Thanks to rapid advances in semiconductor fabrication technology, nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) can be fabricated with fine, precise features. It facilitates truly nanometer-scale mechanical elements to be precisely formed, making them highly effective mechanical and electrical test specimens for investigating material properties at the nanoscale and down to the atomic scale. By combining this fine fabrication technology with sophisticated nanoscale material testing, nano-scale specimens can exhibit novel material functions absent in the bulk. The “Functional Emergence of Nanomaterials” would enable us to create new applications of nanomaterials, potentially leading to a new industry that has remained largely unnoticed so far. This special session provides a great opportunity to discuss novel material or device functions that occur only at the nanometer scale. The material properties we wish to discuss are not limited to mechanical and electrical phenomena but also include thermal, physical, chemical, optical, magnetic, and other material characteristics. We welcome research topics not only on material properties at the nanoscale but also on the characteristics of nanoscale devices. Let's enjoy the discussions on cutting-edge technologies and material functions together.

 

Submission System: https://www.zmeeting.org/submission/iceim2026

 

Dr. Amit Banerjee is an associate professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto University of Advanced Science (KUAS). He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 2009 and 2014, respectively. He conducted postdoctoral research at City University of Hong Kong (2013-2015), at Kyoto University (2015-2019), and at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (2019-2020). Dr. Banerjee is a recipient of the prestigious JSPS postdoctoral fellowship. Dr. Banerjee worked in the Graduate School of Engineering at Kyoto University as a Junior Associate Professor (2020-2025). In May 2025, he joined the Faculty of Engineering at KUAS as an associate professor. Dr. Amit Banerjee is broadly interested in nanoscience / nanotechnology but primarily focuses his research interests on micro/nano-scale systems (MEMS/NEMS) and nano-mechanics.

 

Takahiro Namazu received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Japan, in 1997, 1999, and 2002, respectively. From 2002 to 2006, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Japan. In 2007, he was appointed as an associate professor at the same university. In 2010, he joined the Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency as a researcher. In 2016, he became a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Aichi Institute of Technology, Toyota, Japan. In 2020, he became a professor in the Faculty of Engineering at KUAS. Since 2025, he has been a Professor at the International Center for Synchrotron Radiation Innovation Smart at Tohoku University, in a cross-appointed position. He is currently engaged in studies on functional film materials, such as self-propagating exothermic materials, and their applications to micro- and nano-electromechanical systems.