PRODUCTION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL NANOTEMPLATE IN MICROGRAVITY (2D-NANOTEMPLATE)
Research Area: Materials Science
Expedition(s): 23, 24, 27- 30
Principal Investigator(s): ● Takatoshi Kinoshita, PhD, Nagoya Institute of Technology,
Nagoya, Japan
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Production of Two-Dimensional Nanotemplate in Microgravity (2D-Nanotemplate) fabricates
large and highly oriented nanoscale 2-D arranged peptide arrays, by suppressing convection
and sedimentation.
EARTH BENEFIT
There is an ongoing trend toward miniaturization and functionalization in the semiconductor
industry. The technique demonstrated in space can be applied to the production of high
performance semiconductor elements.
SPACE BENEFIT
It is expected that the nanotemplate produced in
space will tend to have higher quality. The
semiconductor material made of the space-
produced nanotemplate should have higher
quality and performance. Therefore, the
experiment will lead to development of high-
performance computers, application to the blue
LED lights, and realization of cost reduction in
manufacturing of semiconductor products.
RESULTS
Amino acid chains (peptide particles) were flown
aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and
were subjected to concentrated sodium
hydroxide (NaOH) solution and allowed to
create peptide arrangements for 1 week in a microgravity environment. All samples were
successfully retrieved and analyzed.
The peptides formed in orbit in a microgravity environment showed similar nanoscaled patterns
with typical structures obtained on the ground in a 1G environment. It indicates that the
motion of the peptide is not influenced by microgravity in this experimental system. However,
the suppression effect of convection in the microgravity environment was apparent. The
formed nanopatterns were sophisticated by keeping away from adsorption of unexpected
aggregates.
ISS024E007811 – View of Doug Wheelock as he
retrieves 2-D Nanotemplate sample bags from the
Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) in
U.S Destiny laboratory during Expedition 24. JAXA
image.