The National Science Council (NSC) yesterday announced a three-year research project on nanomaterials (
Nanostructured materials, which do not commonly occur in nature, are materials engineered to tolerances as fine as one billionth of a meter. Such fine attention to structure at the near-molecular level can dramatically change the properties of most materials, creating the opportunity for the re-engineering of existing products and the engineering of novel products to unprecedented performance levels.
Many leading countries in the world are rushing to cash in on the commercial applications of nanomaterials.
"Scientists are working on nanotechnology, which can be applied in a variety of fields, ranging from medicine, energy, national security, and electronic devices," said Mou Chung-yuan (
Scientists said that nanotechnology was a key to sustainable development. For example, Mou said, certain nanomaterials could be used to package nuclear waste.
Mou said the US passed the National Nanotechnology Initiative early this year to show its determination to promote the research and development of nanotechnology.
Mou said the US would invest about US$495 million on nanotechnology in 2001, compared to US$118 million in 1997.
Scientists said that as nanomaterials move from the lab to industry, the challenge would be to produce a wide variety of such materials having consistent particle size and morphology in quantities sufficient to meet industrial demands.
"What scientists are doing is to figure out efficient methods for the production of these materials," said Tsong Tien-tzou (
Chang Ching-ray (
Chen Kuei-hsien (
The project, containing three major parts, is expected to cost NT$80 million over three years.
According to the NSC, Taiwan will invest US$4 million to develop nanotechnology in 2001.
"The NSC has established a so-called `nano network,' which can integrate resources relating to nanomaterials research in a variety of fields in physics," said NSC vice chairman Steve Hsieh (
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS: Foreign companies such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Konica Minolta have pulled back their operations in China this year Foreign companies pulled more money from China last quarter, a sign that some investors are still pessimistic even as Beijing rolls out stimulus measures aimed at stabilizing growth. China’s direct investment liabilities in its balance of payments dropped US$8.1 billion in the third quarter, data released by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange showed on Friday. The gauge, which measures foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, was down almost US$13 billion for the first nine months of the year. Foreign investment into China has slumped in the past three years after hitting a record in 2021, a casualty of geopolitical tensions,
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Donald Trump vowed to reward his supporters, while President William Lai said he was confident the Taiwan-US partnership would continue Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the US early yesterday morning, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. As of press time last night, The Associated Press had Trump on 277 electoral college votes to 224 for US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, with Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Michigan and Nevada yet to finalize results. He had 71,289,216 votes nationwide, or 51 percent, while Harris had 66,360,324 (47.5 percent). “We’ve been through so
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