International NanoSPD Steering Committee

Background

The International NanoSPD Steering Committee was formed at the 2nd International Conference on Nanomaterials by Severe Plastic Deformation (NanoSPD2), Dec. 9-13, 2002, Vienna, Austria.

Mission Statement

Over the last decade, a number of techniques, collectively referred to as Severe Plastic Deformation (“SPD”), have emerged as a promising approach for the production of bulk ultrafine-grained materials. Bulk materials with stable grain and subgrain structures, typically at a scale in the range of ~50-500 nm, can be produced relatively easily and expeditiously using SPD techniques. A significant research effort is currently underway in many countries and this has led to breakthroughs in the field and to the recognition that commercialization of SPD-processed materials is now within reach. The NanoSPD community is growing rapidly. Most recently, this has became evident from the large numbers of expressions of interest in lodging SPD-related project proposals for funding through agencies in the EU, the U.S. and Japan and from the dramatic increase in the numbers of academic publications and the disclosures of patents relating to NanoSPD. Thus, the time is ripe for establishing an informal, yet well-structured, network of research groups working in NanoSPD and related areas.

The NanoSPD Steering Committee will serve to coordinate research efforts in NanoSPD and to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and information relating to all aspects of the NanoSPD field. The Steering Committee will act as a focal point for colleagues from academia and industry seeking cooperation and collaboration within the field of NanoSPD. The NanoSPD website will provide a forum for rapid communication and interaction between various NanoSPD groups, thereby facilitating the sharing of information on a range of topics including current research activities, conferences of interest to the NanoSPD community, the funding schemes available for the support of NanoSPD research and educational issues. The Steering Committee will coordinate activities with regard to the organization of future NanoSPD conferences and they will liaise with the organizing committees of other conferences of interest. The NanoSPD Steering Committee welcomes the active participation of all interested researchers currently active, or planning to become active, in the processing, characterization, evaluation and utilization of all types of NanoSPD materials.

Members

The Committee has eleven members and is currently chaired by Prof. Ruslan Z. Valiev.