Title:   INT 97-19  NSF/Tokyo Report: US-Japan Workshop:
             Nanoparticle Synthesis and Applications
Date:     5/21/97



The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically
report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission.
These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy
makers; they are not statements of NSF policy.

Special Scientific Report #97-13 (May 12, 1997)

US-Japan Workshop:

Nanoparticle Synthesis and Applications

The following report was submitted by Dr. James R. Brock, Professor of
Chemical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1062. Dr. Brock,
in conjunction with, with Professor Hiroshi Komiyama, Department of Chemical
Systems Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, helped organize a
U.S.-Japan workshop to discuss topics relating to nanoparticle synthesis and
applications. The workshop was held Oct. 28-Nov.1, 1996 in Tsukuba, Japan.
The workshop was jointly sponsored by NSF and the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (JSPS).  This project is one of the joint projects
supported under the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science Program. Dr. Brock can be
reached via email at: chju344@uts.cc.utexas.edu

WORKSHOP REPORT:

A Workshop was held in Tsukuba, Japan, Oct. 28-Nov.1, 1996 on nanoparticle
synthesis and applications.  Approximately twenty participants from the U.S.
presented papers;  these participants were young doctoral or postdoctoral
students from a similar number of university research groups prominent in
nanoparticle research; also, there were participants from various governmental
and national research laboratories.  On the Japanese side, there were
approximately 21 participants from major Japanese universities and national
laboratories that presented papers. Of particular interest was a  presentation
by Dr. Chikara Hayashi, Chairman of Vacuum Metallurgical Co., Ltd. who on the
first day gave an outstanding Plenary lecture on Ultrafine particles.

        The Workshop began at 9 a.m. for presentation of papers with a lunch
        break from 1200- 1300 hours.  Every afternoon, from 1430 to 1730, lab
        tours were arranged at the nearby National Institutes, as well as at
        NEC Tsukuba Research Laboratory.  Without exception our Japanese hosts
        during these tours carefully explained theory and experimental
        procedures dealing with nanoparticle synthesis and applications.  The
        last day, there was a lab tour at Tokyo University.  Dr. Nabuhiro Aya,
        Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, AIST-MITI, Japan generously gave of
        his time to arrange for these lab tours, that in the opinion of many
        of the U.S. participants were outstanding features of the Workshop.
        Particular thanks and recognition are due the General Chairperson,
        Professor Hiroshi Komiyama, Department of Chemical Systems
        Engineering, The University of Tokyo and the local organizing
        Committee: Dr. Nabuhiro Aya, Professor Kikuo Okuyama, co-chair,
        Hiroshima University, Prof. Manabu Shimada,co-chair, Hiroshima
        University, and Dr. Kazuo Takeuchi, RIKEN, Japan; many others also
        contributed to the evident success of this Workshop.

        It has been agreed to by the Editor of the Journal of Aerosol Science
        (JAS) that all submitted Workshop papers will be considered for
        publication in JAS.  After a decision on acceptance, following normal
        peer review, the papers will appear in a special issue of JAS devoted
        entirely to nanoparticle synthesis and applications.  Therefore, the
        Workshop and its papers will be of record as an important milestone in
        the development of nanoparticle science and technology.