2008 IUMRS International Conference on Electronic Materials (IUMRS-ICEM 2008), chaired by James S. Williams of the Australian National University and president of A-MRS, was held in Sydney, Australia on July 28 to August 1, 2008. The Meeting featured six technical themes comprising 20 symposia, some of which were held jointly with the 2008 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices (COMMAD 08); plenary lectures; two forums, one on energy and one on industry; poster sessions; and an equipment exhibit. With abstracts from 51 countries submitted, 1000 presentations were scheduled. Following are a few selected highlights from the Meeting. For fuller coverage provided by the Materials Research Society, see Meeting Scenes at Web site www.mrs.org/ICEM-08. Sir Harold W. Kroto (The Florida State University, USA and 1996 Nobel laureate in chemistry) kicked off the conference with a plenary presentation on “Architecture in NanoSpace.” Chemistry, physics, and biology come together at the interface of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Complex molecules that “do things” are being made, based on understanding the clustering behavior of molecules. Kroto and others in the United Kingdom grew up tinkering with Meccano toys, experiencing the “nuts and bolts” of engineering at an early age. Such tinkering skills are now being applied to versatile fullerene structures including carbon nanotubes; buckyballs, large and small; and functionalized constructions. Kroto also now spends much of his time inspiring young people around the world with the marvels of fullerenes through lectures, fullerene models, and humor. In his presentation, Kroto chronicled fullerene developments after their debut more than 20 years ago, and the many researchers who contributed. Starting from confirming the hollow cage structure and putting other elements—such as lanthanum—inside, nanoscale devices paralleling devices in standard engineering are now being created. From a thermometer based on a metalfilled nanotube to advanced molecular electronics, fullerenes continue to feed the creativity of scientists. Such developments require a paradigm shift in synthetic chemistry so that very large molecules can 354
Nobel laureate Sir Harold W. Kroto (left) of The Florida State University, USA and C.N.R. Rao of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India presented plenary lectures at IUMRS-ICEM 2008 held in Australia.
be carefully structured. Kroto’s ultimate challenge is to make a tennis racket from bundled nanotubes to the tune of 1015, all of the same diameter, forming a resilient surface held together by van der Waal’s “glue.” Structurally analogous to a bundle of straws, if developed, Kroto said this would b
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