A Conversation withDr. Chunli Bai:Champion of Chinese Nanoscience

Abstract

Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing during a visit last month. We discussed nanoscience in China and Dr. Bai's many roles in it. PSW: What do you find exciting in nanoscience and nanotechnology? And how do you think advances in those areas will affect the world?Chunli Bai: Originally, the driving force for nanoscience and nanotechnology was the electronics market, industry leaders trying to overcome Moore's Law. I think that Moore's Law can still be exciting for another ten years or so. I worry that what we can do in nanoelectronics is not clear.I think the foremost area in nanoscience and nanotechnology is [at the interface] with the biosciences. I think that is most important. We can have a big impact on the human ability to survive. PSW: What do you see for nanoscience in China?Chunli Bai: The numbers of publications in nanoscience and nanotechnology by Chinese scientists have been increasing tremendously. If you look at the number of papers, China would be #2, just after the United States. But, I think the quality of the papers needs to be improved; the number of papers is only one indicator. The impact of the papers is more important. I have data for papers published by Chinese scientists in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology; I think we are ranked #4 after the United States, Germany, and Japan. Some groups in China have very high numbers of citations, but the emphasis should be on the quality of the papers and not just on the number of papers. 1 The second thing is patents; that is an indicator of innovation and potential for industrial application. The number of patents in the field is low compared to the United States, especially for patent applications in To hear Dr. Bai's advice to young scientists in English and Chinese, please visit us at the podcast page of http://www.ascnano.org/.

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