Natalia Nanorf.ru's Posts (56)

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The issue contains the article of Zhigalina et al. in which Bimetallic structures–Pt nanoparticles distributed on the surface of a Pd catalyst on Vulcan XC_72 soot–have been investigated. Several series of bimetallic catalysts with various contents of platinum have been obtained by pulsed electrochemical deposition. Their structure is studied using analytical high resolution transmission electron microscopy with a correction of aberrations. The data allows us to present a scheme of evolution in the bimetallic catalyst structure caused by a change in the ratio of metals Pt : Pd. For the ratio Pt : Pd = 1 : 25, the electrochemical measurements of catalytic activity have shown an extremely high current of oxygen reduction.

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Forming an ordered surface layer is possible together with the formation of Janus nanoparticles in the chemical modification of the surface of silver colloids. This is achieved via sorption of nanoparticles on the surface of chemically modified silica grafted with amine, followed by sequential treatment with modifier solutions and desorption of the final product. As a result of such synthetic procedure, a chemical modification of nanoparticles on different sites is possible with two compounds, as shown in the study of A.Olenin et al.

Combined and separate influence of ultrasound and DMSO on the transport of a gold nanoshell suspension in intact and injured skin is studied in the article of E.Genina et al. A comparative analysis based on optical coherence tomography and histochemical analysis data is presented. Experimental allergic contact dermatitis was used to model injury to the stratum corneum during various pathological changes in the skin. The studies were performed on outbred laboratory rats. It is shown that the best method for enhancing transdermal transport of an immersion liquid is multimodal physical and chemical impact (a combination of DMSO and ultrasonophoresis); the effectiveness of optical clearing of the dermis both in the presence and absence of the stratum corneum is approximately the same. To enhance the transport of nanoparticles into the skin when it undergoes pathological changes related to injuries of the protective barrier, exposure to ultrasound is sufficient.

You can download a special application for iPad и Android and use it to read the journal. The journal’s archive is open access now.

The business block of the journal and the content are available for download.

«Nanotechnologies in Russia» journal is edited with support of the Federal Target Program for Research and Development in Priority Areas of Development of the Russian Scientific and Technological for 2014–2020".

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"Currently, the radio wave spectrum is very much noisy in the world: for example, we have about 20 television channels, cable ones not included, mobile communications, ad hoc communication channels – (FSB, MVD, Emergency Control Ministry), satellite communications, Wi-Fi in every home, Bluetooth in the car. The problem is that all these public frequencies must not influence at all, for example, the air navigation system and other airborne radar systems on aircrafts. To deal with it special filters frequencies are required "- Andrey Leksikov, the research fellow of the L.V. Kirensky Krasnoyarsk Institute for Physics of RAS says about an idea of the project born in the walls of his laboratory of electrodynamics and microwave electronics and dedicated to "the development and manufacture of miniature bandpass filters for satellite communications systems with suppression in the stop band of more than 100 dB". The project was launched in June this year with the support of the Federal Target Program "Research and development on priority directions of scientific-technological complex of Russia for 2014-2020" and is primarily focused on the development of components for modern communication systems.

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The laboratory of electrodynamics and microwave electronics has been dealing with the theme of the filters from the 1990s; in particular, special instrument was designed in the laboratory to produce them without expensive photolithography (if too high resolution is not required). Photo from Laboratory Site: http://kirensky.ru/ru/institute/sci_equipment/micro_filtr

 

The main task of the laboratory involved in the development, is to reduce the size and improve the performances of various communication systems, which are used in civil and military field. "All the electronics eventually decreas in size, everything become compact and portable, but the filters still occupy much space in specialized electronics, - the young scientist says about what the FTP project should result in. - Our know-how permits to reduce the dimensions of the filters 100-fold, which in turn should lead to a significant reduction in size of device.

For example, on the basis of what we have already modeled, the weight of brigade radios can be reduced two-fold".

In addition, a new type of device, developed in Krasnoyarsk, allows you to extend the so-called "band boom" – i.e. the frequency band in which the device will not be affected by any "parasitic" signals.

To the present day, the standard band consist of two-three resonant frequencies, and Krasnoyarsk scientists generated a year ago an idea of the device, in which the band is expanded up to 30-40 resonant frequencies (which may suppress interferences down nearly 10 billion fold).

The know-how of the project was proposed by another young scientist and senior researcher at the Laboratory of electrodynamics and microwave electronics whose name is Alex Sergeantov. He tested his model on the computer first obtaining the desired effect and then the laboratory team began to experiment with "hardware". Today, the guys are trying to improve the characteristics obtained – to change the number of elements inside the cavity and to change its topology.

The Laboratory of electrodynamics and microwave electronics has been dealing with the topic since 1990s: Boris Belyaev, the current head of the laboratory, is hold for the ancestor of this field in Russia by his collegues. But the idea to launch a joint case came to the scientists after a meeting with representatives of the Krasnoyarsk radiofactory SPE "Radio" and Academician M.F. Reshetnev JSC "Information Satellite Systems" that have been buying most of the electronic components in Europe and the USA for a long time. But now all of them work together and are looking forward to achieve the import substitution via implementation of the project and to develop their own technology basis and develop the product better than that produced abroad.

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The example of design of microwave filters, previously developed in the laboratory, which transmit certain frequencies. Photo from Laboratory Site: http://kirensky.ru/ru/institute/sci_equipment/micro_filtr
 

"Foreign developers are ahead of us in technologies – Leksikov says. - But from as far as science is concerned the characteristics that we obtain, are much better in many sense, so we actively publish results in international journals abroad, and there are no any problems with these publications". Just this year the article on the project was published in the "Letters to the Journal of Technical Physics" magazine and another one is already being peer reviewed - in the American Journal IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.

"Ignoring publishing is impossible, - Andrey Leksikov says. - At the time, we have missed the right moment: we only published in Russian press, defended Russian patents, and other people have been internationally recognized in this niche by the moment, so we should make a sort of breakthrough ".

According to the developers, nobody in the world produces now the devices with characteristics, which may appear due to their project at the L.V. Kirensky Institute of Physics. "This is despite the fact that everything we do, is done on pure enthusiasm, because we do not even have the LTCC technology in our laboratory, and we operate things that were created 20 years ago, - Leksikov complains. - But recently, our «Radio» industrial partner have bought the necessary equipment, and we are confident that our idea plus their technology will result in a real breakthrough".

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Nanotechnology Lifestyle

The IVth International Nanotechnologies Forum RUSNANOTECH 2011 is over in Moscow. As usual, the RF Ministry of Education and Science uses this site to demonstrate the best developments, which were sponsored under the Federal Special-Purpose Program and which have good commercial prospects.

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Spacecraft Protection

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One of these developments is creation of protective microchips, which enable to avoid critical loads on spacecraft equipment. For example, the risk of onboard equipment failure has recently increased due to solar activity growth. A protective microchip tracks the embedded network supply current. When current exceeds the critical values, the microchip de-energizes for micro- and milliseconds, thus enabling to avoid outrageous impact. If the critical value is preserved, power supply is switched off again, maintaining equipment operability until dangerous load is removed. Such microchips will be in high demand during distant spaceflights.

Protective microchips are one of the first developments by the Research Center for Nanotechnologies of the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control of Russia. The Center was set up based on the D.I. Mendeleyev Central Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics under the Federal Special-Purpose Program of the RF Ministry of Education and Science entitled “Nanoindustry Infrastructure Development in the Russian Federation for 2008–2011”. The main task of the Center is to lay the basis for development of contemporary-level native security systems. “The point is that utilization of foreign componenets, microchips when developing security systems does not allow to fully predict such systems’ behavior in critical situations, explains Vassily Tokarev, head of the department of promising scientific and engineering projects. – Therefore, the main task is not to exceed the international level but to create such systems entirely based on the Russian platform”.

New-Generation Gyroscopes

Another area of the Research Center of Nanotechnologies activity (also represented at the exhibition) is creating new-generation gyroscopes. A gyroscope is a device intended for maintaining position of any system– from a submarine to spacecraft - in space. A classical gyroscope is a rotating device, where space axes line up due to rotation. Principle of operation of a new gyroscope is absolutely different. This diminutive device created with the help of nanotechnologies practically does not wear out. There are no rotating parts in it, and it functions due to generating waves of strictly defined frequency. When the gyroscope position changes, frequency of these electromagnetic oscillation changes, the wave-change signal is transmitted to the actuating mechanism, and the device position is restored. If there are three such gyroscopes available at different planes, a controlled apparatus position can be verified along all three axes. This is a highly demanded area. A gyroscope is developed within the scope of a large-scale project for nanotechnologies for security systems.

Nanofab for Artificial Intelligence

The stand of NT-MDT company exhibited among other developments the Nanofab-100 complex – a platform of nanotechnology complexes intended for development, research and small-branch production of elements for nanoelectronics, micro- and nanomechanics. The platform is built according to the conveyor principle, it is individually assembled from independent units per each task. However, Nanofab assembly per se is the most complicated scientific and engineering task. One of such platforms has been recently assembled at the Kurchatov Institute.

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Besides, NT-MDT is now involved in creating artificial intelligence jointly with the F.V. Lukin Research Institute of Physical Problems. As of today, scientific groundwork is available, which will be perfected in Nanofab in near term. “Our brain differs from a computer by the fact that there is no hard disk in it, explains Denis Andreyuk, specialist at NT-MDT. We have no special place to store information, that is why the researchers say that memory is stored in synapses. Each of several billion neurons of our brain has about seven thousand bonds with other neurons. And one neuron arouses, it emits impulses along all these bonds. Neural bonds capacity is regulated by synapses.  When we are learning, tuning of these synapses conductance is taking place. When we are using our knowledge, the brain is using the signals in synapses acquired in the course of learning”. A memristor is the synapse analogue in the electronic network. It is an electronic element, resistance of which depends on current running through it. Under the action of current, an electrochemical reaction takes place in the memristor, and the memristor changes its resistance. When current is switched off, the memristor “memorizes” the last resistance, thus storing required information. Probably, the computer board consisting of such memristors will soon work on the principle of the cerebral neural network.

Nuclear Fuel Containers

3439917432?profile=originalThe National Research Nuclear University of Moscow Engineering and Physics Institute (MIFI) is responsible for electrical power engineering in the framework of programs of the RF Ministry of Education and Science. The main engineering projects exhibited at the “Rosatom” stand were described by Vadim Petrunin, head of sectoral laboratory at the government corporation: “We have developed a composite material, which is applied for radiation protection during transportation of nuclear power plant radioactive fuel. One of “Rosatom” areas of activity is enrichment of radioactive fuel, brought in from abroad, first of all, from the USA. During the Cold War period, Russia accumulated a lot of uranium and plutonium in bombs, the USA having a large amount of nuclear power plant waste. Special ships travel from the USA to Russia carrying reject fuel, the fuel is enriched in Russia and sent back. The transportation is performed in special coffins. They are made of steel and have very thick walls. We have developed the aluminum-based material, which contains nanostructured boron”. This material, which was called boralcom боралкомом, helps to make coffins lighter and more spacious – due to thinner walls, boralcom coffins enable to transport more materials.

Nanopowder for money protection

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Another invention of the sectoral laboratory is magnetic ink, which can be used to protect money from counterfeiting. ‘We apply a magnetic nanopowder layer and, by making the layer thickness in the visible light range (wavelength – from 250 to 750 nm), we can get any color, without changing the chemical composition of the powder. This cannot be achieved without nanotechnology application”, says Professor Petrunin. Old US dollars were dark-green because magnetic powder is of dark color. Before people learned to grind the powder with the help of nanotechnologies, it was impossible to change color spread-spectrum. New US dollars contain the ink similar to our native development. This technology is only in place in Russia and the USA. There is no such technology in Switzerland, which produces ink to print euros. Therefore, European money is protected worse than dollars – magnetic bands are inserted into it. Nevertheless, Russian National Mark Enterprise (Goznak) still buys ink in Switzerland.

Protection from Cellular Telephones

One more development by the laboratory headed by Professor Petrunin is aimed at reducing damage of cellular telephone influence. A cellular telephone likewise any other electric device emits electromagnetic waves in the millimeter- and centimeter-range besides the communication wavelength. Several human organs – the auricula, eyeball – have comparable dimensions. Human blood vessel walls are covered inside by thrombocytes, and if any organ is in resonance, i.e., the dimensions coincide with electromagnetic radiation wavelength, the thrombocyte plate can exfoliate and block a blood vessel. So, the major danger of cellular telephones lies in resonant impact. It is mainly harmful for children. “You have bought a telephone, and nothing happened because your organs’ dimensions do not coincide with the telephone emission wavelength, explains Vadim Petrunin. But children are constantly growing, and at some point their dimensions can coincide, and the child’s organ will be in resonance with the emission. There were several lawsuits already with telephone developers in the USA. Specifically, Nokia is already concerned with making protection from such radiation. Our Institute has developed a protective nanocomposite-material film that will absorb this harmful radiation within the range from 60 to 80 percent”.

 

Interviewed byNovikov Vladislav, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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Nanotechnology Scientific Educational Centre (SEC) was established as a structural department of Dagestan State University.

The SEC was established to co-ordinate and carry out fundamental, applied, and scientific and research studies, as well as to train highly qualified nanotechnology specialists, and to implement the results of the researches into innovative educational programs in place at Dagestan State University.

Core departments and laboratories of the Physics and Chemistry faculties at Dagestan State University, as well as the centre for High Technologies and three laboratories at the Dagestan Scientific Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, served as the infrastructural foundation for the SEC.

Currently, the Nanotechnology SEC focuses on the following priority scientific areas:

1)      synthesis of new materials based on oxides and other compounds;
2)      generation of nanopowders and ceramics using the compaction method;
3)      generation of thin films and multi-layered structures;
4)      material structure and properties studies;
5)      creation of a database addressing the properties of nanostructured materials.

The labs used to carry out the scientific projects are provided with state-of-the-art equipment – in particular, a cryogenic complex for to produce liquid nitrogen (Figure 1) necessary ultralow temperature experiments, Ntegra Spectra probe nanolaboratory (Fihure 2), scanning electron microscope with a microanalyser, appliances for producing thin films via chemical transport methods (Figure 3), magnetron sputtering (Figure 4), high-temperature decomposition of organic materials, etc. The laboratories also get to use research equipment of the Analytical Spectroscopy Multiple-Access Centre.

 

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Figure 1. Liquid nitrogen production cryogenic complex

 

The researches address the fundamental problem of material sciences – the synthesis of materials based on oxides, and identifying regularities in their properties, as well as creating conditions for possible managing these properties using external actions.

Currently, the researches are being carried out due to financial support of the Federal Task Program “Scientific and Pedagogical Resources of Innovative Russia for 2009-2013,” the Analytical Institutional task Program “Development of Scientific Potential of Higher School,” the Russian Foundation for Basic Research grants, and other sources. Priority research areas include the following:

-        regularities of formation, peculiarities of structure and physical properties of nanostructured objects considered promising for practical use of the materials;
-        regularities of formation of properties and phase states of oxide polycrystalline materials with perovskite structure;
-        peculiarities of formation of scattering cross-section of elementary electronic and thermal excitation in metal solid solutions of various types;
-        synthesis and exploration of photocatalytic activity of nano-dispersed photocatalysts during dye oxidation under oxygen pressure;
-        nonlinear electrophysical properties of polycrystalline ferroelectrics and ferrorelaxers in static and pulsed electric fields;
-        experimental and theoretical researches of the structure and properties of transport of solid and fused electrolytes.

 

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Figure 2. NtegraSpectra Probe Laboratory

 

It should be noted that within the high energy-gap semiconductor family, oxides draw special attention of researchers as they offer a broad range of possible uses. That includes zinc oxide(ZnO) – a promising semiconductor material with a unique set of physicochemical properties. For example, it offers wide perspectives for use in LCD displays, solar converters, low-emission power-saving glass coatings, etc. However, practical implementation of potential possibilities offered by the compound is inhibited due to the lack of reproducible technology of thin ZnO film generation with tailored properties, that are actively applied in acoustoelectronics. Among known piezoelectric semiconductors, zinc oxide has the greatest electromechanical-coupling coefficient which the semiconductor transducer operation efficiency depends on, and is widely used for piezo- and optoelectronics as a thin film on an amorphous substrate. n-ZnO/p-GaN heterostructures have recently been the subject of intensive research – with the purpose of creating highly effective LEDs based on them.

 

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Figure 3. Appliance producing films via magnetron sputttering and gas-cycle synthesis

 

Compounds with perovskite structure; structures complicated with hydrogen bonds; Si and Ge semiconductors; semiconductor compounds ZnO; fullerenes; carbon nanotubes; as well as MgB2, Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ and other high-temperature superconductors share an anomaly – negative thermal deformation at low temperature [1]. This anomaly is an evidence of competition of the interatomic bond amplification mechanisms, on average in the atomic lattice, along with the attenuation of bonds between the adjacent atoms at the temperature rise. Such objects are often very sensitive to various external effects with their sensitivity grows vastly with the activation of the mechanism of interatomic interaction forces formation associated with excessive surface energy.

 

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Figure 4. Complex producing films via magnetron sputtering

 

As a result of identification of the connection between thermal deformation and kinetic properties of condensed media, it was possible to discover the nature of temperature dependencies of such objects and to suggest a way to manage contributions of the aforementioned mechanisms. Use of the latter facilitated generation of new complex oxides Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ, где х = 0–1, with a wide range of electric properties from high-temperature superconductivity to semiconductors. It is known that relative thermal deformation does not depend on the size of the material and is determined only by the peculiarities of the average interatomic interaction forces in the atomic lattice of the material. Therefore, the use of consequences of the determined linear bond between thermal deformation and kinetic properties of condensed media allows to effectively assess physical properties of relevant nano-objects based on diffraction analysis data.

Nanopowders based on complex yttrium, barium, and beryllium oxides with dispersion ranging from 20 to 100 nm and low apparent density (0.02 g/sm3) were produced by burning nitrate-organic precursors. Figure 5 shows the morphology of nanoparticle agglomerates. Powder compacting method was used to create ceramic materials based on Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ with various densiti levels including one close to theoretical. There were generated mono- and polycrystalline films from 10 to 500 nm wide, and sandwich structures Te/CdTe, Te/ZnTe, Te/CaF, Te/Al2O3, CdS/ZnO, ZnO/ Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ, YBe2Cu3O7-δ/ZnO, Si/ Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ. Properties of Ge-ZnO, Si-ZnO, GaP-ZnO, СdS-ZnO heterostructures were studied, and a capability to improve the diode properties of the heterostructures was demonstrated. Using the magnetron sputtering method on direct current, ZnO films were generated with a high level of lattice perfection and without a columnar structure.

 

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Figure 5. Structure of nanopowders based on
а
) YBа2Cu3O7-δ, b) YBа0,5Be0,5Cu3O7-δ, c) YBe2Cu3O7-δ

 

Currently, Nanotechnology SEC has built laboratory functional devices with particular physicochemical properties (delay lines, gas sensors, ultraviolet radiation sources and detectors, piezo- and photo-transformers). ZnO and Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ nanofilms and nanolayers with the corresponding structural perfection, composition and properties are promising for producing functional structures. Methods of creating materials based on ZnO and Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ are patented [2–12].

Interest for nano-dispersed semiconductor oxides is associated with their unique physical properties with their sizes close to 5–10 nm – for example, their unique wettability, sensor and optical properties, biological compatibility, etc. Semiconductor metal oxides show high photocatalytic activity which allows to operate the process of surface, water and air cleaning.

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Figure 6. Microphotography of a Cu2O sample

 

In the course of the project, nanodispersed Fe2O3, Cu2O oxides  (Figure 6) and TiO2 nanotubes were synthesised using the electrochemical method allowing to generate high-clean products. The synthesised oxides can be used in various industries, and in particular, to create solar energy conversion elements. Copper oxide (I) is used to dye glass and enamels. It is also a part of paint applied to underwater areas of vehicles of the sea. Such paint prevents the bottom of ship from being covered with seaweed. In addition, cuprite (Cu2O) is a p-type semicondustor with direct energy-gap width of 2.0–2.2 eV; it can find a use in building elements for solar energy conversion [13].

KAg4I5 and RbAg4I5 superionic conductors based on silver iodite are promising members of the family termed “advanced superionic conductors” (ASIC) [14]. They arouse great interest as they show exceptional conductivity and low junction temperature to the superconductor phase. Superionic conductors are widely applied in various electrochemical systems and devices used for information conversion, storage and transfer.

It was the first time that the study of the dependency of electroconductivity of α-RbAg4I5, α-KAg4I5, α-KCu4I5 and their melts on the electric field strength. In superconducting phases of crystals and their melts, an increase in electric field strength results hitting of in limiting values of high-voltage electroconductivity that surpass the low-voltage numbers by tens of percentage points. At the same time, α-RbAg4I5, α-KAg4I5 demonstrates a long-term post-activation relaxation which, together with the strong field effect, makes them even more attractive for solid-state electrochemical devices.

Ferroelectric ceramics based on solid solutions of lead zirconate – titanate oxides Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) have widespread application in various devices and apparatuses of up-to-date technology owing to their superior physical properties and to a possibility to vary them if chemical composition has changed. Determination of regularities in physical properties formation and of opportunities to control them via external exposure serves as a basis for development of high-performance ferropiezoelectric materials and for their manufacturing technique improvement. Special interest has recently been shown for ferroelectric ceramics compounds, where alloying below a certain temperature leads to long-range order derangement, and ordered domains (with a short-range order), according cross-section data, have dimensions of about 10–102 nm. Compounds with such a small correlation radius of polarization fluctuations demonstrate relaxor behavior and are called ferrorelaxors. A characteristic feature of these materials is also the fact that nano-scale polar areas, chaotically located throughout the crystal volume, appear in the smeared phase transition area, nano-scale polar areas being surrounded by paraelectric phase (a nanopolar structure). A heavily deformed paraelectric phase interlayer is formed between closely located polar areas, the interlayer prevents merging of nanopolar areas and formation of ferroelectric domain.

The pulse method of ferropiezoelectric materials polarization has been developed and tested. The method reduces time and power inputs of respective materials polarization by many times. It will find an application in the course of obtaining frequency selective devices of broad spectrum and special-purpose piezoelectric transducers.

A complex of thermal and electrical properties of segneto piezoelectric materials has been investigated. The database (certified by the National Standard Reference Data Service) [15] can be used when developing high-temperature processes of sintering tailored piezoelectric materials and thermal operation conditions for devices based on them.

Research on static critical behavior of magnetic superlattice models was accomplished with assistance of high-efficient cluster algorithms of the Monte-Carlo Method, all basic static critical indices were calculated, regularities in their changes due to interlayer exchange interaction value were determined. The obtained results enable to establish a complete picture of static critical parameters behavior depending on the interlayer/intralayer exchange interaction relation [16–21].

Priority lines of educational activities are as follows: support to young researchers, user guides edition, arrangement of nanotechnology conferences, schools and workshops, etc.

In the course of research and innovative activity scientific research is coordinated with consolidation of staff and material resources of the Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Ecology Faculties at DSU and the DRS RAS with developments in the “Nanotechnologies” area on the experimental basis of multi-access centers at DSU and DRC RAS and in creating competitive science-intensive. Scientific and technical cooperation is performed with research, RD, engineering organizations and industrial enterprises, foundations and other structures for the purpose of solving the most important scientific and technical, and educational problems, expansion of international scientific and technical cooperation with educational institutions and foreign companies with the view of integrating into the world system of science and education.

Master’s training programs (full-time training) were elaborated at the Subdepartments of Physics and Chemistry at DSU and the following special training courses are delivered on the following guidelines:

011200.68 – “Physics” – educational master’s program on nanosystem physics – nanosystem physics essentials, physical experiment technique, probe local spectroscopy; nanosystem physics, transport in nanosystems, nanostructures magnetic properties, chemical and electrochemical methods of particle formation, physics and technology of composites, X-ray structural analysis;

210100 – “Electronics and Nanoelectronics” – educational master’s program on semiconductors and dielectrics physics – nanoelectronics elements and devices, physical nanoelectronics, high energy-gap semiconductors; pressing problems of contemporary electronics and nanoelectronics, semiconductors and dielectrics physics, physics and technology of ceramic materials и and composites, promising techniques of epitaxial technology, physics and technology of electric transition;

020100.68 – “Chemistry”  – educational master’s program on guideline 020104 “Physical Chemistry” – quantum mechanics and quantum chemistry, physical methods of investigation, coordination chemistry, superionic conductor electrochemistry.

Laboratory practical training sessions were elaborated and  experimental research laboratories “Technology of nano- microstructured materials”, “Methods of research of structure and properties of nano- and microstructured materials”, “Microstructure and physical characteristics of functional materials” were established.

The publishing house of the University  issued the following educational and user’s guides: “Obtainin nanopwders Y(Ba1-xBex)2Cu3O7-δ via chemical technology methods (laboratory practical training session)», “Obtaining nanostructured films and semiconducting layers from gaseous phase (laboratory practical training session)». The book “Matter Structure” is in print.

Ready for publication: “Nanosystem physics: kinetic and magnetic properties”, “Background energy spectrum and thermal properties of condensed media”, “Conductors electronic structure and properties”.

All-Russian Conferences take place in the framework of SEC (Scientific Educational Center) “Physical Electronics” and “Innovatika”. The International Conference “Phase Transitions, Critical and Nonlinear Phenomena in Condensed Media» takes place on the basis of Dagestan Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciecnes.

LITERATURE:

  1. Barrera G.B., Bruno J.A.O., Barron T.H.K., Allan N.L.. Negative thermal expansion. J. Phys. Condens. Matter. 2005. # 17. Р. R217–R252
  2. Rabadanov R.A. Method of producing zinc oxide single-crystal film// Patent # 2036218; registered 27.03.1995.
  3. Ataev B.M., Dzhabrailov A.M., Rabadanov R.A., etc. Method of producing transparent and high-conductivity layers of ZnO:Ga // Patent # 2095888, registered 10.11.1994.
  4. Rabadanov M.R., Rabadanov R.A. Method of producing single-crystal zinc oxide with quick radiation in ultraviolet spectrum // Patent # 2202010, registered 10.04.2003.
  5. Rabadanov R.A., Guseikhanov M.K., Aliev I.Sh. Humidity detector// Patent # 1071100; registered 2.04.1993.
  6. Abduev A.Kh., Asvarov A.Sh., Akhmedov A.K., Kamilov I.K. Ceramics synthesis method // RF Patent # 2280015. Bul. # 20 as of 20.07.2006.
  7. Abduev A.Kh., Akhmedov A.K., Dyatlov V.M., Seliverstov V.I. Liquid-crystal screen. RF Patent # 2285280. Bul. # 28 as of 10.10.2006.
  8. Abduev A.Kh., Асваров А.Ш., Akhmedov A.K., Kamilov I.K. Method of oxide coatings application. RF Patent # 2307713. Bul. # 28 as of 10.10.2007.
  9. Palchaev D.K., Murlieva Zh.Kh., Chakalsky B.K. et al. Supeconducting oxide material // Patent # 2109712, registered 27.04.1998.
  10. Palchaev D.K., Murliev A.K. Semiconductor ceramic material // Patent # 2279729, registered 10.06.2006.
  11. Rabadanov R.A., Ismailov A.M., Shapiev I.M. Method of producing single-crystal film and tellurium layers // Patent application 201014589901.08.2011 (positive decision).
  12. Abduev A.Kh., Abduev M.Kh. Asvarov A.Sh., Akhmedov A.K. Method of ceramics synthesis based on zinc oxide // Patent # 2382014, registered 20.02.2010.
  13. Isaev A.B., Zakargaeva N.A., Aliev Z.M. Electrochemical synthesis of Cu2O nanoparticles and investigation of their photocatalytic activity// Russian nanotechnologies. 2011. Т. 6. # 7–8. С. 88–91.
  14. Despotuli A.L, Andreeva A.V, and Rambaby B. // Ionics 2007.V. 11. P. 306.
  15. Certificate of the RF National Standard Reference Data Service # 251 dated 03.06.2010.
  16. Gamzatov A.G., Aliev A.M., Khizriev K.Sh., Kamilov I.K., Mankevich A.S. Critical behavior of La0.87K0.13MnO3 manganite // Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 2011. V. 509. P. 8295–8298.
  17. Gamzatov A.G., Aliev A.M., Khizriev K.Sh., Kamilov I.K., Mankevich A.S., Korsakov I.E. Critical behavior of La0.87K0.13MnO3 manganites // Solid-state physics. 2011. V. 53. P. 2157–2160.
  18. Murtazaev A.K., Ramazanov M.K. Investigation of critical behavior of frustrated Heisenberg model triangular antiferromagnet // Solid-state physics. 2011. V. 53. # 5. P. 1004–1008.
  19. Murtazaev A.K., Ramazanov M.K., Badiev M.K. Computer simulation of frustrated antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a triangular layer lattice // Proceedings of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Physical series. 2011. V. 75. # 8. P. 1103–1105.
  20. Ramazanov M.K. Phase transitions in antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a triangular layer lattice with interactions of the second nearest-neighbors // Letters to the Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics. 2011. V. 94. # 4. P. 335–338.
  21. Murtazaev A.K., Babaev A.B., Aznaurova G.Ya. Phase transitions in three-dimensional diluted Potts model with the spin number of states q = 4 // Low-temperature physics. 2011. V. 37. P. 167–171.

 

M.Kh. Rabadanov, D.K. Palchaev, A.B. Isaev
Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education “Dagestan State University”,
43a, M. Gadzhiev str., 367001, Makhachkala
E-mail: dairpalchaev@mail.ru

 

"Russian Nanotechnologies" Journal # 9-10 2011

 

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Those “hidden” markets

MARKETS, MARKETING AND NANOTECHNOLOGICAL OUTPUT

Marketing is often perceived as a market study – the study, which is certainly intended to ensure the highest possible volumes of goods sales. You either try to position your commodity as an “isolated” one at the existing market or you try to capture a new market niche. However, this marketing perception is not quite accurate. In fact, there is probably no precise definition everybody would agree to – except for the most common and insipid one, such as, for example, the definition that has become classical “…the type of human activity aimed at satisfying needs and demands by means of exchange”1. Along with that, there exist multiple amounts of marketing definitions that put special emphasis on certain aspects, which are most typical particularly for “here and now” of investigated market segment – the segment to which the manufactured commodities belong to. For some markets, these are pricing aspects, for other markets – advertising, for the third type of markets, as mentioned above – ascertainment (isolation from a number of substitutes) of the given commodity or creation of an independent commodity niche. The common thing is that solution of these problems is based on studying existing and potential markets. But the markets are very different.

3439917030?profile=originalIf nanotechnological output marketing is under discussion, it is necessary first of all to designate peculiarities, which single out respective markets among others, if any. Or we need to agree that there are no such peculiarities. But even such a position is not a subject of antecedent discussion. A respective study is required.

Unfortunately, as of today more common is a different approach to nanotechnologies in whole and to nanotechnological output as to the object of marketing study. Marketing as a system of scientific and practical views is considered to be a given entity, nanotechnologies being only one of objects of its application.

This position, in the authors view, is in principle contradiction to the ideas that nanotechnologies are the source and a basis for formation of the new, sixth, technological setup. The technological setup replacement means, among other things, re-arrangement of the entire market mechanism, which requires different approaches to marketing.

This article is devoted to search and analysis of such approaches. Along with that, the authors do not claim to completeness of marketing analysis of nanotechnologies and nanotechnological output as a whole. Practical experience of conducted marketing studies2 shows that it is impossible as of today.

NANOTECHNOLOGICAL OUTPUT AS A SUBJET OF STUDY

An important peculiarity of nanotechnologies is their expected penetration into all sectors of the world and national industries. As of today, such interference has been demonstrated and continues to be vividly demonstrated by example of IT and telecommunication technologies, and all their aspects: from computering up to information communications.

It is nanotechnologies penetration into all areas of human activity poses a question: what products should be referred to nanotechnologocal output and what reasons are for that attribution. Is an aircraft considered the ITC-output on the grounds that the share of avionics makes more than a half in the airplane cost?

Similarly to nanotechnologies: what should be related to nanoproducts: nanotubes, used during production of aviation prepregs3, or prepregs themselves, or the wing or the fuselage for the plane made of these prepregs?

There is simply no correct answer to such kind of questions. This is the case of definition. But – and this should be taken into account – the amount of nanoproducts will be produced or more exactly factored in as such depends directly on the definition4.

Fundamental documents of nanoindustry development of Russia – President’s initiative “Nanotechnology Development Strategy”, “Nanotechnology Development Program till 2015” – define that the quantity of nano-containing output should make 900 billion Rubles in 2015. If the quantity is calculated in “planes”, the amount will not be too high. A classical example of such calculation was the attempt to factor in the cost of LADA automobile, its engine management sensor comprising a nano-component.

If we produce a nanopowder, everything seems clear. If we sold the powder – which is a nano-product for sure – and there are no doubts about existence of the nanomarket, nanoindustry and … But at this point it is better to cut short the potential list that finishes by a flattering word “nano-power”. Firstly, if the “planes” were not produced by you, you are simply a primary producer, even with a proud prefix “nano-“. Has it anything to do with high technologies if you purchased equipment for nanopowder production, which principally identifies its quality abroad? No, the mill is manufactured by the national economy, the raw material is domestic. But you have to buy the sensor, which controls dimensions of nano-particles, as well as its pre-assigned range (this particularly determines nanopowder quality) in the countries with highly-developed nanotechnologies. Then how do such nanotechnologies differ from traditional grinding production?

If attention is only paid to geometry of componenets5, then tires and tubes, deodorants and any other gels can be safely attributed to nanoproducts (the particles size of soot used for car tire production well corresponds to them).

When we say nano, we imply something different than dimensions. The authors of the article happened to participate in formation of the Criteria for attributing products to nanotechnological output. The following definition of output was suggested: produce of nanoindustry (nanotechnological produce) is the output (commodities, work, services) produced with the use of nanotechnologies and consequently possessing previously unachievable technical and economic characteristics.

In other words, not only dimensions are important but also availability of new properties caused specifically by nanoelements utilization. This does not only determines nanoproduct markets but also differentiates them into two fundamentally different groups.

The first group. You have managed to produce a substitute of an existing commodity via impairing new properties. The substitute is better, probably less expensive but it replaces an already existing product. The car or the plane has become more reliable, economical and safe. The skies slide not only on the snow. The cutting tool enables to process not only metals and their surfaces with lower expenditure. Bridges or pipes of a gas-transport system are more solid and lasting.

There are multiple examples of nanotechnologies application, which results in improving properties of already existing commodities. This is the current day of nanotechnologies. The markets for such goods can be considered already formed. The seller simply offers the commodity better that it used to be, the buyer has an opportunity to and is striving to buy the commodity with the best qualities. However, everything is not that simple here. The “price/quality” ratio question is of principle importance. It is appropriate to give two examples here.

Thus, if you know how to produce nanocomposite nanomaterials of aviation quality (the quality being fundamentally necessary in aircraft building), it does not save you from economic necessity to have less expensive and less “pretentious” materials for vehicle production. Is it reasonable to use nanomaterials (пусть и с менее выраженными качествами, полученными за счет применения нанотехнологий) in this segment of the market – this is a matter of economic analysis, which takes into account, for example, population’s purchase ability decrease under economic crisis conditions.

The second example is from the area of power efficiency, which is so pressing at present. The world-wide pursuit for LED luminosity per unit of power consumption has acquired features of sporting competition. Luminous efficacy (lm/W) of contemporary LEDs has exceeded not only luminous efficacy of electric incandescent lamps, fluorescent lighting and gas-discharge lamps but also that of the Sun. However, in chase of lumens we have lost the main thing. First of all, the light of such diodes does not fit for utilization6. A special term has been even thought out – “landscape lighting”, i.e.., such lighting, for which neither color rendition nor your eye health is important. Secondly, the price (in terms of expenditures) per such a LED is rather high to doubt any saving from their “power efficiency”. However, if another problem is posed: to obtain not so highly power efficient LED (up to 90% of the “standard”), but at the same time a less expensive one (by 90% of the “standard” LED price), giving normal warm white light due to traditional luminophor utilization, then there is an urgent market niche for such a LED7. But even in that case, its limitedness should be kept in mind. Probably, it is fun to see how flowers are warmed up in a glass kiosk in winter conditions with the help of power efficient lamps, – probably so: if there were no greenhouses and pigsties8.

Besides this, briefly discussed first group of nanotechnological output, there is the second group – commodities, production of which was previously impossible without applying nanotechnologies. Examples from the area of nanotechnologies are multiple but often incomprehensible. It is appropriate here to resort to already used analogy. Thus, before duralumins (and later – titanium9 and its allows) became available as aviation material, aviation development was principally limited by small airplanes.

It should be kept in mind that the boundary between the two groups is indistinct. Thus, the A.A. Bochvar All-Russian Research Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) has developed the Cu-Nb-nanostructure-based conductor-nanomaterial with unique properties. The material is at the same time solid almost like steel and is a good conductor almost like copper (Fig. 1, red curve).

3439917043?profile=originalFigure 1. Comparative electromechanical characterisitics of a new Cu-Nb-based nanostructured material (according to the A.A. Bochvar All-Russian Research Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) data)

 

Utilization of this material as wires of high-voltage lines is limited by high price of the material10. But it is already determined by established mass demand for it, which should be expected for a new nanostructured conductor.

Nowadays, the above material finds its application to build contact network for future Russian railway superhigh-speed electric trains. When trains move at the speed of 350 km/h and more, contact network solidity requirements become a fundamental factor, limiting the opportunity per se for moving at such high speed.

Thus, an example of “intermediate” product is in place – the product, which has or may have application in traditional market niches and at the same time creates fundamentally new markets (high-speed traffic of railway trains).

Another example of nanomaterials that create fundamentally new opportunities and are also applicable in traditional areas are nanostructured superconductors. It is superconductor nanostructure11 that makes possible its application in industrial power industry, power units, superpower magnets and contemporary medical devices, such NMR-diagnostics devices.

Production of such nanostructured conductors is an independent subindustry of the national industry (Fig. 2).

3439916951?profile=originalFigure 2. A wire drawing and superconductor heat treatment shop at the OJSC “ChMZ (Tchepets Engineering Works)” of TVEL Corporation

 

Besides these “borderline” cases, there are opportunities, consequences of which are difficult to imagine today.

Thus, opportunity for appearance of the personified medicine market aimed at peculiarities of a specific organism is connected with expected nanobiochip appearance. Nanobiochips enable proteomic analysis of a person’s level of health judging simultaneously by 200 thousand parameters and even more via the standard laboratory analysis method. The point is that it is not only possible to precisely diagnose what the patient has fallen ill with: it is possible to diagnose what the patient may or will definitely fall ill with, and to prevent the disease. The opportunity to cure cancer prior to appearance of cancerous tumor or even malignant cells seems almost unreal today, but taking into account development of nanobiotechnologies, proteomics and genomics this is not the matter of a distant future as it may seem, given that the Russian Federation participates in the international project “Human proteome”.

What will be the goods and services markets connected with development of nanotechnologies in the areas where the latter do not replace traditional technologies but create fundamentally new opportunities? For example, how can we analyze their potential capacity, what prices should be taken into account? To understand complexity of the issue, it is useful to give an example from the past. Before the PC era started, there existed electronic computers, the cost of a single operation by them was incomparably higher than it is today12. If we convert into the 1975 prices, for example, the cost of computing operations fulfilled nowadays only on the computers at the disposal of children who use them as toys, we shall get a breathtaking result. Is it possible to discuss the market capacity at the moment when its rapid development is possible? What should be kept in mind?

This is not an idle question for nanotechnologies. Expectation is connected particularly with nanotechnologies that expenses on production of necessary goods and services will be drastically reduced, that we shall get new opportunities that were previously inaccessible, without increasing dramatically the consumption of available basic resources. “Key problems of civilization - power, ecological safety and food security, quality of life, education and public administration, struggle against poverty, diseases and terrorism  - can be solved in the future with the help of achievements in nanotechnologies”13.

So, we have two types of nanotechnological output markets: traditional markets, where nanotechnological output, possessing relative advantages, forces out its traditional substitutes; and new emerging markets, for which appearance of new goods and services (which were previously feasible or probably imaginable) is typical.

The first type of markets may be and is the subject of marketing analysis, these markets can be estimated and analyzed to a reliable extent. The second type are the markets “hidden” from our analysis in the framework of traditional marketing. However, these “hidden” markets determine the future already in the medium-term.

NANOTECHNOLOGIES MARKETS AND THE END PRODUCT

But nanotechnological markets are hidden from us, from our analysis not only because they are in the making, not only due to their fundamental novelty. There is a common aspect typical of high technology markets, which is connected with their institutional structure. This is vertical integratedness of the markets.

What is the subject of traditional marketing analysis? Open markets, i.e., the markets where (even within established rules and limitations) the players freely offer competing goods14. Such a market looks like that: today, I have bought the commodity from one seller at a certain price, tomorrow I shall buy it from another seller at a different price. Such markets comprise commodity exchanges, consumer markets and many others. However, there are no “markets” among them based on contracting and subcontracting. The latter are particularly typical of the high technology output production process, they “mediate” the production cycle.

Of course, we can try to refuse vertical integration when producing and operating high technology output, but such “experiments”, as experience showed, lead to disastrous effects: if a “component” goes wrong in the upper-stage rocket of a launch vehicle, civil aviation flight safety falls below the permissible level, etc.

Of course, we can proceed from the notions that nanotechnologies are something “simple”, “accessible to everybody” and “safe”. This is indeed true for a number of nanotechnologies.

Thus, for example, creation of special nanocoatings for metal processing cutters partly meets these “criteria”. Consequences of low-quality tool-tip processing may be compensated in the course of production, for example, via establishing stricter final checking, rejection.

But if we produce a powerful turbine, reactor vessel, we shall have to “reject” the product as a whole: in this way more than a year-long labor of a whole plant will probably be “rejected”.

There is the only way out – to control the quality of purchased cutters throughout the entire production cycle, starting from raw material (nanopowder) supply and compliance with technology.

It comes down to vertically-integrated quality control, which allows for a complicated contract system of production process participants: contractor and subcontractor.

Foreign literature has called market organization of this kind clusters since the time books by Michael Porter5.were published. This particular name is included in documents (and their drafts) stipulating foundations for research and engineering development of the Russian Federation, namely the Concept of the long-term social and economic development of the Russian Federation till 2020, “Innovative Russia – 2020” (Strategy of innovative development of the Russian Federation till 2020 (Draft)) and Program of nanoindustry development in the Russian Federation up to 2015.

Along with that, a more distinct term was previously in place – vertically-integrated structures. This term reflects essential peculiarities one of two types of clusters, which is most typical of high-technology industries.

Markets of vertically integrated companies, based on long-term contracting, are not open for marketing analysis from outside. The most vivid examples of such markets (companies) may be markets of Boeing, EADS (Airbus), Lockheed and a number of electronic industry companies.

Such companies’ activity is normally visible from the outside only by the end product: nanotechnological (as well as other high-technological) components are hidden by patents, know-how and other intellectual property protection instruments.

At the same time, access to such market is limited in principle – access means signing a long-term contract subject to contractor’s terms after preliminary evaluation/certification procedures, etc. In other words – these markets (intermediate commodities in the course of end product manufacturing) and access to them is strictly controlled by the contractor.

Information about these markets is disclosed by the contractor only to the extent it is to his immediate interests.

In these circumstances, a comprehensive marketing study of respective markets can be performed on behalf of and upon consent of such contractor or a group of them.

Under Russian conditions, the role of vertically-integrated structures with different level of success are currently often played by government entities: agencies and government corporations such as ROSCOSMOS (Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation) and Rosatom (Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency). Along with that, a task is posed to set up 5–7 high-technology companies that are able to successfully enter by 2020 international markets of high-technology output (in the areas where the Russian Federation upholds technological leadership in the world).

The marketing study goal therefore is the question about precise positioning of such areas and definition of scopes of activity  of such companies. Conditions of their establishment should, in the authors opinion, make them more open from a technological perspective, which will enable to analyze their contract markets at least in the medium-term.

NANOTECHNOLOGIES AND GOVERNMENT STATISITCS

The state of government statistics, which is so needed for marketing study purposes, has been most accurately and concisely reflected in the position of the RF Ministry of Economic Development:

“A separate problem is the government statistics system is unadapted to management goals of innovative development. Statistical data reflecting key parameters of innovative development become accessible wit a several-year lagging behind. The statistical indicators structure per se reflects to a large extent the tasks of public management in industrial era. It does not fully meet the current-day tasks. Urgent ideas about the state and trends of development in innovative sphere can be compiled mainly now based on outcomes of inquiries and investigations, which are performed unsystematically upon the initiative of civic organizations and private companies”.16

Thus, two objective problems of “secretiveness” in the nanotechnological output markets: their fundamental novelty and institutional “closure”, are added by the third problem – a subjective one: lack of appropriate government statistics.

It is not even the matter of delaying such statistics. As is generally known, appropriate classifiers make the foundation of statistics. These classifiers enable to correctly attribute certain products to respective markets, which, in turn, afford ground for correct economic procedures and assessments. However, the contemporary classifier does not meet these requirements even to a partial extent. It is sufficient to state that at least 90% of all nanotechnological markets are classified under the “Others” section.

Development of such classifier both in the interests of government statistics and of national marketing is a critical task. Unfortunately, the authors believe that it is impossible to consider successful the attempts, which have taken place so far.

Along with that, formation of appropriate statistics is quite traceable outside the scope of government statistics (or at least it passes ahead government statistics). The national nanotechnological network could become such an instrument, where each participant would voluntary take up an obligation to to provide statistical information about its own activity in the sphere of nanoindustry. Besides developing forms and classifiers for appropriate statistics, quick fundamental growth in the number of the National Nanotechnological Network (NNN) participannts is required.

* * *

So, the task of marketing research in nanoindustry hinges on resolution of three aspects of “hidden” nanotechnological output markets. At least two aspects – market novelty and formation, and contractual character - are apparently of principle nature, thus requiring development of new instruments for marketing analysis, which will be rather based on expert judgments than on statistics and econometrics. Economic procedures should also be based on new approaches, such as evaluation of nanotechnological output volume via penetration factors and end product (nano-containing product) volumes. A simultaneous process of establishing respective statistics and instruments – first of all, appropriate classifiers – is needed.

Solution of these problems will enable marketing researches to become really useful for national nanoindustry growth, given multiplicity of interests of its participants: government – for strategic planning purposes; contractor corporations – for the purpose of their positioning in external markets; the National Nanotechnological Network participants – for the purpose of efficient business in high technologies area.

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1 Kotler P.  Marketing Essentials. M.: Rosinter. 1996. p. 9.
2 See for example: Nano Market: from nanotechnologies towards nanoproducts // G.L. Azoyev [et al.]; edited by G.L. Azoyev. – M.: BINOM. Laboratory of knowledge. 2011. 319 p.: illustrations + 1 CD-ROM. – (Nanotechnologies).
3 Prepregs – nanocomposite materials - semi-processed goods.
4 The penetration factor method to factor in nanotechnological output was suggested by the authors in the course of developing Criteria for attributing the output to nanotechnological  products.
5 Nanoobject – the object, linear dimension of which is (at least in one measurement) about  1–100 nm.
6 We are talking about the so-called white LEDs used for lighting. Bright, power efficient LEDs of red and green color have found a market niche – traffic lights and similar devices.
7 For example, LEDs being developed by a group of companies “Nitrid Crystals”, St. Petersburg.
8 It should be reminded here that electric incandescent lamps of more than 100 Watt have already been prohibited by law.
9 A good marketing example: it is erroneous to consider titanium only as part of aviation material: according to the 2005 Titanium Corporation data, annual titanium consumption in the world was as follows: 60 % – paint; 20 % – plastic; 13 % – paper; 7 % – mechanical engineering, including aircraft construction! Similar mistakes seem to be also typical of new nanomaterials.
10 It should be noted here that the outstanding Russian scientist D.I. Mendeleyev was awarded a medal made of aluminum– the material more precious than gold.
11 Without such nanostructure, superconducting will be destroyed by magnetic field.
12 Moore’s law affirms that computer power doubles every 18 months. Since 1975, computer power has increased by more than 16.8 million times.
13 President’s initiative “Nanotindustry Development Strategy”.
14 With reservations given at the beginning of the article.
15 Porter Michael E. On Competition: Translated from English – M.: “Williams” publishing house. 2005. 608 p. Porter Michael E. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors / Michael E. Porter; Translated from English – M.: Alpina Business Books. 2005. 454 p.
16 Innovative Russia – 2020 (Стратегия инновационного развития Российской Федерации на период до 2020 года). Проект.исследования и разработки

 

S.B. Taranenko, K.V. Ivanov
Kurchatov Institute National Research Center
Akademika Kurchatova Sq, 1123182, Moscow,

 

"Russian Nanotechnologies" Journal # 9-10, 2011, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal.

 

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General civilisation crisis connected to the fact that humanity entered the post-industrial development stage, and to the emergence of ‘young’ industry giant such as India and China in particular, has shifted to a new phase. Apparently finite and exhaustible nature of the civilisation resources has now become an outlook for the nearest future. We currently face the question whether it is possible for the mankind to overcome the crisis and ultimately to survive.

Scientists have been discussing the problem for a long time. First serious research of global problems of the civilisation development based on qualitative modelling of the world system dynamics, was carried out in late 1960s and 1970s within the Club of Rome – in particular, in a book by J. Forrester, as well as by some Soviet researchers. The very first publications suggested that in less than a hundred years humanity would face resource collapse. Researches of the Club of Rome showed that crisis embraced all aspects of civilisation and was connected to resource (ecological), social, political, financial aspects, etc. - that is, was systemic in nature. Therefore, it cannot be resolved within the existing paradigm of the human civilisation development. However, despite the unquestionable importance of these conclusions, no specific solutions as to how to overcome the situation were suggested, and we still do not know what to do (Figure 1).

3439916891?profile=original

Figure 1

 

The world around us is integrated and harmonious. Nature, biosphere has existed for millions of years as a self-sufficient and self-regulating system which includes a natural circulation of energy and substances on the Earth. Undeniably, the human-invoked development of technosphere facilitated scientific and technical progress, but it involved deep conflicts between the nature and technosphere from the very start. In the course of its development the mankind has for many ages aspired to increase the working efficiency and the volume of manufactured goods without thinking twice about the price of this growth – that is, the development paradigm of the civilisation from its very emergence consisted of taking maximum value from the nature “no matter what.”

In time, an industrial sphere emerged that was more and more resource-intensive and destructive towards the natural environment and increased the gap between the existence of nature and human economic activity. Suffice to say, experts believe that from five to six billion tons of living material on the planet is lost annually due to technological activity of man. Throughout the history of the mankind, about 224 10 12 kg of oxygen was spent to burn the oil, coal and gas, etc., that were produced. Whereas in the last 50 years, 226·10 12 kg of oxygen were spent for similar purposes – that means that that amount nearly equals the quantity of oxygen burnt during the entire anthropogenic period (Figure 2).

3439916842?profile=original

Figure 2

 

By the mid-20th century, the face of the civilisation has changed dramatically, and the influence of man on the environment (biosphere) has acquired a critical mass. In fact, today's technosphere built by the man presents a detonator of his own demise.

It is important to note that the confrontation of the biosphere and technosphere that has been forming in the course of centuries has had an extremely significant reverse affect on the human mind where technologies and natural environment have become separated – that is, this antagonism is now set on a mental level. We can state that current technological sphere created by man participates in an antagonistic conflict with nature.

Thus, on the one hand, it confirmed the idea of V. I. Vernadsky that the mind of social man implemented in his labour turns into a new powerful geological force, and on the other, his prediction that “In the geological history of the biosphere, enormous future is open in front of the mankind if it can realise the fact and will not use its mind and work for self-destruction” came true.

Inability of humans to realise their new role in the world and reconsider their new duties and new responsibility ultimately resulted in a systemic crisis that included the whole civilisation.

According to the experience of the second half of the 20th century, such antagonistic conflicts cannot be resolved within the traditional developmental paradigm by transforming – even radically – some components of the global technological system. It takes a fundamental rebuild of the whole technological basis with an indissoluble connection with its scientific, manufacturing, social and political, and areas pertaining to the humanities.

This problem was articulated in general in the first decades of the 20th century by Vernadsky and some of his successors. In his study of the Earth biosphere evolution, Vernadsky identified two essentially different phases of the process: the first was spontaneous development which took place before Homo sapiens emerged, and the second involved humans as organic elements of the biosphere.

The degree of human influence on the biosphere evolution is of uppermost importance. This influence was insignificant throughout the course of the human history, but it grew sufficiently with the emergence and development of industrial society and was a determining factor during the last 50–100 years. Therefore, Vernadsky introduced the notion of noosphere as a sphere where rational human activity becomes the crucial developmental factor. In his work titled “Thoughts of a Naturalist. Scientific Idea as a Planet-Wide Phenomenon” he noted that “the biosphere has shifted or, more specifically, is shifting to a new evolution state – the noosphere – it is being changed by the scientific thought of social man.” (Figure 3). 3439916796?profile=original

Figure 3

 

Today, it is possible to overcome the systemic crisis and ensure the survival of the mankind only by forming a new noosphere where technology should become an organic part of the nature (biosphere).

How can that be done? In order to answer the question we should remember the way human production activity was developing.

In the first stages, Homo sapiens was perceiving and studying the world and nature as a whole – not understood and idolised. The “production” activity that accompanied this cognition also was of natural persuasion (for example, hunting, gathering). As the knowledge base grew, and the tasks of cognition became more complicated, man started artificially divide a single, whole and therefore extremely sophisticated natural system into simpler segments accessible for analysis. This was the way physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and other scientific areas emerged. They in turn were divided into narrower directions, etc.

Focused science gave rise to industry technologies and predetermined the industrial form of manufacturing organisation. Moreover, the industrial, special nature of the technologies underlying modern production is the primary cause of antagonism between the anthropogenic technosphere and the natural environment. The emergence of inter-industry technologies in the last decade of the 20th century brought no big changes as they only provided the final stages of producing supersophisticated technical systems (interconnecting, integration of the components).

If we draw a schematic picture, it can be said that industrial technologies represent models of some individual natural processes separated from the single holistic natural system and reproduced in artificial conditions in order to create certain products. Apparently, the only parts of the natural processes that get to be reproduced are those directly necessary to provide the desired product. Other components ensuring interconnections, interactions of natural events and therefore balance and harmony of the natural system as a whole are ignored.

This way, anthropogenic mechanisms emerge and start interacting with the biosphere, that violate ecological balance and affect the natural environment in a destructive manner. As production develops, this influence grows with its consequences acquiring a threatening magnitude. This conclusion was fully confirmed by the experience of the last hundred years of the development of the mankind.

The existing technosphere based on the industrial principle cannot be harmonised with the biosphere and turned into an organic part of the nature.

In particular, that explains the futility of all attempts to solve global environmental crisis of the civilisation. The suggested technological solutions are local and provide only topical effect without changing the situation in general.

Here is an example of that. It is well-known that energy requirements of the biosphere are satisfied almost completely due to solar energy that is transformed in the course of photosynthesis. In its attempt to replicate the processes artificially, the mankind has been pursuing solar energetics for several decades now – we model the natural way of solar energy processing with model semiconductor structure used instead of a complicated structure of green leaves which is still impossible to reproduce (Figure 4).

3439916908?profile=original

Figure 4

 

Living nature in itself is a very “economic” user of energy; it is correctly self-organised and the “low-power photosynthesis energy” is quite sufficient for it. In today's life, we use machines and mechanisms consuming enormous amounts of energy. Nature-like economic energy technologies are unable to supply the necessary energy for that. Some successes were made in this area but solar energetics could not secure a significant share of the global energy balance: today, solar energy provides less than one per cent of global commercial power.

What is the reason for that? A one-sided approach to the problem typical for “industrial” thinking. By copying natural generation processes for solar energetics, humans try to use it to satisfy energy requirements of traditional power-intensive industrial sphere without making any significant changes. It is quite obvious that while drastically transforming power generation technologies it is necessary to make as dramatic changes in the technologies of power use and bring them as close to natural as possible. And those changes should involve all elements of the production area. The mankind faces a complicated and ambitious task of creating fundamentally new technologies and power use systems – i.e. to replace the existing end power consumer with systems reproducing the objects of living nature (Figure 5).

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Figure 5

 

This leads us to the next important conclusion: in order to create a new noosphere where technosphere will become an organic part of the nature, it is necessary to give up the industrial approach to forming sciences and technologies in favour of science convergence paradigm and creating fundamentally new convergent technologies. The main differentiation of such technologies should be their maximum similarity to natural processes in their unity and interconnections.

It is without doubts that man is the most sophisticated creation of the nature unique in all aspects: a self-regulating system that does not have stand-alone physics, chemistry, biology, or mathematics, but includes all those components that mutually complement each other. By developing sciences and technologies, the mankind copied living systems, their principles and action mechanisms. Today, scientific progress has reached the state where it is possible to not only copy but also create nature-like systems by converging sciences and technologies.

What sciences and technologies are we talking here? First of all, nanotechnologies as a new technological culture based on the capability to directly manipulate atoms and molecules in order to generate fundamentally new substances, materials, structures and systems with pre-defined properties. In this capacity, nanotechnologies are a super-industry area of research and technologies integrating special natural-science disciplines into new natural science of the 21st century. Nanotechnologies as a single material basis bring man back to perceiving the world as a whole and provide an opportunity to replicate this world using the same “technology methods” as the nature itself which is especially important.

Using this opportunity to create nature-harmonised technosphere, the mankind in fact faces the need to copy the objects and events of living nature in technical objects and technological processes. This in turn is impossible without the complementary combination of nanotechnology approaches and the achievements of molecular biology, bioengineering, genetic engineering, etc. This inter-disciplinary symbiosis presents a basis for the development of a new class of technologies - nanobiotechnologies.

However, while nanobiotechnologies provide the opportunity of artificial reproduction or even creation of fundamentally new bio-organic materials, they do not allow to research and reproduce various information connections, information transfer and transformation processes in the natural objects and phenomena, especially on the highest levels of its structural organisation. To solve that problem, convergence is required – merging nanobiotechnologies and information technologies with their “super-disciplinary” essence and methodology.

Clearly, by going down the road of “nature-like” systems and processes the mankind will sooner or later come to creating anthropomorphic technical systems. Such systems, unlike less highly organised “copies of living objects,” should have at least some elements of cognition, a capability to realise their cognitive functions. It is only possible to address these tasks based on combining the methodology of nano-, bio-, information technologies with the approaches employed by cognitive sciences and technologies studying and modelling human consciousness and cognitive activity.

Thus, convergent nano-, bio-, info-, cognitive sciences and technologies – NBIC technologies offer an opportunity to adequately reproduce the systems and processes of the nature. That turns them into a tool to form a new technosphere as an organic part of the nature.

However, in order to use this instrument wisely and effectively to create the new noosphere that Vernadsky spoke about, it is vital to ensure fundamental changes in the thinking process of man as a social being. Such transformation might be performed by combining the NBIC technologies with the achievements of social sciences and the Humanities.

It means that the area of convergent technologies should acquire another dimension – socio-humanities – which would turn them into convergent nano-, bio-, info-, socio-humanities technologies: NBISC technologies (Figure 6). 3439916925?profile=original

Figure 6

 

The process of practical building converged sciences and technologies is already in place in Russia. Is began with the creation of a centre for converged technologies at Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Centre – the Kurchatov NBIC Centre that is a unique organisation with no similar establishments existing in the world. Its unique research technology base includes, in particular, the sources of synchrotron radiation and neutrons, the most state-of-the-art electronic and probe microscopy equipment, devices for protein crystallography, proteomics, genome research, neuroscience and cognitive research, a nanotechnology complex, a powerful supercomputer complex with a data processing centre, etc.

The Kurchatov NBIC Centre is already conducting research and development concerning a wide assortment of convergent sciences and technologies from crystallisation, particularly in the space, proteins and decoding protein structure using synchrotron emission, to creating hybrid materials and devices including hybrid sensors, as well as studies in philosophical, sociological, and culturological problems of technosphere development.

The most critical issue of the convergent technologies is training specialists for this new inter-disciplinary area. The training is provided at the only NBIC technology department in the world established at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (University). Thus, NBIC technologies are already becoming a real development factor.

Today, the mankind finds itself in the bifurcation point. It faces two choices. The first, the one we have mentioned above, consists of conserving traditional developmental paradigm and preserving the existing technosphere. In the not-so-far-away end of this route the mankind will face collapse and will have to return to primitive existence associated with agriculture, cattle breeding, cartage, etc in order to ensure elementary survival. Moreover, it will be accompanied by ruthless fight for resources running out, armaments drive, and wars.

The second choice is associated with the emergence and development of convergent NBIC technologies to create a new harmonious noosphere where its three components – biosphere, technosphere and society – will find themselves not in conflict but will complement each other, will be convergent. By choosing this route, the mankind will get a unique opportunity not only to preserve its civilisation in the historic near-term but also put the time of its existence on par with the term of the geological life of the Earth – or maybe prolong it beyond that period by spreading it outside the limits of the planet (Figure 7).

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Figure 7

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Vernadsky V.I. The Biosphere and Noosphere // Preface by R.К. Balandin. М.: Iris-press. 2004.
  2. Vernadsky V.I. Thoughts of a Naturalist. Scientific Idea as a Planet-Wide Phenomenon . М.: Nauka. 1972.
  3. Forrester J. World Dynamics: translated from English. // Forrester J – М.: ООО «АСТ Publishers; St. Petersburg: Terra Fantastica. 2003.
  4. Ernst von Weizacker, Amory B, Lovins and L Hunter Lovins Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use . New Report to the Club of Rome. М.: Academia. 2000.
  5. Club of Rome Programme on «A New Path for World Development» http://www.clubofrome.org
  6. Kovalchuk М.V. «Organic Nanomaterials, Nanostructures and Nanodiagnistics». Vestnik Academii Nauk – Herald of Russian Academy of Sciences. № 73 (5). 2003.
  7. Kovalchuk М.V. Ideology of Nanotechnologies // Kovalchuk М.V. – М.: «Akamedkniga». 2010.
  8. Kovalchuk М.V. // Convergence of Sciences and Technologies – A Breakthrough Into the Future. Russian Nanotechnologies. Т. 6. № 1–2. 2011.
  9. Kovalchuk М.V. // From Synthesis in Science to Convergence in Education. Educational Policy. 2010. № 11–12 (49–50). С. 4–9.

 

Kovalchuk М.V. (Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Centre, The Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences),
О.S. Naraikin (Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Centre, The Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences),
Е.B. Yatsishina (Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Centre)

 

Russian Nanotechnologies 9-10 2011, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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Researchers at the science campus (Akademgorodok) in Novosibirsk have designed a thermal imaging sight. A joint development by the Design and Engineering Institute of Applied Microelectronics. Siberian Branch. Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Limited Liability Company “Progresstekh” was presented by Alexander Golitsyn at the startup campus of “Interrra” Forum, which recently took place in Novosibirsk. 

 

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The device is intended for observation and sight shooting under restricted visibility conditions, such as poor illumination and complete darkness, smokescreen, fog. Outwardly, the device looks like an ordinary video camera but in contrast to it the device detects invisible distant infrared radiation (also called thermal radiation) from observed objects. The device enables to distinguish what comes into view – a crowd of people, transport or other sources of heat at the distance up to a kilometer and a half. Cold heavy shower is the only obstacle to the thermal imager operation, as water is non-transparent for thermal radiation. The main distinction of the thermal imaging sight from other similar devices is that the sight is intended  for sight shooting (on top of locality observation) – it is installed upon small arms, including large-calibre arms, therefore, the sight should be resistant to heavy shocks.

 

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The device is based on the amorphous silicon uncooled photodetector array sensitive to thermal radiation. This particular device uses a matrix of French production, its resolution being 640×480 elements. The device case, lens and electronics package are all in-house development.

 

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Image formation and processing electronics package

 

We shall dwell on the latter. The electronics package receives images from a photodetector array in the form of electronic signal and improves it. Image processing is in real time throughout the entire frame with the help of various algorithms. Besides, image inversion and scaling can be done, the image can be shown on the sight display and saved to a PC via the USB. The same package is equipped with a ballistic calculator inbuilt into the sight, which is necessary for automated corrections to the sight mark depending on the target range, weather conditions, the applied weapon type and cartridge type. Besides, the device is low power – it can work continuously for four hours on four AA batteries.

 

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The researchers hope that the sight will be in demand by the Russian Army, which, according to their data, annually needs at least 100 thermal imaging sights. To date, they have already assembled 10 devices and sent them for testing. Besides, civil market will demand about 10 specimen a year. Alexander Golitsyn referred to the agreement with a commercial company for device supplies to armorer shops for hunters. Supplies will start after all necessary tests are passed and the sight is introduced in service.

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Meanwhile, the thermal imaging sight market abroad is constantly growing. Thus, within the last five years, 80 thousand various-purpose thermal imaging devices (sights making part of them) have already been purchased for the US army.

“There are no thermal imaging sights for small arms in the Russian army yet – foreign companies do not sell dual-purpose goods and technologies to Russia. Those foreign sights that are available for purchase – produced in China, France, Israel, – are suitable only for civil application as hunting sights – they do not fit for heavy calibres. A sight like this can be installed on a gun, but not on a heavy-caliber full-bore rifle or a machinegun”, says the developer.

In Russia, competitors to the Novosibirsk sight are developments by the Central Research Institute “Cyclone” – “Shakhin” sight and a thermal imaging sight produced by the Rostov Optomechanical Plant. According to the developers from Novosibirsk, “Shakhin” sight’s resolution is worse (160×120 и 320×240 elements), and its engineering design is not intended for heavy calibers weapons. As for the Rostov sight, the lens construction does not allow to use the device in different weather conditions – should the weather change, it is necessary to refocus the lens, and the aiming axis pin shifts due to peculiarities of the device construction. Both competitors have a too narrow field of view, owing to which it is easy to shoot at targets of known location but it is practically impossible to find the enemy within a short period in the area with previously unknown coordinates.

The Novosibirsk sight is not inexpensive – a buyer will have to pay RUB 1.5 million per specimen. However, it is probably worth it. In any case, the device demonstrated by Alexander Golitsyn made 12 thousand rounds per submachine gun, 5 thousand – per heavy machinegun “Utyos” and 7 rounds per rifle-attached grenade launcher. And it looks like new. There exist less expensive thermal imaging devices used by rescuers and builders, their price starting from RUB 200 thousand. However, these are observation devices, not sights. “If an ordinary thermal imager is installed on a barrel, it will break down”, the young researcher says.

The developers already have a performance specification for the sight agreed at the RF Ministry of Defense and Internal Troops, test records are also available.

 

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Thermal array developed at the Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch, Academy of Sciences

 

Even Soviet researchers were developing thermal imaging units, but processing complexities existed at that time – difficulty in manufacturing, necessity to chill the photodetector by liquid nitrogen. At that time, thermal imaging unit installation on small arms was not the case. Later, an uncooled array was invented in the USA, and production of light-weight portable thermal imaging units started. The USSR did not exist at that time any more. There were no native uncooled thermal arrays in Russia for a long time due to shortage of funding. The Institute of Semiconductor Physics at the science campus (Akademgorodok) has recently developed a microbolometer uncooled array – the analogue to a foreign array. Due to piece production, the domestic array is still significantly inferior to foreign analogues in characteristics, but, nevertheless, this is one more step towards a completely native thermal imaging unit.

The science campus (Akademgorodok) embarked on thermal imaging sight development in 2008.

 

Photographs provided by the Limited Liability Company “Progresstekh”  

Interviewed by Pichugina Tatiana, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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Leonid Melamed, director general for Composite Holding Company, and German Dyakonov, Chancellor of Kazan National Research Technology University, have signed and agreement on co-operation at the 4thRusnanotech 2011 International Nanotechnology Forum.

The agreement is meant to provide specialists, post-graduates and students in the area of composite materials of various applications. By the end of 2012, Composite plans to establish a new carbon fibre production facility in the Republic of Tatarstan, in a Alabuga special economic zone. Personnel for the new innovative enterprise will be trained at Kazan National Research technology University.

“We are going to contribute to modern education by offering our students an opportunity to implement their creative abilities in a brand-new area of polymer materials based on carbon fibre,” said the Chancellor.

STRF.ru based on Composite Holding Company press release

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Seizing a brain like seizing a city

Sergey Stupitsky (known under penname Sergey Vordin), Chekhov-based computer network security engineer, author of more than 20 science fiction short stories, and the finalist of writing contests like HiZh-2009 (sponsored by the Khimiya i Zhizn'Chemistry and Life — magazine), Aelita-NAG, Rvanaya Grelka –21, tells us about his attitude towards a possible human-nanodevice combination. One of his works, the Scent of Jasmine, was announced a winner of the Nanofiction Science Fiction Short Story Contest carried out by the Russian Nanotechnologies journal as part of the Science for Society All-Russian Competition 2011.

3439916705?profile=originalSergey Stupitsky: “An example given by the revolution suggests that the use of computational power of the human brain is not a complicated task; withholding or replacing unfavourable information at key points is all it takes.”

- Of contemporary science fiction writers, who is the most interesting in your opinion?

- We should first articulate what each of us maintains as ‘interesting’ concerning science fiction. An original idea? A new fiction assumption? Deep drama and psychology in an unusual environment? Or maybe by that we mean that the text is easy to read and evokes positive emotions? Everyone will have his or her own answer to that.

I would dare pick out Oldi (henry Layon Oldi, a penname for Ukrainian science fiction writers Dmitri Gromov and Oleg LadyzhenskySTRF.ru) with their wonderful cosmic operas; Lukyanenko with his keen knowledge of what readers want at particular time; Kaganov whose stories bring a smile on your lips even if they deal with rather serious matters. There are as many worthy authors as definitions of ‘interesting.’

- What are the weaknesses of works in this genre?

- Weaknesses of science fiction? That may probably be insufficient technical knowledge of the authors. It is rather hard to write about human brain being conquered by nanodevices if you have only the most general idea of the process. But the main weapon of a science fiction writer is his or her ability to persuade the reader that all the things described in the story are indeed possible.

Mankind, like any sophisticated structure is strong due to the synergy of its members. Some can imagine opportunities and others get to make them come true. A well-known example of that is robot brought about by the imagination of Karel Čapek. Some time has passed and there emerged people who could bring this fantasy to life.

- In your short story the Scent of Jasmine you brush the problem of interactions between robots and men. Does this idea concern you? Do you think that in the modern world, people carry out others’ will?

- Carrying out others’ will is a cornerstone of many works — and not only in science fiction. Not a single person exists that is able to avoid being influenced upon. A desire to match the Creator and even surpass him leads us to experiments the consequences of which are hard to predict. But can we ourselves fill in the role of those to be matched with and got ahead of? It is a pity to become a puppet for our own creation, isn’t it?

- What was the message of the Scent of Jasmine?

- I once had an argument with a writer concerning this short story. He maintained that it was impossible to take over a human brain. In order to do that, a “network” of nanobots needs to be able to set its goals by itself — set objectives and reach them. Thus, he believed that “to use a system like human brain, the user itself must also present a similar cognisant system with the same or higher level of complexity…”

In reply to that, I offered one historical example — seizure of Petrograd in 1917. Did the soldiers and sailors know how to rule a city? No, they just seized control over traffic: post office, bridges, telephone, telegraph. Therefore, the “brain” — Petrograd — was deprived the ability to carry out interactions between its parts and departments. And what happened next? Those who knew more about managing a city started working for the “network” of labourers and seamen.

I tried to show all attributes of the “capturing the bridges” in my story.

This revolution example suggests that the use of computational power of the human brain is not a complicated task; withholding or replacing unfavourable information at key points is all it takes. The readers of the story will know much more about the subject than me, so I invite them to express their opinions. This feedback will do me good.

- How long have you been writing? Please tell us about your first short story.

- I have not been writing for very long — I started about three years ago. My first short story was called Hans. That was a story of a war long over, about respect to the fallen enemy, about a ‘bad’— as seen by average people — person who does good without even realising it.

This first step in literature proved to be successful as the story became the finalist or prize-winner of many writing competitions.

- Being a computer network security engineer, you deal directly with modern technologies. What can you say about their future?

- Globalisation has occurred in every area of human activities. We cannot imagine a life without transcontinental flights, the Internet, mobile and satellite communication. Wireless networks take ever-growing share of the information technology market. Man does not want to be tethered to anything. He needs sails, not anchors. I think, technology development will head in that direction.

- Who are the first critics of your stories? It must be your family, the strictest judges of your work.

- Of course, I first offer those close to me the stories to read. Their opinions can often be key, I have to change the text — sometimes completely. But that is the best litmus test as a short story should be comprehensible, capable of tuning the reader to its wave, stop the reader from abandoning the book. Writers have a notion of an “ideal reader.” That stands for the reader that will tell you the truth, and see all your shortcomings. It is difficult to find a reader like that. But I was lucky — my family members are ideal readers.

- What are your further writing plans?

- In every area, we set objectives. At first, I wanted to learn to write so that I would be a match to… and I had a list of authors I would like to look upon. But the process of learning is endless. Your inner censor will never lie to rest and stop saying ‘all you write is terrible.’ That critic cannot be pleased and therefore I never stop learning, but my current goals are humbler. For example, I wanted to be a published author — and now, due to the contest this wish will come true. The next step will be to write something longer than a short story — I have to aspire for new heights.

Interviewed by Morozova Maria, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

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Modern biotechnologies increasingly require devices capable of moving around single biomolecules, cells and other micro-objects. The first appliance of the kind, laser optical forceps, was developed by the group led by Arthur Ashkin, an American physicist, back in 1986; more new technical solutions emerge each year. A research group based at Saratov State Technical University, and Tantal, JSC, suggested and developed a micromanipulator that can handle and move up to seven microparticles simultaneously.

It is possible to say that the way to the optical forceps — or, using a more correct term, a laser micromanipulator — was cleared by Petr Lebedev, a distinguished Russian physicist, back in 1910, during his experiments to discover the light wave pressure. The force of this pressure draws in polarised dielectric microparticles to the focused laser emission area. Thus, it allows to move them following the light focus.

In this kind of scheme, it is necessary to ensure extremely accurate matching of focus and micro-object to allow initial particle capture. Therefore, axicons — optical elements that focus laser emission in a straight line segment several millimetres long instead of a point — are used in the manipulator design to facilitate capture.

Axicons can be made of zonal or holographic plates, regular structures that form periodic optical pictures in the space. And most recently, in 2008, Germany-based HoloEye launched batch production of phase modulators — axicons based on an LCD matrix. It is now possible to change spatial pictures of emission dynamically which allows to create sophisticated microstructures.

The research group led by Vil Baiburin developed its optical forceps design based on the German phase modulator and a powerful infrared laser. The resulting system is able to capture and move from five to seven micro-objects simultaneously. That is what constitutes its main advantage as industry manipulators used abroad work with each particle separately. This device will be of a broad use in biophysics in order to study cells. The LCD matrix allows independent control of the object locations without any mechanical interference, as well as building complicated microstructures.

Source of information:

V. B. Baiburin, Yu. P. Volkov, S. D. Spitsin, A. V. Lyashenko: “The Holographic Laser Micromanipulator.” The Heteromagnetic Microelectronics,” issue #2, 2011.

Interviewed by Mikhail Petrov, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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“A university without a plant will educate unneeded specialists. Whereas a plant without a university will be unable to develop,” said Igor Yaminsky, director general of Advanced Technology Centre scientific production company in an interview for STRF.ru. And he acted up to his words. Our reporters recently visited Soyuz plant where the company had rented some workshops, and witnessed the installation of a new cutting-edge machine.

 

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New machine arrives to the workshop

 

The plant was established nearly 70 years ago and used to be pride and joy of domestic defence industry; its current state is rather pitiful. Some workshops were converted into warehouses. A part of unique production equipment was got rid of as it was not required. The machines that were thrown away included the legendary metal-working machine that served its purpose for over a century, since 1896, and could still be working. But alas, everything was determined as in the Ballad of Narayama. As for the people… They are in no hurry to leave the plant, they are waiting. The equipment that could be saved from the non-thoughtful managers of that “reconstruction” era, was saved. Igor Yaminsky noted once that “The steps stemming from the bottom lead so some, even if not so significant, success.”

 

3439916324?profile=original The adjacent equipment — an American drilling machine and a mill (right) used to be state-of-the-art in their own time. They work here at the plant for nearly 70 years

 

Today, is a joyful day at the plant, as the new electric erosion machine was delivered — a gigantic piece of equipment weighing four tons, that was built using the latest developments of Japanese technology. This high-precision machine allows to work with a huge chunk of metal. Among its basic characteristics is an ability to cut metal up to 250 mm wide and weighing up to 0.5 ton with the accuracy of 4 micron.

3439916438?profile=originalWorking part of the electric erosion machine

 

According to the company manager, a former electronics engineer who accompanied the equipment delivery, the concept on which the equipment operation is based was discovered in Russia in the 1940s. So today we see a comeback of a Russian invention in the form of a Japanese machine.

The workers who stayed at the plant came to help unload and install the machine; they were busily hooking it to the lifting crane and attaching bearings to the machine platform in order to move it. The oldest worker was in command of the process doing it calmly and unhurriedly: “Listen to me.” There were women who dressed up for the important event. How did they find out about the installation of the new equipment? There was the atmosphere of calm joy that these people managed to convey to us as well.

Advanced Technology Centre scientific production company rented the workshops at the plant just several months ago. Some of the rooms were renovated during this time, the floor for the new machine was prepared and the equipment was installed. It is important now to train young specialists and launch production while retaining old specialists and their priceless experience. Nano-analytics appliances — scanning probe microscopes, biosensors — are planned for production. One of the floors will soon host a training centre. New Advanced Technology Centre specialists will complete a training program developed jointly by Moscow State University and leading equipment manufacturers. The complete name of the program sounds as follows: “Advance Professional Retraining to Produce Measuring-Analytical Equipment for Nanotechnologies for Materials Science, Biology, and Medicine.”

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Electric current is fed to the wire, a spark emerges between the wire and the metal form. This spark then cut metal

 

 

Interviewed by Larisa Aksenova, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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Nano-Innovations and Giga-PR

Russia has got money and interesting ideas for innovations, it has opened up possibilities for practicing abroad. What else is needed to increase the number of innovation success stories? – this topic was discussed at the workshop that took place recently in the framework of Nano and Giga-Forum in the main building of Moscow State University.

It seems that debates about the most favorable climate for commercialization of Russian innovative ideas will be exciting for Russian intellectuals for a long time. Although all Western theories as regards to new products promotion into markets were learnt long ago, comments of the experts successful in the innovation field were heard out, and individual links in the innovation chain seem to have started functioning represented by business agents бизнес-ангелов, venture funds, startups, it is generally considered that output innovations are still negligible. Though innovative production volumes are constantly increasing in absolute expression (for example, in 2010 the volume increased by 3.7 times as compared to that of 2003), in international comparisons, Russia sometimes yields even to the ‘rear echelon’ countries in terms of innovation rates. The lack of small-scale innovative companies is perceived particularly painfully. It is for them that multiple development institutes were established, including the local ‘silicon valley’ called “Skolkovo”, but innovative activity in the country is still low and, according to the latest data from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), it even has a tendency to decrease. At one of the key events of the Nano and Giga-Forum – Innovation workshop – this tendency became clearly apparent: the audience comprised more innovation theorists and representatives of investment circles than innovators per se or at least those who is striving to try on this honorable role. According to my observations, students and post-graduates (the forum taking place in Moscow State University) preferred to attend scientific groups (where they reported in English about nanostructured meta-materials or about properties of heterostructures based on various oxides) than the workshop, – actually a meeting with investors and administrators of innovation processes, who explained in Russian or via an interpreter how to obtain money for new projects.

Meanwhile, the workshop attendees clearly defined one of the main weak links of innovation chain in Russia: innovators’ inability to sell their ideas. «Do you know the word «molybdenite»? “ asked the audience Sergey Mitrofanov, Director General of the international consulting agency «Brandflight», and, having received a negative answer he explained that it is a material significantly exceeding graphene in properties, although graphene is more hyped-up. «I am amazed how brilliant its promotion process was. The product is not in place yet but the brand has already been established », said Mr. Mitrofanov. In his opinion, two things have taken the first place in commercialization of innovations: a patent, i.e., the right to live in consumers’ mind, and a brand, which actually lives and is rising in price. And these two things, unfortunately, have not taken hold yet in minds of those who create innovative products.

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Director of the Russian Association of Innovative Development Marina Shichkina has announce the launch of the “Time of Innovation” journal

 

As a matter of fact, it has turned out at once that activity has already started to form if not full-fledged brands but at least a good name of Russian innovations. Director of the Russian Association of Innovative Development Marina Shichkina said that a lot of projects were being launched, with the help of which «innovative ideas will be broadcast into the environment». For example, a specialized journal “Time of Innovations” is getting ready for publishing, a contest of new ideas is being organized under the sponsorship of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to provide further winners’ support and popularization; the «Technopark» program about innovations is broadcast under sponsorship of the Russian Venture Company (RVC).

In general, Russia finds money for innovations when necessary, hopefully, good brand-managers for innovations will also be found, however, nobody can tell if innovations per se will appear as an outcome of all these and when it will happen. Even in case of highly publicized success stories, a potential innovator is to possess a significant reserve of optimism to dare to promote his business from scratch. The reasons, to my mind, are also in PR, in fact, with a minus sign, – it is sufficient to read at Internet forums citizens’ of Russia assess of the business climate in their country. It is difficult to calculate how fair this assessment is, but most likely it specifically forms distrust both to investors and to multiple authorities’ initiatives in support of innovations. Incidentally, one of the speakers asked the audience for serious: “What do you know about Skolkovo?” and added immediately: «I mean – what good do you know!», thus provoking laughter among attendees.

The US Embassy representative in the RF Dan Ferfuson has noted that young Russian researchers willingly participate in the US programs that do not provide grants for education but give an opportunity for a person to stay in the USA and to cooperate with various organizations for some time, and he urged to use this collaboration possibility even more actively.

Certainly, it is not worth concluding from the above that everything is bad and would never improve in Russia, and that it is necessary to leave for the US. Probably, given such evident interest of multiple parties in innovation development, some results will be noticeable sooner or later, and we can hope for success if there are more efforts than publicizing of these efforts.

Interviewed by Natalia Bykova, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

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MONITORING: WHY

3439916213?profile=originalThe state contract “Creation of a monitoring system for nanotechnology and nanomaterial development and research” had as its main objectives increasing the effectiveness of managerial decisions concerning the evolution of nano-industry directions and establishing new nanotechnologies and nanomaterials by monitoring developments and research in the field and formulating analytical data based on the monitoring feedback. The latter data applied to marketing analysis of global and Russian markets for nanotechnologies and the development of research, technologies and industry in the area.

The information gathering and analysis (monitoring) created according to the contract is able to meet the objective by supplying necessary summary data to make both operational and strategic management decisions. A wide range of organisations find themselves consuming this information are found, first of all government customers suggesting funding the development and commercialisation of nanotechnologies; other interested federal executive bodies as well as institutions participating in the national nanotechnology network (NNN) that co-ordinate development and commercialisation results and provide expertise on them.

The only way to ensure objective, reliable and timely information on expected mid-term and long-term outlook for particular domestic and foreign nanotechnology development directions, as well as possible mid- and long-term commercialisation opportunities for the technologies in question in the existing nano-industry market sectors (products and services) is to conduct continuous monitoring of scientific groundwork, developments and researches using principal NNN organisations and domestic research institutions experienced in developing long-term technology and market forecasts. In addition, the information processing system should suggest ongoing updating due to impartially high level of ambiguity in perspectives, especially time-wise, for the nanotechnologies development and implementation (commercialisation) inherent in both foreign and domestic nano-industry at the moment.

Establishing a system for information assembling and analysis requires a system approach to monitoring and subsequent creation of predictions concerning nano-research, nano-developments and nano-industry based on the monitoring results. This should take a form of correlated systemic procedure with monitoring, analytical and forecasting components being interrelated and based on their mutual results. That is why the monitoring system is systemically interrelated and supplements the Nano-Industry Development Road Map in the Russian federation which, in turn, relies heavily on the monitoring data.

MONITORING: WHO AND HOW

Currently, research in the nanotechnology area in the Russian Federation is carried out at state academies (as initiative projects financed by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research), according to state order (the Federal Task Program “Development of Nano Industry Infrastructure in the Russian Federation in 2008–2011”), as well as a part of university and corporate science. Due to such multidimensional nature of the matter, the monitoring system should embrace both industry aspect and territorial side. That was the principle assumed as a basis for the monitoring system. The project participants along with the main executor — of the Kurchatov Institute Research Centre — included leading Moscow-based and regional universities such as Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Tupolev Kazan State Technical University, Southern Federal University (Rostov-on-Don), and also PROGNOZ, CJSC (Perm) — an experienced integrator and software developer. Collaboration between the Kurchatov Institute with the parent industry organisations to carry out the project of “Creating a Development Road Map for Nano Industry in the Russian Federation by 2015, and up to 2025” not only allowed to gather current statistical data on nanotechnologies development but also to compose a comprehensive list of promising nanotechnologies that was used as a foundation for long-term forecasts concerning nano industry development.

A regional expert panel was formed for monitoring purposes: each region had an expert group consisting of at least four people. Regional specifics was taken into account when selecting participants for expert groups in each area. The experts provided insight on technological aspects of nano-industry development and also answered questions on political support from local authorities, as well as economic and social conditions in the particular region. The picture of nano-industry development in Russia formed based on expert panel allows to identify the peculiarities of innovative technologies evolution in Russia, and articulate long-term forecasts of the development taking into account regional specifics and opportunities.

MONITORING COMPONENTS. ORGANISATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

As of 1 March, 2011, nano-industry monitoring brought up 1.398 organisations (including foreign ones) dealing with nanotechnologies in the Russian Federation. Initial fast growth in the numbers of registered organisations (565 in late 2008, and 1.380 as of 31 December, 2009) came to a halt. Data analysis in a parent organisation results in deleting some bodies from the database as some organisations have already ceased their activities or more detailed evaluation of the monitoring information made it clear that their inclusion in the database as nanotechnology companies was a mistake. That happens due to declarative nature of putting information on the NNN members in the database.

The parent scientific organisation database includes the following institutions operating in the nanotechnology field: 157 institutes and universities, 28 venture funds, 267 research institutes, 69 scientific and education centres, 655 scientific production associations, and 84 collective access centres.

Regional distribution of the organisations is shown in Table 1. Note that the majority of the institutions operate in the Central and North-Western federal districts which reflects the high level of centralisation of science in Russia.

Table 1. Number of Russian organisations by regions

Central

Southern

South-Western

Far-Eastern

Northern

Ural

Privolzhsky

North-Caucasian

656

38

149

32

137

73

156

26

According to the monitoring results, majority of organisations operating in the nano-industry are scientific production associations and research institutes. Foreign institutions and venture funds are the least represented organisations in Russia. This trend reflects a problem inherent in the innovative area in this country as a whole — its general underdeveloped state and the lack of investment attractiveness.

MONITORING COMPONENTS. TECHNOLOGIES

All technologies are aggregated by scientific areas listed in the Nano-Industry Development Program Through 2015. in the course of monitoring, a range of organisations was identified that could not be associated with any field of nano-industry development as stated in the Program, but that are related directly to nano-industry establishment and development in Russia. In order to ensure system approach to such organisations, additional activities were included in the parent scientific institution database, such as:

  • personnel training;
  • metrology and standardisation;
  • innovative project commercialisation;
  • nano-industry equipment;
  • information infrastructure;
  • infrastructure object construction.

Some of the enterprises mentioned above cannot be included in the National Nanotechnology Network as they do not participate in the information exchange within the NNN, but they nonetheless are directly involved in the formation and development of nano-industry infrastructure. Table 2 features the relevant distribution of organisations by activity directions.

Table 2. Organisations by activity directions (including additional areas)

Area

Organisations

Projects

Nanoelectronics

269

324

Nanoengineering

150

98

Functional nanomaterials and high-clean substances

202

183

Functional nanomaterials for energy sector

94

83

Functional nanomaterials for space equipment

28

16

Nanobiotechnologies

218

199

Construction nanomaterials

226

157

Composite nanomaterials

354

319

Nanotechnologies for security systems

62

47

Additional areas

Personnel training

105

74

Metrology and standardisation

62

67

Innovative project commercialisation

42

27

Nano-industry equipment

55

107

Information infrastructure

31

119

Infrastructure object construction

2

1

175 organisations working on the Federal Task Program “Development of Nano Industry Infrastructure in the Russian Federation in 2008–2011,” and 758 enterprises carrying out the “Research and Development, 2007-2012,” are involved in implementing federal task programs.

The database of the parent scientific institution lists information on 1.324 projects being carried out in 2010 in the nanotechnology area. Of all the projects, the experts picked out 54 projects that were considered “unique.” Most of those projects focus on the following areas: composite nanomaterials – 19, nanoelectronics – 13, nanobiotechnologies – 10, functional nanomaterials and high-clean substances – 10.

MONITORING COMPONENTS. PRODUCTS

The project for Creation of a Monitoring System for Nanotechnology and Nanomaterial Development and Research initiated by the Kurchatov Institute Research Centre included a nanotechnologies market research targeted at the main directions for nano-industry development. Experts of the parent industry organisation and experienced marketing professionals were attracted to conduct the research. In the initial stage, the experts selected 47 of the most promising nano-industry products for further study which resulted in picking 29 products for detailed market research.

The analysis showed that although Russian industry is traditionally considered unready for manufacturing nano-containing products, for over a half of the products examined the level of readiness to manufacture can be deemed as high because of virtually ready production chains in place or only expansion of production is required.

The key industries comprising about 70 per cent of final output manufactured using nanotechnologies, nanomaterials, or nanotechnology components, are motor industry, space-rocket hardware, and aircraft building, with a significant predominance of motor industry due to the mass nature of the market for the area. At the same time, the structure of nanotechnology product supply evaluated by the experts in the research generally complies with the requirements of the key industries.

One of the main obstacles in the way of commercialisation is low demand for nanotechnology products on the part of Russian industry. The problem could be solved by involving the industry in the commercialisation process on the stage of scientific developments.

Of the 23 products that were subjected to perform monetary assessments for potential sales of Russian manufacturers, six were in production since 2009, 12 items will enter production in 12-24 months, and four items will hit this stage in the time frame from three to five years. The most promising products in the Russian and global market will enter production in 2012–2014. That means that in 2011 through 2015, over 70 per cent of revenue from selling nanotechnology products will come from promising items that will enter production stage in the time frame from three to five years.

The products studied hold the following positioning in the value chain (some products can be put into two categories depending on the area of use):

5 – nanomaterials,

20 –  semi-manufactured articles containing nanotechnology components, and intermediate products,

12 –  end products containing nanotechnology components,

1 –  equipment for scientific work and metrology.

The highest level of commercialisation is seen in the nanomaterial sector. All considered products fitting in the nanomaterial group are already in production with the volume of manufacturing increasing significantly during 2010–2011 which led to a decrease in purchase price.

Most nanotechnology-containing semi-manufactured articles will enter production in 2011 with the key product examined in the analysis (solid-state energy storage system) will enter the market by 2012–2014. In 2012 through 2015, total expected sales volume of these articles from Russian manufacturers will exceed RUR820 billion.

About RUR550 billion from this sum (or approximately 67 per cent of total sales) come from Russian manufacturers selling their products in large-scale markets. These are fast-growing markets where Russian vendors can win a significant share due to the availability of required technologies. The articles in question will enter production stage in 2013–2014, but due to the importance of this nanotechnology product segment it is necessary to perform continuous opportunities and activity monitoring of the main competitive countries and companies.

On average, Russian manufacturers have 12.5 per cent share of the global market taking into consideration all the products included into the financial potential assessment of Russian nanotechnology products, and global market evaluation. This assessment shows that Russia sports good leadership chances in the priority products segment.

Products analysis by usage areas shows that according to scientific circles, military orders and requirements serve as the main driving force for nanotechnology implementation.

As for product usage areas, the experts mentioned the following: 19 dual-purpose articles, seven items to be used for manufacturing, four products targeted at private users (mainly medical services included in the nanobiotechnolgy category).

Work aimed at studying market perspectives of nanotechnology products as well as product clusters is continued on the ongoing basis at the Kurchatov Institute along with State University of Management according to the current state contract between the State University of Management and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation: “Development of Information-Analytical Infrastructure for Marketing Analysis of Medium-Term Nanoproduct Market Dynamics and Formulating Methodological Recommendation to Create Nanoproduct Clusters in Russian Federation.” In the course of contract work, market perspectives of a wide range of nano-industry products for medicine, power engineering, electronics, manufacturing, etc.

MONITORING COMPONENTS. PERSONNEL TRAINING AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Attracting highly qualified instructors to teach the necessary personnel for nano-industry is of great importance for the development of the industry in Russia. Specialists of the required qualification actively participate in scientific research in Russia and abroad, and are involved in a large number of research projects. Making research and teaching more prestigious fields of expertise will allow to partially entice Russian citizens working abroad in leading innovation centres to return to this country.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and other executive bodies have already taken and are currently taking the necessary timely steps to train the relevant professionals and to provide the equipment required for the educational process that is compliant with education programs.

Today, there is a disproportion between the requirements of academic, industry and university science, enterprises of high-tech industry sectors in the nanotechnology area, concerning their need for qualified professionals and the available supply in the labour market as demand greatly exceeds supply.

In order to eliminate the existing disproportion, it is necessary to create a continuous system of professional education for nanotechnology industry, that would embrace all educational levels and ensure expanded specialist training, as well as allow to attract young people and retaining highly qualified experts. This system should be based on a network of leading universities of the Russian Federation that perform training and retraining of specialists for nano-industry. Moreover, it is necessary to provide a broad co-operation of the said institutions with scientific production associations included in the national nanotechnology network — both for specialist training and carrying out joint scientific researches.

41 institute in Russia graduate bachelors, masters and specialists in nanotechnologies or in close fields of expertise. But only 29 of them train bachelors, masters and specialists in the areas perceived as purely nanotechnological such as nanomaterials, nanotechnologies, and nanotechnologies for electronics.

Besides institutes and universities, the following base institutions qualify as components of the NNN staff infrastructure being currently developed that are the easiest to classify by the levels of tasks addressed in the interest of particular NNN subjects: collective access centres, scientific and educational centres, and laboratory department centre infrastructure. Each infrastructure element is supposed to address particular tasks on its level of expertise and competence (Figure 1).

3439916090?profile=originalFigure 1. Components of material facilities for nano-industry staff infrastructure 

Scientific and educational centres (SEC) usually use university as their base and are equipped with nanotechnology research and test equipment. SECs are able to carry out customer research and development, train and retrain staff for co-operation purposes (some groups as requested by co-operating partners), as well as bachelors and masters of highest qualifications.

SECs are focused primarily on creating infrastructure for research manufacturing facilities allowing the university housing the SEC conduct customer research and development on a new quality level and turn their laboratory developments into experimental models. The existing chain of SECs and collective access centres can be deemed sufficient. Distribution of collective access centres and scientific and educational centres by federal districts is shown in Figure 2.

3439916227?profile=original

Figure 2. Monitoring data by federal districts  

One way of addressing infrastructure issues related to the availability of new high-tech equipment is to create national research centres. The first pilot centre was launched at the Kurchatov Institute. Such centres exist in all leading countries. Their goal is to concentrate both resources and best specialists in breakthrough directions. Each priority area is planned to have a scientific institution selected to conduct research on global level, in order to serve as a foundation for a national research centre.

MONITORING INFORMATION SYSTEM

Nanotechnology Research and Development Monitoring System was created to gather and analyse information from Prognoz, CSJC. The main characteristics of the System are:

  • availability of multiple data access points concerning the characteristics inherent to nano-industry development, nanotechnology and nanomaterial research and development;
  • creation of common information space to store structured and non-structured information.

The system includes the following:

  • data storage;
  • research and development analytical subsystem for nanotechnologies and nanomaterials;
  • data visualisation subsystem;
  • administration and information security subsystem.

The system automated functions include:

  • gathering, processing, analysis, storing and transfer of information retrieved from various sources, concerning signs of nano-industry development, existing research and developments in the nanotechnology area, as well as social, economic, financial and other indicators in different angles including industry and regional ones;
  • browsing statistical information in the area of interest: calendar, territorial, industrial, as related to indicator indexes, etc.; creation of arbitrary tables based on information from various data sources;
  • creation of ad hoc query replies in the required format — tables, graphics, maps;
  • manual and automated information input via a visual interface accessible with a standard web browser;
  • verification and examination of statistical information prior to data storage entry;
  • creation of analytical reports allowing to assess the development of nano-industry in Russia, its regions, as well as other countries;
  • system administration and access right assignment;
  • granting access to the System information via a web interface.

The created system is used by the NNN member organisations in order to inform the scientific and industry expert community on the development perspectives and realisation of potential for domestic nano-industry, as well as to ensure information exchange.

3439916270?profile=originalFigure 3. Centralised data storage (projects)

Figures 3 and 4 show examples of a dialog window of the developed System in the centralised data storage and nano-industry organisation sector.

3439916244?profile=originalFigure 4. Data on nano-industry organisations and amounts of funding

MONITORING — A TOOL FOR MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING

The Program sets quite a short time frame for the development of domestic nano-industry, stipulating as one of the principal targets that by 2015 the industry should become one of the full-fledged sectors as to the amount of end products. The monitoring system allows both government customers financing the nanotechnology research and development, and NNN members co-ordinating this R&D in particular nanotechnology areas, to prepare and make balanced management decisions to distribute resources taking account further development of domestic nano-industry potential — that is, basic, exploratory and applied R&D — and practical realisation of existing potential. The latter part consists of experimental design and technology work including that according to government and private partnership projects targeted at commercialisation of experimental design and technology work results.

The Monitoring System created within the project is used to improve the management system and increase the management decision-making process in the area of nano-industry infrastructure development. The results are in demand on the part of the parent scientific organisation of the national nanotechnology network of the Russian Federation — the federal state Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Centre that uses it to perform its functions; and parent scientific industry organisations for their work.

Monitoring of nano-industry development in the Russian federation shows:

  • despite the ongoing economic slowdown and decrease in funding, nanotechnology infrastructure in Russia is being created and its safety factor suggests the possibility to achieve the program indicators postulated in the Program 2015 and the Presidential Initiative for nano-Industry Development;
  • government structures and state corporations play a key role in the development of nano-industry in the Russian Federation as they form the system of measures and responsibility co-ordination to realise the Program and priority projects, as well as creating reliable demand for nanoproducts (such demand is not present at the moment);
  • the development of the infrastructure and methodological basis take the lead over the staff aspect and normative legal foundation for the nano-industry;
  • technology reserve in key directions creates perspectives for building competitive products to win over global market niches and segments;
  • notwithstanding the state efforts, the nano-industry infrastructure in Russia in general has not formed yet. The collective access centres, Scientific and educational centres, and universities (carrying out nanotechnology programs) being currently established are poorly connected with each other with their interaction often being superficial and functions frequently overlapping;
  • regional innovative programs are not well co-ordinated with federal programs and do not form a single structure with the adjourning regions or with general federal programs; part of the programs are not independent and not focused on local realities. Synchronising local development programs with federal ones can undoubtedly provide an additional synergistic effect and accelerate the development of nano-industry in the Russian Federation.

A. A. Balyakin, Ph. D. (physics and mathematics)
Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Centre, 1, Academician Kurchatov Sq., Moscow, 123182

The Russian Nanotechnologies magazine, #7-8, 2011.


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The nano-style art

Nanopainters, nanolandscapes and nanosculptures… all these terms are not an obvious attempt to follow the fashion, they are taken from vocabulary of follows of a new artistic trend – NanoArt. Its creator - Cris Orfescu – has shared with the “Rossiiskie nanotechnologii” his methodology and philosophy. There is no need for brushes or paints, or artistic design, but one can’t do without “his majesty” incident and a powerful microscope.

3439916043?profile=originalCris Orfescu considers NanoArt as the most advanced way for implementing nanotechnologies and acquainting with it people who are not related to science

Cris, your are a researcher and an artist at the same time. How do these two persons get along together? Do they conflict or live in harmony?

– Both art and science are creative processes. Some researchers believe that the right hemisphere of the brain helps a human being to think abstractedly – for example, to practise music, to realize colors and shapes.

The left hemisphere of the brain, the so called analytic one, helps to recognize mathematical symbols, it is responsible for logic, analysis, speech. In my opinion, it is necessary to train both brain hemispheres, and I am firmly convinced of it.

You have been engaged in NanoArt for 20 years already. How was the idea born to use nanoobjects for creating images?

– I have always been interested in nanotechnology as the most state-of-the-art technology that is able to change our lives. Almost 30 years ago, during a research, I was so much amazed by a substance structure and stratagem in its tiny part that I began to investigate the nanoart process, combining science and art.

I have recently launched a new blog on nanotechnology and art, where I plan to start telling about nanoart history and to investigate depths of art, science and technology interaction. I request all artists and researchers interested in the blog extension to send me articles and interesting materials.

What has happened recently in your life of a researcher and of an artist?

– As a researcher, for the last several years, I have been carrying out investigations of new nanomaterials for batteries and condensers, which can be used in electric vehicles, as well as research of materials, which will find a use in clothes with in-built electronic devices.

STRF.ru reference:
Cris Orfescu, a Romanian researcher physicist and an artist, living in the US (California). Employed with a Californian company - Caleb Technology, that develops accumulators. He is considered to be the NanoArt founder. Founder and trustee of the international online nanoart contest   

As an artist, I seek to make black-and-white works. I want to expose the beauty of uncultivated nanosculptures born by Nature at the atomic and molecular levels.

3439916152?profile=original”Nanohammock: relaxation at the nanolevel”. Graphite particles in polymeric polyester resin

 

For some time, I was completely absorbed in promoting nanoart, which, I am unconditionally confident, is a reflection of a new technological revolution. I consider this trend in art as the most advanced way for implementing nanotechnologies and acquainting with it people who are not related to science.

As far as I know, the concept of a future picture is first born in a painter’s mind, he (she) imagines and implements it. How does a NanoArt painter create a picture? What will be the outcome – is it a secret for him (her)?

– As a rule, in painting, a concept of a future work first appears with an artist, and than he (she) puts it into life. It happens sometimes that the final outcome is different from the intended one. A nanopainter, who has the most state-of-the-art technical facilities at his (her) disposal, is able to do the same: to devise an image and than to create it, although such works are rather simple and they lack complexity products of Nature are endowed with.

3439916108?profile=original”Tightly bound”. Graphite particles in polymeric polyester resin

 

I prefer to apply a somewhat “mystical” method. My artistic-scientific-technical creativity starts in a laboratory, where I create various structures, the so called nanosculptures, with the help of physical and chemical processes. Generally, the work is accomplished at molecular and atomic levels.

To this end, I often use natural structures, which I find while investigating different substances under a microscope. I call them nanolandscapes. The next step in this process is creating the image structure – visualization – the “capture” of an image. I use a scanning electron microscope to find out structures and to select the most similar to my concept, in order to create a valuable artwork.

3439916176?profile=original”Quantum-mechanical tunneling”. Graphite particles in polymeric polyester resin

Some of discovered images are painted and processed with the help of digital technologies, I combine real images of these structures with abstract color gammas. To paint them, I have developed a special technique in Photoshop, which I called Digital Faux.

The technique can be compared to imitation, which scenic set designers use during finishing touches, applying glaze instead of paint. Applying glaze enables to achieve the  3D effect, which would not work out when applying ordinary paint.

Likewise this imitation, Digital Faux is achieved by overlaying transparent color layers to produce depth, volume and shape. I call these layers “Digital glaze”.

The completion phase of the image creation process is printing. For printing. I use canvas or high-brightness enameled paper. After that my works can be demonstrated to the audience. Artistic images will not leave people indifferent due to their unique beauty and singularity.

The International online contest set up by you takes place every year. Has an idea ever flashed your mind to make an exhibition outside the Internet, to gather painters’ works from different countries?

– This year will face the fifth anniversary since the date when the International online NanoArt contest was set up. Besides annual arrangement of the online contest, we also carry out the National Festival of nanoart in art galleries worldwide. The first two festivals took place in Kotka (Finland) and Stuttgart (Germany). We also organize NanoArt21 exhibitions, for example, in San Sebastian (Spain), at the Festival “Passion for Knowledge” in Prague, as well as in Czechia at the Euronanoforum.

I had individual shows and group offline exhibitions in many countries of the world: in the USA, Italy, France, Finland, Korea, Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Columbia, Greece and Israel.

Cris, what do you think about the future of nanoart?

– Researchers investigate nanoworld to fathom the mystery of the universe. Nanotechnologies will probably be able to answer this question. I think that discoveries in nanotechnologies will be the most important engineering events in the next several decades.

3439916127?profile=original”Light through microhole 2». Nanosculpture created via freezing a tiny drop of colloidal graphite (graphite nanoparticle in suspension) in liquid nitrogen at the temperature    –196 degrees C

 

At the time when I founded the International online contest, there were no projects like that yet. Now, several years later, a lot of universities and scientific societies already arrange nanoart contests. To share the idea about progress of this trend in art, I shall give you the following statistics: last year, at the IV International online contest, arranged by NanoArt21, 48 painters from 15 countries of the world exhibited 154 artworks, while in 2006, 22 painters from 5 countries exhibited 71 artworks. It is important to note that the quality of work has improved significantly, and painters demonstrate better understanding of this new trend in art.

I set up NanoArt21 several years ago as the world organization for acquainting people with a new kind of art – nanoart, as well as for its promotion worldwide. At the moment, I can state that we have a very active and quickly expanding international group of painters, showing enormous interest in nanotechnologies and nanoart.

Interviewed by Maria Morozova, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal , “Rossiiskie nanotechnologii”

 

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Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saratov State University, and Lomonosov State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology have developed a new kind of composite nanoparticles that can be successfully used to deliver porphyrins to the tissues. Luminescence allows to control the distribution of the nanoparticles in the living tissue while intensifying the photodynamic effect.

 

3439915683?profile=originalIn order to generate composite nanoparticles, silver nanocubes from 30 to 60 nanometer in size are produced first. Then, gold-silver nanocells are generated based on the nanocubes, to serve as a foundation for porous nanocoating of silicon dioxide varying from 20 to 100 nanometer in width. After that, the particles are chemically modified and stabilised

 

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) presents a method of treatment based on the same principle as chemotherapy but with a physical addition. Some substances (termed photosensitisers) cause photochemical reactions in the surrounding solution due to the exposure to the light of certain wavelengths — in particular, they facilitate the shift of oxygen molecules into the excited (singlet) state. Such exited oxygen molecules, in turn, destroy other molecules that are located in their proximity — for example, organic ones. As a result, the number of free radicals in the solution increases. When all the processes described above occur in a living cell, their effect is baneful. If the photosensitiser substance shows an elective affinity to these particular cells that need to be killed — for example, malignant ones — it can be used as a medicine. But its action must be augmented with light exposure of the affected tissue (lasers are currently used for the purpose).

3439915636?profile=originalThe silver nannocubes generated on the fist stage of synthesis

Photosensitisers often happen to be dyes. The very essence of photodynamic therapy was discovered at the turn of the 20th century by German researchers who used an organic dye, acridine. When acridine solution is exposed to light with the wavelength complying with the absorption range of the substance, it can kill infusoria, unicellular organisms dwelling in the solution. Note that the poisonous action of the dye does not manifest without the irradiation. Professor Herman von Tappeiner at the Pharmacology Institute of Munich University who discovered the effect tried to use it to treat fungus infections and skin tumours — with some success. Currently, PDT is used to treat cancer, lymphomas, as well as some bacterial infections (particularly in the cases when the agents of the diseases are resistant to antibiotics). Skin diseases are the most frequent targets of the method as skin is the easiest to expose to light.

The use of PDT poses some technical issues, though. Many substances fit to serve as photosensitisers are hydrophobic due to their chemical nature — that is, that can hardly be dissolved in water. But the inner medium of a human body is in fact a water solution. In order to insure better blood transportation of the reactant and its penetration into the tissues the molecules of the substance get bound to carrier particles. The particles in question must be extremely small — smaller than bacteria. In other words, we are talking nanoparticles.

3439915863?profile=originalGold-silver nanocells coated with a silicon dioxide layer about 40 nanometer in width on average

The research group consisting of experts from the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saratov State University, and State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology developed a new type of composite nanoparticles with the gold-silver core coated with porous silicate layer. The particles are about 40 nanometer in size — just like a small virus. They are successfully used to deliver porphyrins, one of the most important class of photosensitiser substances, to the tissues. In addition, the particles luminesce due to the effect of light of the visible spectrum. First, luminescence helps to manage the distribution of nanoparticles in the living tissues; and second, it can enhance the photodynamic action during the attempts to adjust the correct distance between the molecules of the agent and the metallic core, thus improving the cancer treatment results.

That is not the fist example of using nanotechnologies in malignant tumour treatment. There are reasons to believe that it can offer significant help in solving one of the biggest problems of modern man.

The research was conducted according to the Federal Task Program “Scientific and Pedagogical Resources of Innovative Russia for 2009-2013.

Source of information:

B. N. Khlebtsov, Е. V. Panfilova, V. А. Khanadeev, А. V. Markin, G. S. Terentyuk, V. D. Rumyantseva, А. V. Ivanov, I. P. Shilov, N. G. Khlebtsov: “The Composite Multifunctional Nanoparticles Based on Gold-Silver Nanocells Coated with Silicon Dioxide and Ytterbium Hematoporphyrin.” The Russian Nanotechnologies, vol. 6, #7–8 (in print).

Interviewed by Sergei Yastrebov, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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Adventures of electronics

Microelectronics is in expectation of miracles. Discovery of the giant magnetoresistance phenomenon, thanks to which the HDD capacity has increased by a factor of a hundred at once, has inspired researchers for new exploits, specifically for search of an appropriate RAM replacement. If this task is solved, habitual equipment will change drastically, for example, a switched-on computer will start working from the “interrupted point” without waiting and loading. The future of microelectronics as it is considered by the world science, and the Russian researchers’ contribution to the progress is discussed in the interview with the vice-chancellor of Moscow State Technical University of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation Alexander Morozov.

3439915782?profile=originalAlexander Morozov: “It is great luck to find an area where you will be the first to get interesting and important results. I have been in the physical science for 36 years, and I came across only five or six zests like this throughout this period. Frustration is one of them.”

 

Alexander Igorevich, electronic industry is taking in scientific theories and developments very quickly, so researchers probably know better than all analysts what the industry future may hold. What changes are most likely and expected?

– This is indeed a thriving industry. If in the early 90s of the last century, the HDD capacity of our personal computers was about a hundred megabytes, by the mid-90s it increased by ten times, after which it grew quickly up to a hundred Gigabytes. Nowadays, the HDD capacity is coming closer to a Terabyte. This qualitative leap happened owing to giant magnetoresistance discovery made in 1988 by scientific groups under the guidance of a French physicist Albert Fert and a German physicist Peter Grunberg, who were awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery in 2007 году. The industry immediately grasped the discovery, it seems to me, even quicker than physicists finally comprehended it. The companies that produce HDDs made new playback heads (which were more sensitive to the magnetic field) and smaller tracks on the disk. The outcome was as follows – much more information could be recorded on the same area of HDD, the HDD capacity has increased by a factor of a hundred at once. Naturally, this resulted in magnetoelectronics boom. New active research started, in the course of which other effects were found in the framework of this discovery. First of all – the possibility to create magnetic nonvolatile memory (NVRAM), which will probably come soon to replace current RAM. Nowadays, when the computer is switched on, everything is deleted from the RAM, and switching requires access again to a relatively slow hard disk drive, i.e. it is time-consuming. Should a new memory be in place, there will be no such inconveniences: after switching, the computer will start working from the place it stopped without any loading and waiting. In the future, such memory will replace the HDD and flash memory. A natural question arises: why this has not happened so far? The point is that this memory (MRAM or magnetoresistive memeory) is rather difficult to fit into an ordinary technological chain based on application of silicon semiconductors. Besides, it is very expensive, about a hundred times more expensive than the RAM is. Naturally, nobody would agree to its implementation in production quantities so far. Anyway, pathfinders have already appeared, specifically Motorola has already used it in its cell phones via making the MRAM-based memory chip. To make the technology popular, it should be got into shape, the cost should be decreased, and it should be adapted to existing technologies.

What is the contribution to the progress made theorists at Moscow State Technical University of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation, who are not bound either to experimentalists or to the industry?

– Yes, we are exclusively making theoretical study. As the above-mentioned technologies have not become widespread in Russia – neither HDDs or MRAM are produced in our country, as far as I know, indeed, we are not bound to anybody. We are studying magnetic nanostructures, where the giant magnetoresistance effect was discovered. Such elementary structure consists of two ferromagnetic metal layers separated by a layer of nonmagnetic or antiferromagnetic metal, and it is called a “spin valve”. It has turned out that roughness of interface between layers, the thickness of which being about one nanometer, cardinally influences their magnetic properties. Only theorists prefer to believe that boundaries are ideally smooth. But this is not the case in real life. Prior to our research commencement, it was known that presence at the interface of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers of atomic steps, changing the layer thickness by one atomic plane, led to appearance of frustration in the interlayer exchange interaction. At that, homogeneous distribution of magnetic parameters of order does not meet the minimum energy. Our research group pursued the following aim – to predict what distribution of magnetic parameters of order in the space will appear depending on the layer thickness and the distance between atomic step edges at the interface. The aim was successfully achieved for the case of two-layer ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic nanostructures and spin-valve structures with an antiferromagnetic interlayer. We have been the first to solve this interesting basic task. Why is it needed from the practical point of view? Knowing phase diagram enables (via correct selection of technological parameters) to obtain the roughness of interface boundaries, which would ensure optimal characteristics of a given magnetoelectronic device. Of course, this requires enormous technologists’ work, however, without our theoretical calculations at hand, a technologist can carry out this search only by trial and error, i.e., by the hit-and-miss method.

How did the world scientific community apprehend your theories?

– The researchers working in this area acknowledge our priority. Specifically, we have predicted a new type of domain walls – frustration-caused domain walls. Their thickness has turned out to be significantly smaller than that of traditional domain walls, besides, it changed according to moving away off the interface boundary. Our work was published in 1998 at the domestic “Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics”. We persuaded experimentalists for a long time to verify our theory, but this required the nanometer resolution for magnetic properties investigation. Our colleagues had no such possibilities as a rule. At last, in 2004, the US journal Physical Review Letters published works by German researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Microstructures, Halle (Max-Planck-Institut fur Mikrostrukturphysik, Halle), where our predictions had been experimentally confirmed. The German researchers had not, in all probability, read our article, although the “Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics” is translated into English, therefore, they did not refer to our research right away, but only after we pointed to our publication.

A group of Italian researchers at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan experimentally discovered discretization of ferromagnetic layers in the “ferromagnetic–antiferromagnetic oxide–ferromagnet” nanostructures into nanodomains, as well as transition from a nanodomain state to a homogeneous state accompanied by the layer thickness change. They found only one theory that explained the observed phenomena – our theory, and they actively refer to us.

We can also be proud that we were invited to write chapters for two monographies published in the US and Germany, that were dedicated to giant magnetoresistance and antiferromagnetic oxide properties. It is interesting to note that we did not perform marketing, the publishers appealed to us by themselves and asked to tell about our activities, magnetic phase diagram, frustrations, etc. As a matter of fact, we have done everything we wanted on this subject, all findings have been published, so it is time to undertake something new.

Is it clear already what you are going to deal with?

– When selecting the research direction we shall make a start from our own knowledge, skills and interest towards the subject. Of course, it is great luck to find an area where you will be the first to get interesting and important results. It is well-known that a fruitful debut idea is great rarity. I have been in the physical science for 36 years, and I came across only five or six zests like this throughout this period. Frustration is one of them. No doubt that the largest “nuggets” have already been selected in this area. One can certainly continue to rock gravel for gold, but this is not that exciting. You will not get crucially new results already. As a person brought up in strict requirements, I believe that if experimentalists need some details, we certainly need to help them to sort out. However, it does not make sense to my mind to simply increase the number of parameters or to draw multidimensional phase diagrams.

Interviewed by Natalia Bykova, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

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3439915670?profile=originalOuter physical world exists in the form of electromagnetic field and matter. The field quanta and molecules of the matter influence the receptor layers of human sensor systems; and this influence transforms into electric signals which are transmitted to the central nervous system for processing. It is possible to say that the receiving layers of sensor receptors are the “windows” through which the external signals (photons, molecules, etc.) enter our consciousness. The structure and chemical composition of the receiving layers of human sensor receptors determine the capabilities to perceive the physical world.

Based on our perceptions, we constantly create the picture of the surrounding world in our brain.

It is known today that the physical world surrounding us has electromagnetic fields of a broad energy spectrum but our receptors are able to respond only to a very narrow range of electromagnetic field wavelengths — 400–750 nanometer — termed ‘visible light.’ Visual receptors can form a response to a single absorbed quantum of light. That means that the receiving layer of the human visual receptor — retina — has the maximum possible photosensitivity. In order to achieve this high efficiency level, the evolution process created a nanostructured biomaterial of an hierarchical structure containing cones and rods that use nano-sized protein complexes (rhodopsin) as the absorbing centres for light quanta.

The characteristics of these complexes determine the fact that we “see” the world around us in such a narrow spectral range but with the one-light-quantum sensitivity.

The sensor system of the living organisms that allows to “feel” the molecules of the matter in the environment is the sense of smell. Membrane proteins (nanostructures) of the olfactory receptor cells are able to bind the molecules of various chemical substances. The receiving layers based on such proteins can create the response to extremely low molecule concentrations (up to several molecules per cubic meter) to distinguish molecules differing from each other with a single atom — for example, oxygen and ozone.

Interestingly, the receptor centres of the olfactory and the visual systems are based on the proteins belonging to the same class of proteins containing seven membrane domains. Given the fact that visual receptors were created on a later stage of evolution, it is possible to say that nature used the “ready models” to address visual reception issue after supplementing them with new features.

The photosensitive and chemosensitive nano-structured materials and devices based on them that exist today are close to natural sensor systems concerning their characteristics.

M. V. ALFIMOV, editor-in-chief, academician
The Russian Nanotechnologies magazine, #7-8, 2011

 

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A light-speed computer

Researchers at Moscow State University prepare for a breakthrough in nanophotonics

Researchers have come up to producing ultrahigh-speed optical devices where the information medium will not be the electron (as it is now) but a photon. In the future, this will enable to achieve teracycle computing frequency. That, in turn, will open up possibilities for brand new telecommunication and navigation systems, computer equipment operating at speeds, which exceed current ones by several times.

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Andrey Fedianin: “Nowadays, the information content transmitted via communication lines redoubles globally every two or three years. It means that in perspective, the mankind will face the problem of further increasing the rates of operation of electronic microdevices.”

 

A report on the forthcoming breakthrough in nanophotonics and nanoplasmonics to be made at the Fifth International Conference “Nanotechnologies in electronics, photonics and alternative power engineering” (the second name of the conference is Nano and Giga Forum), which will take place on September 12–16 in Moscow and Zelenograd, is being prepared by associate professor of Quantum Electronics Subdepartment at the Lomonosov Moscow State University Andrey Fedianin. He has briefed about his research in STRF.ru interview.

 

Andrey Anatolievich, what are researchers’ hope for great achievements in nanophotonics and nanoplasmonics based on?

 

– They are based on outcomes contemporary nanotechnology development has already brought. New litographic possibilities have been opened for creating nanostructures, researchers could only dream about five to seven years ago. Of course, theoretical research and experimental investigation of various effects in these structures started immediately. Nanostructuring on scales smaller than optical wavelength leads to new optical phenomena. They are connected with the opportunity to control generation and propagation of optical band E-field radiation on nanoscales, the spatial resolution of which often being less than optical wavelength. This was unachievable not long ago.

It means that in perspective it will be possible to make, for example, plasmonic waveguides and plasmonic splitters, i.e., all those devices that control microscale light propagation and execute logical operations with light fluxes. These are necessary to produce fast optical devices, where the medium is not an electron, likewise in contemporary microelectronics, but a photon.

Light fluxes can be localized crosswise down to submicron sizes, and with utilization of ultrashort pulses – down to micron-level sizes lengthway. Utilization of optical emission as the information-carrying medium also removes necessity of multiple electrical energy conversion into luminous energy and backwards. The vital difference of optical microdevices from electronic ones is the lack of electron streams, which inevitably cause Joule loss, i.e., heating, as well as capacitive parasitics and inductivity, thus limiting the response speed of electronic devices. When light fluxes are used, no such limitations apply, and in the future, optical device response speed may achieve teracycle values and even higher.

Therefore, we can think about creating photon devices that possess enormous speeds exceeding by several times the speed of contemporary microelectronics devices. I believe these devices will find the most extensive use.

 

What about contemporary microelectronic devices? Can’t they meet increasing needs in data processing and transmission?

 

– Nowadays, the information content transmitted via communication lines redoubles globally every two or three years. It means that in perspective, the mankind will face the problem of further increasing the rates of operation of electronic microdevices. Therefore, it necessary now to develop nanophotonic and nanoplasmonic device principles for telecommunication applications.

 

What stage is your research undergoing now?

 

– We are developing and implementing experimentally new nanostructured materials. As an example, we can cite optical meta-materials implementing the negative refractive index effect in the pre-assigned spectral range, as well as plasmonic and magnetoplasmonic crystals, where spatial nanostructuring enables to control parameters of surface plasmon-polaration propagation and, consequently, to implement functions of optical switches, plasmonic waveguides and splitters.

Just this year, using a femtosecond laser system we have designed and patented a plasmonic switch prototype, its operating time being about 0.1 picosecond, and this is only the time of 30 electromagnetic wave oscillations!

Another example is anisotropic (wiki) and chiral (wiki) metamaterials, where we have managed to ensure light intensity switching with subwavelength spatial resolution of about one tenth of green-light wavelength. To this end, we applied the scanning near-field optical microscopy methods. We expect that prototypes of plasmonic and nanphotonic devices can be created within next two years and they will be in demand by manufactures of microelectronics at the next stage of its development.

 

Interviewed by Natalia Bykova, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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Solar batteries are gaining more popularity in everyday life, and solar energy photovoltaic conversion now looks like one of the most promising renewable power generation areas. Solar batteries, which were developed in the middle of the last century by American scientists G. Pearson, C. Fuller and D. Chapin, became widespread in spacecrafts at the very outset, and they are currently applied actively for domestic purposes. For instance, only in Germany witinin 2009–2010, the total capacity of installed domestic solar batteries was equal to 11 GWt.

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Solar я concentrator photoelectric station, capacity is  1kWt, designed at the Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute under guidance of Vyacheslav Andreyev

 

However, solar batteries are still hard-to-get due to their high cost: the elementary item of such battery consists of expensive single-crystalline silicon. For this reason, the price per kilowatt-hour of such energy is higher than for that obtained from other sources. Solution to the problem is increasing efficiency factor of solar cells and decreasing their cost price. These problems are being tackled by a research team of the laboratory of photoelectric converters guided by Vyacheslav Andreyev at the Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute (PTI). Projects entitled “Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy” and “Development and establishment of autonomous power supply solar stations with solar spectrum splitting, solar tracking and energy storage” undertaken by these researchers were sponsored in the framework of the Federal Special-Purpose Program “Researches and developments”, and the subject matter “Development of heterostructure solar elements and phottovolcanic arrays” – in the framework of the Federal Special-Purpose Program “Scientific and educational research personnel of innovative Russia”.

STRF.ru reference:
Andreyev Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, head of laboratory of photoelectric converters, laureate of the 2007 Popov Prize of the Government of St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg Research Center at RAS, Doctor of  Engineering, Professor. A well-known expert in the solar photo power engineering field, the author of more than 160 research papers and two monographies. Laureate of the Lenin and the State Prizes. Professor, Optoelectronics Subdepartment, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University. Currently engaged in development of high-performance cascade solar cells based on heterostructures  and  и photoconverters of concentrated solar radiation

Efficiency factor of nanoheterostructure cascade photoconverters developed by specialists of the Institute makes 36 percent, which is two or three times higher than that of silicon-based batteries. Efficiency factor increase in such photoconverters is achieved owing to sunlight splitting into several spectrum intervals and due to more effective photon energy conversion in each of them. Three-stage photoconverters consist of three photoactive areas composed of three semiconductor wafers based on alloys of chemical elements – GaInP, Ga(In)As and Ge. Short-wave, medium-wave and infrared spectrum areas are converted into energy in these semiconductors. Efficiency factor may be increased from 36% up to 45–50% if a large number of stages is applied, however, production of such multistage units is much more complicated.

Solar battery modules developed by researchers at the Physical-Technical Institute consist of photoconverters described above, which are located upon heat-removing substrates at the focal distance from mini-lens ensuring a thousandfold concentration of solar radiation. This technology enables to decrease not only active surface area of solar batteries but their cost as well.

Modules are located stepwise in the batteries developed by the researchers, upon mechatronic tracking system equipped with the sun position sensor. This enables to provide their constant sun-orientation and better sunrays collection as compared to stationary batteries, and to decrease wind load. Only 0.1 percent of generated energy is consumed by the solar station for its own power supply.

Compare: according to researchers’ estimates, a kilogram of semiconductors utilized for solar battery creation will generate as much power within 25 years as can be obtained by consuming five thousand tons of oil. This will enable to decrease the cost per Watt of these solar stations down to USD 2, which is 1.5 times lower than the existing world prices.

The project on arranging production of such solar stations was submitted at Group of Companies “Rosnanotekh”, it underwent all examinations by experts and was approved by the supervisory board. Production of solar stations invented at the Physical-Technical Institute will be organized in Stavropol with “Rosnano” support.

Interviewed by Feya Oleg, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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US secrets of nanotechnology investments

Five years ago, a lot of people in the US still had doubts whether it is generally possible to earn money on nanotechnologies, but starting from this year it has become apparent that it is. However, venture investors putting money into a similar business should take into account peculiarities of such innovative projects. Factors impacting venture companies’ decisions to invest into development and manufacturing of a certain nanotechnological product, as well the nanotechnology market were described by the Executive Vice-President of US venture company Harris&Harris Group Alexei Andreyev at the National University of Science and Technology “MISIS” (Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys) on May 16.

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Alexei Andreyev is convinced: nanotechnologies require special competences. Investors dealing with nanoprojects should know this area very well – ideally, they should be former scientists

 

Despite the economic slump, worldwide interest to nanotechnologies keeps on growing. Within the last ten years, the US government financing of research studies in this area increased by dozens of times, the number of scientific publications grew, quantities of people involved in nanotechnologies continued to go up. Besides, final nanotechnological output market is thriving. According to the data quoted by Alexei Andreyev, its growth in the USA makes about 25–30 percent a year.

At that, Alexei Andreyev has pointed out that, on a large scale, nanotechnologies per se are not needed by anybody: “People do not wish to see anything new that has no analogues nowadays yet. They do not want flexible solar cells because they do not know what to do about them. They say: “Give us computer memory that would be better and cheaper than the current one”. If nanotechnology helps you to do that – that’s wonderful, if not – this nanotechnology is not needed at all”.

Poker game

Investments into the nanotechnologies (that are however needed) not always but often unite in themselves drawbacks typical of investments into other areas of innovative activity. For example, investing into a company that deals with software does not require that much funding, however, the market for supposed final output has not been defined. The authors of a new computer application are simply unable to answer precisely whether people would use their product. Developments in the biotechnology area, on the contrary, need larger amount of financing, but it can be approximately calculated at the beginning how many people would purchase the final output. Let us assume that investments are made into a new drug against cancer, it is clear that all oncological patients become potential consumers of the drug.

“If you invest into nanotechnologies, you need very big quantities of money right from the start, like in biotechnologies, but you have not got the faintest idea what the ultimate market would be.

Venture capital is much closer toa  poker game than to a game of chess. During a game of chess you can see all pieces on the board but during a poker game you have to pay for each playing card”, – said Andreyev.

In addition to that, according to his words, nanotechnologies require special competences: investors involved in nanoprojects should know this area very well – ideally, they should be former scientists. Besides, they need enormous patience: innovative projects in this area are normally long-term ones – lasting for at least 7 to 10 years. “I do not know if there are any investors of this kind in Russia. It seems to me there are none yet”, believes Andreyev.

From science towards business

Such investors are available in the United States. One of similar venture companies is Harris&Harris Group, where Alexei Andreyev is employed. The company has been in the market since 1983, but it started to invest exclusively into nanotechnologies since 2001. Nowadays, Harris&Harris Group’s portfolio by 45 percent consists of investments into companies, the activity of which is connected with clean technologies, and by a quarter – it consists of investments into electronics, 15 percent falls on medical nanotechnologies, and as much again falls on the companies working in other directions of this area. The choice in favor of nanotechnologies was forced by several reasons, which, however, are common for the majority of venture capitalists, who decided to invest into nanotechnology business. The main reasons are trends inside the academic community itself.

“Back in the early 2000s, when we came over to some big Western university, caught postgraduates in the corridor and asked: “What area would you like to be engaged in?”, the overwhelming majority answered: “We want to deal with nanotechnologies”. Postgraduates gave quite a number of answers to the question why the chose nanotechnologies specifically, said Alexei Andreyev. When, on the one hand, you see that all researchers want to deal with nanotechnologies in different industries starting from power engineering and finishing by electronics, and on the other hand, you have an opportunity to become the first player in this area, thus determining future of your investment company, the choice is to be made”.

The first ROI has been received by Harris&Harris Group only now, after the elapse of ten years.

“The average age of a nanotechnological company, which succeeds, is 7 to 9 years. It takes ten years to go from opening to the moment when nanotechnology was put into production a wide-scale implementation started. Probably, this can be done within seven years, but I do not know the cases when something can be achieved within five years”, summed up Andreyev.

Nanotechnological companies do not die

Owing to such longevity, the companies involved in the nanotechnological business, practically never “die”. “If your business is not going well, you can dismiss almost all staff. For example, to assemble a pilot unit, you only need five persons – and they will assemble it within a year. Or – you know how to make some nanopowder, just two students will prepare this nanopowder for you and you will sell it. As a result, nothing happens to the companies that deal with nanomaterials and experimental equipment: these companies do not grow because the market is small, they are not purchased by other companies, and they do not die”, Andreyev assumes.

Despite such “survivability” of nanotechnological projects, the Executive Vice-President of Harris&Harris Group has nevertheless pointed out that his company estimates investment risks as 50 percent. By the way, risk of investing in a certain project in this area is directly proportional to its final output integration level. “Presumably, we are producing nanopowder . We either sell it in bags or pack it up in packets, or we insert these packets into a filter, etc. The more things we have managed to integrate (the company earns 30 to 40 percent on each of them), the more we can earn, explained Alexei Andreyev. But the higher the product integration level is, the more money should be invested there, the longer it takes. This is an additional nanotechnological risk”.

Another peculiarity of the companies working in this industry is a human resource. According to Andreyev, there are practically no experienced people available – they all work at large companies, where it is practically impossible to entice them from. “They think in a different way, they act differently, they have a different vision of life. These people are, as a rule, extremely inert and unable to move”, he said and pointed out that this circumstance provides competitive advantages for young and ambitious students and postgraduates who would like to dedicate their lives to the nanotechnology business. Young innovators got the opportunity to take advantage of these benefits right after the lecture as Andreyev had promised to introduce them to the “right people” (Harris&Harris Group itself is unable to invest projects outside the USA). After such offering was made, a long queue of those who wished to communicate lined up to him to socialise. The outcome of this communication remains to be seen see in a decade.

Interviewed by Alfiya Enikeeva, published by The Russian Nanotechnologies journal

 

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