This month, the US National Science and Technology Council issued a report detailing proposals to enhance the development and use of advanced materials. The Materials Genome Initiative, as it is called, would focus on the infrastructure required to study advanced materials.

Current challenges for advanced materials include the lengthy development period and lack of recyclability. To shorten research times, the use of computational testing and modeling are envisioned. Computers would be used for screening compounds and virtual testing, but algorithms to model and predict multiple-scale behavior must be developed. Among the improvements that could be made to empirical testing are the use of three-dimensional visualization techniques in combination with compositional, mechanical, electronic and optical measurements and the use of in situ characterization methods during processing. The need for improved data exchange is also highlighted in the report.

The Obama Administration intends to road map each Initiative piece and has requested $100 million for the Initiative in fiscal 2012. Participants would include the Department of Energy’s Computational Materials and Chemistry by Design program and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Materials by Design program.