2016 2016 Facts and Achievements Facts and Achievements MANA Progress Report Facts and Achievements 2016 MANA Progress Report Facts and Achievements 2016 March 2017 March 2017 Preface Masakazu Aono MANA Director-General NIMS The International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) was established in October 2007 as one of the initial five research centers in the framework of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI Program), which is sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). This year marks the tenth anniversary of the start of MANA. We are happy to see that MANA has grown to become one of the world’s top research centers in materials science and technology and produced remarkable results in fields ranging from fundamental research to practical applications. MANA is conducting research on the basis of the new concept “Nanoarchitectonics”. This concept has been refined continuously by MANA’s researchers and is now accepted around the world. As we follow this concept, MANA strives to extract the maximum value from nanotechnology for the development of appropriate materials for new innovative technologies. I humbly request your warm support as we continue our earnest efforts. The MANA Progress Report consists of two booklets named “Facts and Achievements 2016” and “Research Digest 2016”. This booklet “Facts and Achievements 2016” serves as a summary to highlight the progress of the MANA project. The other booklet “Research Digest 2016” presents MANA research activities. Facts and Achievements 2016 Preface 1 MANA Progress Report Facts and Achievements 2016 1. WPI Progress Report: Executive Summary .....................................4 2. WPI Program and MANA .............................................................9 2.1 World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) 2.2 MANA, the WPI Research Center at NIMS 3. Organization, Members and International Research Environment of MANA. 18 3.1 MANA Organization and Members 3.2 Attractive International Research Environment 4. Research Activities, Output and Achievements ...............................26 4.1 Research Activities 4.2 Research Output 4.3 Research Achievements 5. Global Nanotechnology Network. 44 5.1 MANA Satellite Network 5.2 International Nanotechnology Research Network 5.3 Partnership with Foreign and Domestic Universities 5.4 Global Career Advancement 2 List of Content Facts and Achievements 2016 6. Enhancement of National and International Recognition .................50 6.1 MANA International Symposium 2017 6.2 MANA Website 6.3 MANA Newsletter 6.4 Outreach Activities 6.5 Media Coverage 6.6 Visitors to MANA 6.7 MANA Scientific Art Pictures 6.8 MANA History 7. Appendix 7.1 MANA Top Management ..................................................................57 7.2 MANA Research Staff .....................................................................58 7.3 MANA Advisors and International Cooperation Advisors. 71 7.4 MANA Evaluation Committee .............................................................73 7.5 MANA Seminars ..........................................................................74 7.6 MANA Research Papers 2016 .............................................................77 7.7 MANA Journal Cover Sheets .............................................................107 7.8 MANA Patents ...........................................................................113 7.9 International Cooperation. 120 7.10 MANA History ...........................................................................122 Facts and Achievements 2016 List of Content 3 1. WPI Progress Report: Executive Summary In June 2016, MANA submitted a WPI Progress Report to the WPI Program Committee. The part entitled World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) Executive Summary (for Final Evaluation) is reproduced below. During the 10 year period of WPI funding of MANA, this is the last Executive Summary. It has also been included in chapter 1 of the previous booklet Facts and Achievements 2015 that has been produced in June 2016. Host Institution: National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Host Institution Head: Kazuhito Hashimoto Research Center: International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) Center Director: Masakazu Aono World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) Executive Summary (for Final Evaluation) A. Progress Report of the WPI Center making it the most internationalized research center in I. Summary Japan. MANA has succeeded in creating an almost perfect In the eight and a half years since it was established, environment in that it expeditiously provides administrative MANA has grown to become one of the world’s top and technical support to all MANA researchers, including research centers in the relevant fields and produced non-Japanese researchers. MANA can give back to NIMS remarkable results in fields ranging from fundamental the obtained knowhow and experience of management research to practical applications. an international research center. For example, English- MANA’s excellence can be found represented in language support for non-Japanese researchers within several key indicators. Among these, A) 118 of MANA’s NIMS as a whole has been greatly improved. papers are now among the top 1% most cited papers in the In addition to the WPI program’s four pillars, MANA world; B) MANA has achieved an extremely high score has one extra pillar of its own: the cultivation of young of 2.42 for Elsevier’s Field Weighted Citation Impact researchers. MANA’s systems of independent researchers (FWCI), a new index created to “fairly compare the (approx. 20% of permanent researchers), who pursue their quality of papers published by research institutions that own research topics without belonging to any specific work in different fields” (both A and B refer to statistics group, and ICYS researchers (approx. 20% of post- for papers published between 2008 and 2015); and C) doctoral scholars) have attained remarkable achievements. MANA’s papers are printed in journals with an extremely Since FY 2012, MANA has been defined as one of high average Impact Factor (IF) of 6.25 (2015). MANA’s NIMS’s three research arms, and it is becoming a permanent scores for these indicators are superior to those of many presence within the NIMS research organization. NIMS world-class research institutions. also provides salaries for approximately 90 permanent MANA has a unique characteristic compared to other staff and otherwise provides comprehensive support for materials science laboratories in the world. Its operations are MANA in many ways, something that will continue on based on a new concept: a new nanotechnology paradigm into the future. called “nanoarchitectonics”. This unique concept is the key to MANA’s achievement of its striking research results. II. Items In eight and a half years, MANA has accomplished 1. Overall Image of our Center much outstanding research. Some representative examples <Vision and background> include a) nanosheet technology and its applications, b) When MANA was launched eight and a half years ago, atomic switches and related devices, c) various unimolecular nanotechnology (and the nanoscience on which it is based) devices, d) highly efficient photocatalysts, e) highly was in a state of rapid development and becoming an sensitive / parallel molecular sensors (MSS odor sensors, essential pillar of materials science. It was in this context etc.), f) diagnosis and treatment using nanoarchitectonics, that we designed MANA with the intention of cultivating a g) transmission electron microscopes that can observe world-class research center that would effectively employ electrical, mechanical, and optical properties under high- nanotechnology to make powerful advances in the research resolution structural observation, and h) multiple-probe and development of new materials. We were strongly aware scanning probe microscopes that can measure electrical of the common mistake of considering nanotechnology conductivity at the nanoscopic scale. to be a continuation of conventional microtechnology, Over 50% of the researchers at MANA are non-Japanese, and moreover that nanotechnology’s true power cannot 4 Chapter 1 Facts and Achievements 2016 be effectively harnessed unless nanotechnology is use these methods to create metamaterials and new properly recognized as being qualitatively different from superconductors. microtechnology. Thus, we established MANA’s guiding B) Development of atomic switches and related devices/ vision as “Pioneering a new paradigm of nanotechnology systems: The atomic switch operated by a completely to create a research hub for the best new materials different principle than traditional semiconductor development in the world”. In order to concisely express devices. MANA invented the atomic switch and this new technology paradigm, we coined the concept moved it toward practical application, where it brought of nanoarchitectonics. This concept is described in more innovation to things like AI and IoT. It was also detail in the “Progress Report”, but it serves to distinguish discovered that atomic switches display functionality MANA’s research from other nanotechnology research similar to synapses in the brain, and hence the next institutions. We at MANA are pleased to see that the step is to create neutral network circuits made out of nanoarchitectonics concept has begun to gain approval atomic switches. throughout the world.