Molecular Foundry

Molecular Foundry
Name	Molecular Foundry
Established	2006
Type	U.S. Department of Energy Nanoscale Science Research Center
City	Berkeley, California
Country	United States
Affiliations	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Contents

Overview
Research Facilities and Capabilities
Scientific Research and Impact
User Program and Access
History and Governance
See Also

Molecular Foundry. It is a U.S. Department of Energy Nanoscale Science Research Center located at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Established to serve as a premier user facility, it provides researchers from around the world with state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise in nanoscience. The facility's mission is to support interdisciplinary research aimed at designing and synthesizing novel materials with atomic-scale precision.

Overview

The facility operates as a dedicated National User Facility, offering open access to its advanced resources for the global scientific community. Its work is integral to the DOE Office of Science mission, focusing on fundamental research that underpins advancements in energy, electronics, and medicine. By fostering collaboration between in-house staff scientists and external academic and industrial researchers, it accelerates innovation in materials science and nanotechnology. The research conducted here often bridges traditional disciplines, involving experts from chemistry, physics, biology, and materials engineering.

Research Facilities and Capabilities

The institution is organized into several technical facilities, each specializing in a key area of nanoscale research. These include the Imaging and Manipulation of Nanostructures facility, which houses advanced tools like transmission electron microscopy and scanning probe microscopy. The Nanofabrication facility provides cleanroom resources for electron-beam lithography and thin-film deposition. Specialized laboratories for Inorganic Nanostructures, Organic and Macromolecular Synthesis, and Biological Nanostructures enable the design and creation of novel materials. The Theory of Nanostructured Materials facility supports this experimental work with computational modeling and simulation.

Scientific Research and Impact

Research at the facility has led to significant breakthroughs in designing functional nanomaterials. Notable work includes the development of novel metal-organic frameworks for carbon capture, advanced catalysts for fuel cells, and sophisticated nanophotonic devices. Scientists have made strides in quantum information science by engineering semiconductor nanocrystals and two-dimensional materials like graphene. These contributions are frequently published in high-impact journals such as *Science* and *Nature*, and support broader initiatives like the Materials Genome Initiative.

User Program and Access

Access to the instrumentation and expertise is granted through a competitive peer-reviewed proposal system managed by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The User Program welcomes researchers from universities, national laboratories, and industry worldwide, with no direct cost for non-proprietary work. Successful applicants receive significant support from in-house staff, including training on specialized equipment and collaborative scientific guidance. This model has been emulated by other facilities, such as the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory.

History and Governance

The concept originated from a 1999 report by a DOE Basic Energy Sciences advisory committee, which recommended creating specialized centers for nanoscience. Construction began in 2003, and the facility was officially inaugurated in 2006. It is funded by the DOE Office of Science and operates under the management of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is managed by the University of California. Its establishment was part of a broader national effort that included creating the five Nanoscale Science Research Centers across the DOE national laboratory system.