Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Stored: Center for Functional Nanomaterials
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The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) is a science laboratory specializing in nanoscale research. It is located at the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, New York, United States.
The CFN provides capabilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials, with an emphasis on atomic-level tailoring to achieve desired properties and functions. The CFN is a science-based user facility, simultaneously developing scientific programs while offering access to its capabilities and collaboration through an active user program.[1]
The CFN is operated for and funded by the US Department of Energy's Office of Science.[2]
Mission
The CFN's mission is to foster scientific discovery by offering researchers unique opportunities to explore the synthesis, characterization, and theory of nanomaterials. Its work aims to push the boundaries of nanoscience to address challenges in energy conversion, storage, information technology, and health by studying and manipulating materials at the nanoscale"About CFN". Brookhaven National Laboratory. https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/about/..
Parent organization
The CFN is managed by Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is operated by Brookhaven Science Associates for the U.S. Department of Energy. This setup ensures that CFN aligns with national priorities in science and technology.
Legislation
The CFN was established through funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, without specific legislation, as part of the DOE's broader commitment to nanoscale science research.
Partners
- Academic institutions for collaborative research
- Industry for technology transfer
- Other DOE national laboratories for integrated research efforts
Number of employees
While exact numbers are not publicly specified, CFN employs scientists, engineers, and administrative staff to support its operations.
Organization structure
The CFN is organized around:
- **User Program**: Facilitates access for external researchers to CFN's facilities.
- **Research Themes**: Focused on synthesis by assembly, nano-architectures for energy solutions, and in operando studies.
- **Facilities**: Including synthesis, characterization, and computation capabilities.
Leader
CFN is directed by a [Director].
Divisions
- Materials Synthesis and Nanofabrication - Proximal Probes and Electron Microscopy - Advanced Optical Spectroscopy and Microscopy - Advanced UV and X-ray Probes - Theory and Computation"Research". Brookhaven National Laboratory. https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/research/.
List of programs
- User Program for access to facilities
- Collaborative research projects
- Educational and outreach programs
Last total enacted budget
Specific budget figures for CFN are not detailed as they are part of the broader Brookhaven National Laboratory budget.
Staff
CFN's staff includes a mix of scientists, postdocs, technicians, and support staff involved in research, facility management, and user support.
Funding
Funding for CFN comes from the U.S. Department of Energy, supporting its operations, research activities, and user programs.
Services provided
CFN provides services through the synthesis of new nanomaterials, characterization with cutting-edge techniques, and computational modeling. It supports research in soft materials, biological systems, electronic materials, and nanophotonics, offering both in-house and collaborative research opportunities.
Regulations overseen
CFN does not oversee regulations but operates under DOE guidelines for scientific research and facility management.
Headquarters address
735 Brookhaven Ave, Upton, NY 11973
History
The CFN was established in 2008 to provide the scientific community with advanced capabilities for nanoscience research. It has since played a key role in advancing knowledge and applications in nanomaterials, particularly through its unique facilities and partnerships.
External links
Scientific themes
The science at the CFN is organized around these scientific themes:[3]
- Electronic Nanomaterials;
- Interface Science and Catalysis;
- Electron Microscopy;
- Soft and Biological Materials;
- Theory and Computation.
Scientific highlights within these themes can be found at the CFN Research Highlights Archive.
Research facilities
The CFN is housed in a building consisting of offices and laboratories, located next to the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). The facility contains five groups of laboratories called Laboratory Facilities, a Theory and Computational Center, and a set of advanced endstations on beamlines at the NSLS.
The Laboratory Facilities include capabilities in nanopatterning, transmission electron microscopy, nanomaterials synthesis, ultrafast laser sources, and powerful probes to image atomic and molecular structure, together with clean rooms and other support instrumentation. Access is also offered to the Laser Electron Accelerator Facility (LEAF).
User program
The CFN is operated as a national user facility, accessible to researchers at universities, and industrial and national laboratories through peer-reviewed proposals. The user program provides access to laboratory facilities staffed by scientists and technical support personnel who are active in nanoscience research.
Modes of Access
General Users
General Users are researchers or research group that use the CFN's facilities for non-proprietary research, after the submission of a proposal and its positive evaluation by an external Proposal Review Panel (PRP).
Partner Users
Partner Users are General users who also enhance the facility capabilities or contribute to the Center operation. They typically help develop instrumentation in some manner, either by bringing external financial or intellectual capital into the development of the facility. These contributions must be made available to the General Users and, therefore, benefit the overall User Program as well as the facility. Partner Users are provided negotiated access to one or more capabilities over a period of several years.
Rapid Access
Users who feel that the timeliness of their research may be negatively affected by the length of the whole proposal-review process can request Rapid Access. Proposals submitted for rapid access are reviewed and approved by the CFN Director, technically assisted, if necessary, by pertinent group or facility leaders. Besides being feasible at the CFN and scientifically important, proposals being considered for Rapid Access must include a justification of the time-sensitive nature of the project.
Proposal submission and review process
Prior to submitting a proposal, prospective users are encouraged to identify the appropriate CFN scientists and capabilities needed for their research project, and contact the CFN staff to confirm feasibility. Although not required, early discussion with CFN scientist(s) can help the prospective user understand the capabilities available, feasibility, safety & training issues, and level of effort required. There are three work cycles per year: January–April, May–August, and September–December.
All user proposals undergo a feasibility/safety review by CFN staff. The prospective user is advised of any concerns/issues and offered the opportunity to revise the proposal, if appropriate, to resolve those issues/concerns. After the initial review, the proposals are sent to an external Proposal Review Panels (PRP). Each proposal is assigned to the most relevant panel, reviewed and scored by at least three panel members. Rapid access proposals are reviewed by the CFN Director. The PRP scores and comments are used by the Facility Leaders or designees to prioritize access to CFN. Prospective users are notified of the decision (accept/decline) and given the feedback comments from the PRP.
Once the proposal has been accepted, a User Agreement is executed (if none is in place). The prospective user schedules the facility time with the Facility Leader or designee, and conducts work. The user is expected to publish the results in the peer-reviewed literature. At the conclusion of the project, the user completes an End-of-Experiment Survey and reports related publications/presentations to the CFN. If the user needs to continue his project after the proposal expires in two years, he/she is required to submit a final project report before the new proposal is accepted.
CFN users may conduct either non-proprietary (pre-competitive research to be published) or proprietary research. Prospective users must designate if any/all of their user proposal involves proprietary information and if any of the user project, if accepted, would be proprietary work. For proprietary work at the CFN, full-cost recovery is required and a proprietary research agreement (.pdf) must be in place prior to starting work. BNL makes efforts to secure appropriate intellectual property control so that proprietary-research users can exploit their experimental results.
Upon acceptance of a user proposal for non-proprietary research, the user's institution is required to execute a nonproprietary user agreement. In addition to defining the terms & conditions for intellectual property created during the user project, the agreement confirms that the user will publish the results in the open technical literature in return for no-fee access to the CFN.
References
- ↑ "Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)". https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/.
- ↑ "CFN Five-year Strategic Plan". November 2019. https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/strategicplan/.
- ↑ "Center for Functional Nanomaterials - Description" (in en-US). 2020-04-27. https://science.osti.gov/bes/suf/User-Facilities/Nanoscale-Science-Research-Centers/CFN.
External links
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