NANOscientific
Symposium SE Asia 2026

Nanoscience creates value by imposing order, not by adding matter. This talk proposes the cross economy as a framework for that act, organised around three operators: Transform (abundant, low-value matter into a scarce ordered substrate), Create (substrate into function) and Multiply (function into economy-wide capability). The framework's claim is that value is multiplied across domains rather than added along a chain, because each operator hands its output to a different discipline, sector and order of magnitude.

Two pathways are placed side by side. In silicon, sand is refined to eleven-nines polysilicon, ordered into a single crystal and patterned with 13.5 nm light; a 300 mm 3 nmnode wafer carrying ~128 g of silicon is estimated at USD 18,000, a value density comparable, gram for gram, to gold, with mass and material cost essentially unchanged. In biology, defatted sunflower pollen — an agricultural by-product — is converted by alkaline incubation into a stimuli-responsive microgel, with the exine-to-intine stiffness ratio falling from ~3 to ~1.5 and particles swelling from ~35 to ~43 μm; downstream, the same platform yields a coral-safe, skin-cooling sunscreen with SPF ~30.

Both pathways are governed by quantities only nanoscale metrology can supply: purity, crystallographic perfection, overlay, surface charge, local modulus. Scanning probe microscopy is therefore not merely characterisation but the instrument that certifies the order being sold. The talk closes on where the multiplication is now constrained — electricity, supplier concentration, and the scarcity of measured, stage-resolved data.

Keywords. cross economy; nanoscale order; scanning probe microscopy; silicon wafer; pollen microgel; sustainable materials

Advanced packaging increasingly relies on glass substrates, fine-pitch interconnects, and high-aspect-ratio structures that require fast, non-contact, three-dimensional metrology across multiple length scales. This work presents digital holographic microscopy (DHM) as an optical metrology platform for quantitative phase and 3D characterization of advanced packaging materials and structures. DHM reconstructs the optical wavefront from a single hologram, enabling full-field surface-height measurement and numerical refocusing without mechanical Z-scanning. Metrology performance is first evaluated using step-height standards and patterned samples, showing strong agreement with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Application studies are then demonstrated for bump arrays, 300 mm glass wafers, and through-glass vias (TGVs). For bump arrays, DHM enables individual bump-height extraction, array-level uniformity analysis, and comparison with AFM profiles. For glass wafers, large-area measurements are used to evaluate local flatness, long- and short-wavelength surface variation, and deformation-related defects. For TGV structures, numerical refocusing provides top, middle, and bottom focal-plane information from a single acquisition, supporting via-dimension analysis and detection of edge and internal crack-like features. These results demonstrate the potential of DHM as a complementary tool for rapid, full-field, non-contact metrology in advanced packaging process development and inspection.

Green hydrogen produced from solar driven water splitting process is essential for curbing down the CO₂ emission. However, its efficiency remains low and expensive [1]. As such, this study aims to use of TiO₂/Au/MoS₂ nanostructures as value-added photoelectrode to improve hydrogen production rate as well as photocurrent up to 3.4 mA/cm2 at 1.23V (vs RHE). Firstly, AuMoS₂-decorated TiO₂ nanorods is prepared and systematically characterized. Structural characterization from both FESEM and TEM images have confirmed that the drop-casting method able to firmly decorate AuMoS₂ onto the tips of TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) to form stable nanostructures for photoelectrochemical application. XPS scanning reveals that all the samples are pure and no hints of any traceable oxide formation even though it is subjected to robust annealing process [2]. Photoelectrochemical analysis reveals that AuMoS₂(3:1)/TiO₂ photoelectrode depicts nine-folds enhancement in photoconversion efficiency and ten-folds hydrogen gas production (under bias-free condition) as compared to pristine TiO₂ nanorods. Moreover, both of the photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency are found to perform better than those of similar studies with almost identical materials composition. Further to enhancement in visible light absorption, Nyquist analysis evidences the significant reduction of overall charge transfer resistance with the aid of Au/MoS₂ nanostructures as hole transfer bridging layer [3]. 

Southeast Asia is emerging as a pivotal node in the global semiconductor and clean-energy value chains, with Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore rapidly expanding advanced packaging, wafer fabrication, and battery and solar manufacturing capacity. Sustaining this growth demands more than capital investment in fabrication lines—it requires a parallel investment in the nanoscale metrology infrastructure and talent base needed to characterize, control, and innovate on the materials that underpin these industries. Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in particular, has long served as a bridge between fundamental academic discovery and industrial deployment, and is now positioned to play the same catalytic role in Southeast Asia’s nanotechnology ecosystem.

This talk introduces Park Systems’ latest advances in AFM-based nanometrology, with particular focus on the newly released Park FX-IR platform, which unites full atomic force microscopy performance with non-contact, nanoscale infrared spectroscopy. Built on Photo-induced Force Microscopy (PiFM), the FX-IR series achieves chemical identification at sub-5 nm spatial resolution—well beyond the diffraction limit of conventional FTIR—while fully automated probe exchange and IR beam alignment make high-resolution chemical mapping accessible across sample scales, from chip-level devices (FX40 IR) to full 300 mm wafers (FX300 IR).

In the context of this symposium’s focus on energy nanoscience, I will highlight how such SPM platforms—combining high-resolution topographic, electrical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical imaging modes—enable non-destructive, nanoscale characterization of battery electrodes and solid-electrolyte interphases, perovskite and thin-film photovoltaic layers, fuel-cell membranes, and power-semiconductor packaging materials, applications directly relevant to the energy generation, storage, and conversion technologies driving the region’s sustainability agenda.

Drawing on case studies from academia-industry collaborations, I will discuss how deploying such advanced, accessible nanometrology—paired with hands-on training for students and researchers—can accelerate technology transfer, strengthen regional R&D capacity, and help Southeast Asia establish a durable, innovation-driven position within the global semiconductor and clean-energy supply chains.

Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2 or LCO) remains the mainstream cathode material for commercial portable electronics due to its high volumetric energy density and conductivity. However, conventional bulk LCO cathodes suffer from rate capability and operational stability limits. To overcome these challenges, this study explores nanostructured LCO thin-film cathodes engineered to harness room-temperature quantum tunnelling phenomena for enhanced electron transport and battery performance.

Uniform LCO thin films (8.5 nm to 50 nm) were deposited onto metal substrates using Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Surface nanostructuring was performed via post-deposition treatments, including thermal annealing at 200◦C and reactive ion etching. Structural and morphological characteristics were examined using XRD, AFM, and FESEM, while electrochemical performance was evaluated using Galvanostatic Charge/Discharge (GCD) testing in KOH electrolyte. Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (C-AFM) probed nano-scale currentvoltage (I-V ) behavior to verify quantum tunneling.

Electrochemical testing revealed that film miniaturization significantly boosts performance: reducing film thickness to 8.5 nm achieved a specific capacitance of 455 F/g, representing a 65% improvement over 50 nm films (275 F/g). Furthermore, thermal annealing at 200◦C yielded a nanostructured surface pattern (24.97 nm roughness) that achieved a peak specific capacitance of 635.25 F/g and energy density of 50.82 Wh/kg, marking an 88% overall improvement over unmodified LCO films. C-AFM spectroscopy confirmed quantum tunnelling via distinct ripple features in I-V curves on nanostructured LCO/nickel samples, which were absent in pure nickel.

This research successfully demonstrates that ultra-thin film fabrication and surface nanostructuring of LCO cathodes induce room-temperature quantum tunneling, drastically boosting charging and discharging efficiency for next-generation microbatteries.

Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ (CZTSSe) is a promising thin-film photoabsorber for photovoltaic applications due to its earth-abundant and environmentally benign constituent elements. However, device performance can be strongly influenced by nanoscale electrical inhomogeneity, grain-boundary activity, leakage pathways, and local variations in charge-carrier collection. Understanding these spatially resolved transport characteristics is therefore important for correlating microstructure with photovoltaic behavior. In this work, conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) is employed to investigate local electrical transport and photoresponse in CZTSSe thin films. The absorber is examined under dark and illuminated conditions, while positive and negative sample biases are applied to evaluate bias-dependent current transport across grain interiors and grain boundaries. Particular attention is given to distinguishing photocurrent-active regions from conductive leakage pathways. Comparison of current maps under different measurement conditions provides insight into whether grain boundaries behave as shunting or recombination sites or instead contribute to enhanced carrier separation and collection. A favorable absorber response is associated with low dark current, absence of highly conductive grain-boundary channels, and enhanced current under illumination. The C-AFM approach thus provides valuable nanoscale insight into electrical heterogeneity and charge-transport behavior in CZTSSe, supporting improved understanding and optimization of thin-film photovoltaic absorbers.

Lately, 2D materials have attracted a great intention among the material researchers owing to its fascinating physical, electrical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties, including high-surface area to volume ratio, high-surface mobility, high-flexibility, and high-transparency, making them an essential element in nanotechnology. These 2D materials include graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), transition metal nitrides and carbides (MXenes), transition-metal diborides (MBenes), metal oxides, etc. In this work, we synthesis large-area graphene and tungsten carbide (WC1-x, W2C, and WC) nanosheets directly grown on tungsten nanoparticles (W NPs) coated c-Si and quartz substrates using a novel technique of hot-wire chemical vapour deposition at low substrate temperatures (<500 °C). Prior to the deposition, an argon plasma process was employed to induce the formation of W NPs, which act as a metal catalyst to facilitate the growth of large-area monolayers or multi-layer nanosheets. The average grain size of WPs was between 24.3 nm to 7.4 nm. These 2D materials demonstrated excellent optical transparency (80 %), high electrical conductivity (718 – 966 Ω/sq.), and high photocurrent density under the visible light irradiation (~ 2 mA/cm2 at 1.5 VAg/AgCl) for hydrogen production via water-splitting process. We are expecting that these 2D materials could give the required properties for efficient supercapacitor and hydrogen fuels in the coming future.

Functional scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has moved beyond surface topography to become a powerful platform for mapping local electrical, electrochemical, mechanical and magnetic properties at the nanoscale. This talk will discuss how application-oriented SPM/AFM modules, including conductive AFM (C-AFM), Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), magnetic force microscopy (MFM), electrochemical AFM and force mapping, can be used to establish structure-property relationships in energy and spintronic materials. In energy storage materials, local heterogeneity in charge transport, interphase formation, coating integrity and mechanical degradation often controls cell performance before it is visible in averaged electrochemical data. Selected examples from our work on rechargeable battery electrodes, solid-state and ion-conducting thin-film platforms and electrochemical interfaces will illustrate how C-AFM and KPFM identify conductive pathways, potential gradients, localized leakage and degradation hotspots. The talk will also highlight the use of MFM and correlative electrical mapping in spintronic and magneto-ionic systems, where magnetic domains, domain walls, charge trapping and voltage/ion-driven property changes must be separated from electrostatic and topographic artefacts. Emphasis will be placed on practical measurement design, including tip selection, biasing, lift height, environmental control, grounding, scan-direction checks and appropriate reference/control experiments. The central message is that advanced SPM is most powerful when treated not as an imaging technique alone, but as a correlative nanoscale experiment that links morphology with transport, potential, interfacial mechanics and magnetic response.