Symposium A-8: "Nano-Carbons and Related Structures"
Organized by Fullerenes/Nanotubes Research Association

Scope
Main purpose of this symposium is to provide an open platform to discuss recent developments in the science and technology of nano-carbons in general. High expectation for the commercial products from nano-carbons, especially those bearing direct implications towards nanotechnology, will attract great interests from industrial research and development sectors to this symposium. With the greatly reduced cost in the production of buckminsterfullerene and also in some forms of carbon nanotubes, the first announcement on the application of high-impact invention seems imminent. After the first phase of vigorous basic research on the nanocarbons in the past decade, however, it is all too clear that some of the crucial aspects of technical difficulties still remain unsolved, including the high-yield synthesis of buckminsterfullerene from readily available materials and the basic techniques of producing carbon nanotubes with fixed length, diameter, layer thickness, chirality and purity at a reasonable cost. We will attempt to summarize the state-of-the-art situation of developments in the nanocarbons research. Every topic including those shown below will be welcome. Whereas the developmental work in C60 and carbon nanotubes are still flourishing, it is time for us researchers to think of the 'postfullerene' era, in which new forms of nanocarbons different from these two well-known polymorphs are likely play major roles. New proposals on the new nano-carbons even without experimental supports will be appreciated.

Topics
* Chemistry and physics of classical and non-classical fullerenes and carbon nanotubes.
* New developments in the synthesis, analysis, separation and purification of nanocarbons.
* Nanodiamonds, nanohorns, peapods, double-walled carbon nanotubes, endo- and exohedral metallofullerenes, and other novel forms.
* Multishell fullerenes, very short and very long carbon nanotubes, and other novel forms.
* Nano-heterotubes, hetero nanoparticles, naturally occurring nano-carbons and their implication.
* Carbon magnets, superhard carbons, superconductive nano-carbons, and other novel functional materials.

Invited Speakers
Professor Yuri Gogotsi (Drexel University, USA)
Professor Jun Jiao (Portland State University, USA)

Chairpersons
H. Shinohara¹⁾ (Nagoya University, noris@cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp, Japan)
Eiji Osawa²⁾ (NanoCarbon Res. Institute, osawa@nano-carbon.com, Japan)
Takeshi Akasaka (University of Tsukuba, akasaka@tara.tsukuba.ac.jp, Japan)
Susumu Saito (Tokyo Institute of Technology, saito@stat.phys.titech.ac.jp, Japan)
Shigeo Maruyama (University of Tokyo, maruyama@photon.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp, Japan)
Yoshihiro Iwasa (Tohoku University, iwasa@imr.tohoku.ac.jp, Japan)
M. Tokumoto (AIST, madoka.tokumoto@aist.go.jp, Japan)
M. Yudasaka (JST, yudasaka@frl.cl.nec.co.jp, Japan)
Y. Saito (Mie University, saito@is.elec.mie-u.ac.jp, Japan)
Y. Achiba (Tokyo Metropolitan University, achiba-yohji@metro-u.ac.jp, Japan)
Y. Gogotsi (Drexel University, gogotsi@drexel.edu, USA)