By Courtney E. Howard

HOUSTON—Scientific minds at Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Md., and Rice University in Houston are partnering to develop new technologies, including nanotechnologies, for a range of applications in electronics, energy, and security.

Researchers from Lockheed Martin and Rice University scientists will work together at the new Lockheed Martin Advanced Nanotechnology Center of Excellence at Rice University, or LANCER, based at Rice University’s Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

Scientists from Rice who are participating in the program are experts in carbon nanotechnology, photonics, and plasmonics—the merging of photonics and electronics at nanoscale dimensions.

“Nanotechnology promises to impact everything from the clothes people wear to the energy they consume, and it will also revolutionize the systems and services Lockheed Martin delivers to its government customers,” explains Sharon Smith, director of advanced technology at Lockheed Martin.

“We are excited to partner with Rice, a recognized leader in nanotechnology research, to collaborate on those breakthroughs leading us to next-generation products and services for our nation,” she says.

LANCER officials are evaluating several promising areas of collaborative research, according to a representative. These technologies include: nanomaterials that could double the efficiency of Lithium-ion batteries, solar energy collectors that are twice as efficient as today’s best, nanomaterials that can extract energy from waste heat, “neuromorphic” computers structured like mammalian brains, and space-based sensors that can closely monitor climate change.

LANCER officials anticipate funding roughly half a dozen projects each year, giving priority to projects that can be marketed quickly or that offer a significant improvement over current technology. For more information, visit Lockheed Martin online at www.lockheedmartin.com.