About the Center
Origin: The University of Najran has adopted, since its inception, support for the scientific research system through the creation of a distinctive infrastructure that contains most of the essentials for conducting distinguished scientific research. Given that the field of advanced materials and nanotechnology research is vital at the global level and linked to the needs and orientations of Saudi Arabia’s research, the University of Najran has moved forward through the Advanced Materials Unit and Nanotechnology Research Center to compete for promising centers that were raised by the Ministry of Higher Education in 1431H, and based on this, the university was granted the establishment of (the Promising Centre for Sensors and Electronic Devices) with generous support from the ministry amounting to 10 million riyals, thereby achieving one of the research fields targeted by the Advanced Materials Unit and Nanotechnology Research at the University of Najran.
The university has attracted Saudi researchers from distinguished cadres through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ scholarship program, and it has dispatched a number of graduate students and lecturers in areas of interest to the center to excellence centers in prestigious universities in advanced countries such as South Korea, America, and Britain; some of them have returned to the university, alongside attracting a number of distinguished cadres of researchers in the field of advanced materials and nanotechnology research from non-Saudi sources to work at the center.
The research fields in the center focus on preparing and manufacturing various nanomaterial products (such as rods, tubes, films, wires, and fibers) through a variety of advanced technologies and using these materials to manufacture sensors and different electronic devices such as applications for sensors, chemical and gaseous sensors, biological and electro-chemical and optical sensors, as well as magnetic material sensors, and applications for electronic materials, diodes, field emission devices, where the importance of the center lies in effectively utilizing scientific capabilities and technical equipment and directing them towards serving development issues, and strengthening links between scientific research institutions and industrial and service entities. The center aims to improve competitiveness and stimulate targeted sectors of the economy by building qualified national cadres in this promising field, developing intellectual property and transforming it into products that support the knowledge-based national economy.
The infrastructure of the center has many modern scientific equipment required for producing, analyzing, and measuring nanomaterials; these equipment are rarely found under one roof, for example, the Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, X-ray Diffraction Device, Solar Cell Efficiency Measurement Devices, Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Device, in addition to Raman Spectroscopy Device, Infrared Spectroscopy Device, Optical Microscope, and Contrast Scanning Analyzer. Moreover, the center houses a cleanroom laboratory equipped with modern and advanced equipment for manufacturing nano devices and measuring their properties. To realize its global partnership and international cooperation role, the University has signed several agreements with universities and research centers worldwide. Among these universities and research centers are Shantou National University, Hanyang University, Yonsei University in South Korea, the Spanish Catalysis Institute, York University in the United Kingdom, the Egyptian National Research Center, Lanzhou University, Nanjing University, South China University of Technology in China, and Lisbon University in Portugal. The center has supported and funded more than 30 research projects for researchers from Najran University, Saudi universities, and international universities, resulting in over 150 research papers produced through this funding. Currently, we can state that the promising center has become a leading center and is considered one of the most active centers within the Kingdom’s and the region’s research institutions in fields such as material science, chemistry, physics, nanotechnology, engineering, and environmental sciences. Research statistics have shown that the University, represented by the center, has published numerous rigorous qualitative studies exceeding 1500 papers published in prestigious global scientific journals. In addition, 10 patents have been registered under the name of the center internationally, while the rest are in the process of registration with the American Patent Office. On the side of community service enhancement, the center has held several training courses for researchers from within and outside the University, and implemented a number of courses for university students and talented students from Najran who were hosted within the center’s halls, alongside organizing several visits for officials and those interested in the field to view the advanced equipment and technologies available at the center.
The university has attracted Saudi researchers from distinguished cadres through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ scholarship program, and it has dispatched a number of graduate students and lecturers in areas of interest to the center to excellence centers in prestigious universities in advanced countries such as South Korea, America, and Britain; some of them have returned to the university, alongside attracting a number of distinguished cadres of researchers in the field of advanced materials and nanotechnology research from non-Saudi sources to work at the center.
The research fields in the center focus on preparing and manufacturing various nanomaterial products (such as rods, tubes, films, wires, and fibers) through a variety of advanced technologies and using these materials to manufacture sensors and different electronic devices such as applications for sensors, chemical and gaseous sensors, biological and electro-chemical and optical sensors, as well as magnetic material sensors, and applications for electronic materials, diodes, field emission devices, where the importance of the center lies in effectively utilizing scientific capabilities and technical equipment and directing them towards serving development issues, and strengthening links between scientific research institutions and industrial and service entities. The center aims to improve competitiveness and stimulate targeted sectors of the economy by building qualified national cadres in this promising field, developing intellectual property and transforming it into products that support the knowledge-based national economy.
The infrastructure of the center has many modern scientific equipment required for producing, analyzing, and measuring nanomaterials; these equipment are rarely found under one roof, for example, the Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, X-ray Diffraction Device, Solar Cell Efficiency Measurement Devices, Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Device, in addition to Raman Spectroscopy Device, Infrared Spectroscopy Device, Optical Microscope, and Contrast Scanning Analyzer. Moreover, the center houses a cleanroom laboratory equipped with modern and advanced equipment for manufacturing nano devices and measuring their properties. To realize its global partnership and international cooperation role, the University has signed several agreements with universities and research centers worldwide. Among these universities and research centers are Shantou National University, Hanyang University, Yonsei University in South Korea, the Spanish Catalysis Institute, York University in the United Kingdom, the Egyptian National Research Center, Lanzhou University, Nanjing University, South China University of Technology in China, and Lisbon University in Portugal. The center has supported and funded more than 30 research projects for researchers from Najran University, Saudi universities, and international universities, resulting in over 150 research papers produced through this funding. Currently, we can state that the promising center has become a leading center and is considered one of the most active centers within the Kingdom’s and the region’s research institutions in fields such as material science, chemistry, physics, nanotechnology, engineering, and environmental sciences. Research statistics have shown that the University, represented by the center, has published numerous rigorous qualitative studies exceeding 1500 papers published in prestigious global scientific journals. In addition, 10 patents have been registered under the name of the center internationally, while the rest are in the process of registration with the American Patent Office. On the side of community service enhancement, the center has held several training courses for researchers from within and outside the University, and implemented a number of courses for university students and talented students from Najran who were hosted within the center’s halls, alongside organizing several visits for officials and those interested in the field to view the advanced equipment and technologies available at the center.