Abstract
Nanotechnology is a basic science for materials development that covers almost all artificial materials. Although research in materials science has emphasized differences among materials, similarities should also be studied from the viewpoint of nanotechnology. To make knowledge in one domain easier to use in other domains, the knowledge must be generalized into common categories that can contribute to the realization of a structured knowledge platform. Materials design focuses on understanding the relationship between processes, (material) structures, and functions. Materials science is divided into disciplines based on the properties of bulk materials. However, common rules that govern phenomena at nano-scales are eliminating those boundaries between disciplines. In order to support more effective education, research, development, and manufacturing in materials science, a Japanese national project for structuring knowledge of materials nanotechnology is underway. Examples of the effect of structuring knowledge on the relationships between processes and material structures are shown for an advanced device such as fuel cell. A knowledge platform, into which this generalized nanotechnology knowledge is to be integrated, is outlined in this paper. The key purpose of structuring knowledge is to stimulate idea generation based on a fundamental and general understanding of underlying mechanisms.
