SPEECH BY

THE MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

.. ~  /  SENATOR THE HON.: J . J . WEBSTER .

OPENING THE

Ã¢ÂÂ   RESEARCH. CENTRE FOR ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY

La T robe Un i v e r s i t y ,

March 2 , 1 9 7 9 .

I n A u g u s t l a s t  y e a r I was to h a v e o p e n e d  th e

Au s t r a l ia n  Co n f e r e n c e on El e c t r o n  Sp e c t r o s c o p y

a t  t h i s  Un i v e r s i t y . I was in f o r m e d  a t  t h e t im e

t h a t  t h e  Co n f e r e n c e was o n l y t h e t h ir d  i n  a  s e r ie s

of in t e r n a t io n a l  d is c u s s io n s  on t h i s  s u b j e c t  and

I W a s d is a p p o in t e d  t h a t  d u t ie s  i n  Ca n b e r r a  p r e v e n t e d

me p l a y in g  a  s m a l l  p a r t . The t h e n  Ch a ir m a n  of CSIRO,

M r. V ic t o r  B urgm ann,  k in d l y  to o k my p l a c e .

W hen I a c c e p t e d  t h e  o r i g i n a l  i n v i t a t i o n  I s a id  t h a t ': '

SUCH CONFERENCES WERE OF IMMENSE IMPORTANCE TO THE

SCIENCE COMMUNITY GENERALLY AND TO A U S T R A L IA ^ .

REPUTATION IN 'SCIENCE INTERNATIONALLY. . . . Â· . , Â·

Some 20 d is t in g u is h e d  o v e r s e a s s c i e n t i s t s  a t t e n d e d  .

WHAT WAS Ã¢ÂÂAN OUTSTANDINGLY SUCCESSFUL' CONFERENCE AND

THAT IS  SURELY A REFLECTION OF THE HIGH STANDING OF -

A u s t r a l ia n  r e s e a r c h an d d e v e l o p m e n t i n  t h i s  r e l a t iv e l y

NEW S C IE N T IF IC  F IE L D . . .

Much of t h e c r e d it  for t h a t  s u c c e s s m u s t  go to t h e group

of s c i e n t i s t s  a t  La T robe who c o n c e iv e d  t h e id e a  an d

ORGANISED THE WORK.

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I t i s  my p a r t ic u l a r  p l e a s u r e  to be h e r e  t o d a y to

O F FIC IA LLY  OPEN THE U N IVER SITY'S RESEARCH CENTRE FOR

El e c t r o n  Sp e c tr o s c o p y a n d to c o n g r a t u l a t e  you on th e .

SUCCESS YOU HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED.

I APPRECIATED THE TOUR OF THE CENTRE'S LABORATORIES

TH IS MORNING. THIS ENABLED ME TO BETTER COMPREHEND

SOME OF THE FINER POINTS OF THIS HIGHLY SPECIALISED

SCIENCE RATHER THAN LOOK, UPON IT  SOMEWHAT NARROWLY .

AS A TECHNIQUE TO STUDY THE: ENERGY LEVELS'OF ELECTRONS

IN GASES AND SOLIDS. . .

One of t h e m ost in t e r e s t in g  f a c e t s  a b o u t  t h e  d e v e l o p m e n t

OF. ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY IS  ITS INTERNATIONAL NATURE. .

I n t r o d u c t io n  of t h e s c ie n c e ' an d it s  w o r l d - w id e  e x p a n s io n

IN THE 1 9 6 0 s CAME FROM THE WORK OF SWEDISH AND BR ITIS H

S C IE N T IS T S , ALTHOUGH'EARLIER.WORK HAD BEEN CARRIED OUT

in  Ge r m a n y,  th e Un it e d  St a t e s , Br i t a i n ,  an d Ru s s i a .

O n  t h e  A u s t r a l ia n  f r o n t , some of t h e  e a r l i e s t  work was

" p e r fo r m e d b y  Dr . J ohn Swan an d h i s  g r o u p in  t h e  Ph y s ic s

De p a r t m e n t  a t  t h e Un i v e r s i t y  of We s t e r n  A u s t r a l i a . Dr .

Swan g a in e d  in t e r n a t io n a l  r e p u t a t io n  f o r  an e x t e n s iv e

SERIES OF INVESTIGATIONS IN THIS F IE L D .

" " Ã¢ÂÂ   ' -  \ \  Ã¢ÂÂ

. .  /3

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I AM TOLD THAT THE FIRST USE IN AUSTRALIA OF

ULTRAVIOLET PHOTO EXCITATION IN AN ELECTRON SPECTROMETER

WAS/ DARE I SAY I T /  A PHOTO-FINISH BETWEEN THE PHYSICS

De p a r t m e n t  of t h is  Un i v e r s i t y  a n d. C S IR O 's Di v i s i o n  of

Ch e m ic a l  Ph y s i c s , . . . .

El e c t r o n  s p e c t r o s c o p y i s  now u sed t o . per fo r m q u a n t it iv e  .

DETERMINATIONS OF SURFACE CONTAMINANTS AND IS .BEGINNING

TO FIND CONSIDERABLE APPLICATION TO BIOLOGICALLY .

IMPORTANT MATERIALS LIK E  AMINO ACIDS, . ......

ESCA, OR THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY FOR

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS,. HAS MADE SIG N IFIC AN T CONTRIBUTIONS TO

BASIC SCIENCE, IN PARTICULAR. IN PROVIDING INFORMATION

ABOUT THE DEEPLY BOUND ELECTRONS IN ATOMS AND MOLECULES.

One of t h e m a in  a d v a n t a g e s of ESCA is  t h a t  i t  pro du ces

INFORMATION ABOUT.COMPOSITION AND BONDING W ITHIN THE

FIRST FEW ATOMIC LAYERS OF THE SURFACE OF ALMOST ANY .

SOLID OR S O LID IF IA B LE  MATERIAL, . . .

.IF  ALL THIS SOUNDS LIK E  A DESCRIPTION OF 'ULTRA PURE'

RESEARCH I AM.ASSURED THAT THERE ARE VERY PRACTICAL .

APPLICATIONS OF THIS TECHNIQUE. .

, . / 4

4 -

I ts WIDESPREAD A P P L IC A B IL IT Y  TO IMPORTANT WORLD

PROBLEMS IS  NOT REALLY SURPRISING. MOST MATERIALS

INTERACT WITH THE-REAL .WORLD THROUGH THEIR SURFACES -

SO SURFACE PROPERTIES PLAY A DISPROPORTIONATE ROLE IN

THE APPLICATION OF MATERIALS TO PRACTICAL USES. .

Th i s  i s  w here ESCA i s  u s e d .

Wit h  p l a s t i c s ,  s u r f a c e c o a t in g s ,  p a c k a g in g  m a t e r ia l ,  .

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ . . . ' ' - . Â·Â· ' Ã¢ÂÂ   . Â·. . - :

ELECTRONIC GEAR, AND MANY OTHER PRODUCTS, KNOWLEDGE: OF.-

SURFACE CHEMISTRY IS- IMPORTANT TO PRODUCT PERFORMANCE,

AND THEREFORE TO MATERIALS RESEARCH, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT,

AND PRODUCT QUALITY MONITORING. . :

I HAVE BEEN INTERESTED TO LEARN.THAT ESCA HAS BEEN USED

FOR RESEARCH WORK AS VARIED AS DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT '

A PAINT COULD WITHSTAND SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS; THE

MONITORING OF THE THICKNESS AND COMPOSITION OF PROTECTIVE

COATINGS FOR METAL SHEET USED IN CANS FOR FOOD PACKAGING;

AND THE STUDY" OF METHODS OF CONVERTING BROWN COAL TO O IL . . I

I AMÂ· TOLD THAT BEFORE THIS TECHNIQUE WAS USED THE ONLY WAY

TO DETERMINE WHETHER A PAINT WOULD WITHSTAND SEVERE WEATHER

CONDITIONS WAS TO EXPOSE A PAINTED PANEL TO THE ATMOSPHERE

FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF"TIME AND USE CONVENTIONAL BULK OR  Ã¢ÂÂ¢ Ã¢ÂÂ   \

OPTICAL TECHNIQUES TO MEASURE MODIFICATIONS OF THE SURFACE,

OR TO OBSERVE WHETHER THE PAINT PEELED, CRACKED, OR BECAME

DULL.

. . /  5

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Now ESCA CAN BE USED TO OBSERVE THE MODIFICATION OF A.

PAINTED SURFACE AFTER SHORT-PERIODS OF EXPOSURE UNDER

LABORATORY CONDITIONS. . .

. Wit h  food p a c k a g in g  c a n s ,, one of t h e p r o b le m s was to ' x-r '-:v

FIND A WAY TO MONITOR THE-THICKNESS OF THE PROTECTIVE - - 1

. COATING APPLIED AND TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE COMPOSITION ’

. OF.THE FILM  WAS CORRECT, ÃÂªÃÂ ÃÂ ANSWERS CAME-THROUGH ESCA - Â·

IN CONJUNCTION WITH ION ETCHING. ' ' . ÃÂ  .

' '  Â· ' T Â· . Â· ' 1 ' . . '

Th e Au s t r a l ia n  Re s e a r c h Gr a n ts Co m m it t e e  i s  s u p p o r t in g " Â· - ; : Â·

Ã¢ÂÂ¢RESEARCH IN PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY IN BOTH THE " L"

De p a r t m e n t s  of Ph y s ic a l  Ch e m is t r y  and of El e c t r o n  Ph y s ic s  ;

h e r e a t  La  T r o b e .

Th i s  t e c h n iq u e  i s  p a r t ic u l a r l y  s u it a b l e  fo r t h e s t u d y  of Â· -

SURFACES AND IT  IS BEING USED BY PHYSICISTS TO STUDY THE '

SURFACES OF METALS AND ALLOYS. . ' - ' ' Â·

. Pr o c e s s e s t h a t  occur on s u r f a c e s a r e of v i t a l  im p o r t a n c e  - Â· Â· Â·Â·

IN .MANY TECHNICAL OPERATIONS YET THEY ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD Â·*Â· '

BECAUSE OF THEIR COMPLEXITY. .

: We c a n b e c o n f id e n t  t h a t  THE. WASTEFUL PROCESSES' OFÂ· c o n t a m in a t io n  " '

AND CORROSION, AND THE USEFUL PROCESSES OF METAL~CATALYSED .

CHEMICAL SYNTHESES W ILL BE ELUCIDATED BY THE STUDIES BEING

CARRIED OUT HERE.

. , /6

I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHEMISTS INVOLVED WITH THIS

WORK AT L a T rOBE HAVE BEEN STUDYING MOLECULES'. IN THE .

GAS PHASE, INCLUDING THE STUDY OF TRANSIENT MOLECULES,

AND PROPOSE TO EXTEND THIS WORK TO MOLECULES ADSORBED

ON SURFACES. .

T r a n s ie n t  m o l e c u l e s  ar e d i f f i c u l t  to s t u d y  b e c a u s e  of

THE SPEED.WITH WHICH THEY REACT AND ANY METHOD OF '

DETERMINING THEIR PROPERTIES AND REACTIVITY W ILL THROW

LIGHT ON THE ROLE THEY PLAY. '

Cl e a r l y  e l e c t r o n  s p e c t r o s c o p y h as a : n u m ber of r e l e v a n t

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS AND IT  IS TO BE HOPED THAT

A u s t r a l ia n  in d u s t r y  m aster s t h e t e c h n iq u e  and p u t s  i t ; .. . -

TO USE.FOR IT  IS ONLY BY THE APPLICATION OF SUCH HIGHLY

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY THAT OUR INDUSTRY W ILL SURVIVE IN A

HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE. . .

.1 WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT ANY BARR IE R S ; S T IL L  PROHIBITING A

FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND EXPERTISE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND

INDUSTRY.BE REMOVED. . ' ,.

IN THE PAST SOME AUSTRALIAN SCIENTISTS AND ACADEMICS HAVE

HELD A HOSTILE VIEW TOWARDS INDUSTRY.AND APPLIED SCIENCE.

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Wh i l e  i t  w ould seem to me t h a t  t h e p r i n c ip a l  .

S C IE N T IF IC  ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES SHOULD BE FUNDAMENTAL

RESEARCH, SURELY CO-OPERATION WITH AN ORGANISATION

.L IK E  GSIRO OR SOME AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY, IN CERTAIN

AREAS OF RESEARCH WOULD NOT DESTROY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY,

ON THE CONTRARY,MORE CO-OPERATION WOULD BENEFIT BOTH

PARTIES AND SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED AND FOSTERED';' v "

Pe r h a p s c l o s e co- o p e r a t io n  be tw e en in d u s t r y , ,  g o ve r n m e n t

AND UNIVERSITIES COULD BEST BE ACHIEVED THROUGH YOUNG .-';.

PEOPLE IN THE M ID D LEÂ·TIER  OF S C IE N T IF IC  ORGANISATIONS

SUCH AS CSIRO, UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS AND INDUSTRY,

T h e s eÂ· ar e t h e p e o p l e  who c o u ld f a c i l i t a t e  t h e  t r a n s f e r

of new k n o w le d g e, new in f o r m a t io n ,  new p r o b le m s a n d new

s o l u t io n s , .

L HOPE THAT RESEARCiT CENTRES SUCH -AS T H IS ,- WHILE ENGAGED

TN FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH, W ILL BE W ILLING  TO" F A C ILITA TE  '

..THE DISSEMINATION OF THEIR FINDINGS AND; KNOWLEDGE,..............

A u s t r a l ia n  in d u s t r y  h as no t b e e n  b l a m e l e s s . T oo o f t e n

IT  HAS BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF THE ACADEMIC; CERTAINLY IT

HAS. SHOWN RELUCTANCE TO INVEST IN RESEARCH OR ADAPT

INNOVATIONS. .

A REPORT PREPARED AT. THE REQUEST OF MY DEPARTMENT BY . .

t h e  B u r e au of St a t i s t i c s /  an d is s u e d , t h i s  w e e k,  f in d s

THAT EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT

BY PRIVATE ENTERPRISES IN AUSTRALIA IN 1 9 7 6 -7 7  WAS

$ 1 5 6 .6  M ILLIO N  -  DOWN 18% AT CURRENT PRICES ON THE FIGURE

for 1 9 7 3 -7 4 . .

Pa y m e n t s d u r in g  1 9 7 6 -7 7  b y  p r iv a t e  e n t e r p r is e s , for

TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW TOTALLED $ 6 6 .8  M IL L IO N , A 13% DECREASE

COMPARED WITH 1 9 7 3 -7 4 . ' Â·

Th e Go v e r n m e n t .has b.een aw are of. t h e s e  dow nturns , for some

TIM E . ’’ ' . ' ' . Ã¢ÂÂ   . ' Â· ; . " ÃÂ

Th e . Au s t r a l ia n  Sc ie n c e  an d T ech no lo g y Co u n c il  (ASTEC), in

AN- OVERVIEW REPORT-LAST YEAR ON THE STATE OF S & T IN

A u s t r a l i a , recom m ended u r g en t e x p a n s io n  of Go ver n m en t ' '

SUPPORT an d e n c o u r ag em en t for in d u s t r ia l  r e s e a r c h .

Sh o r t l y  a f t e r w a r d s , .in  J u l y , t h e Go v e r n m e n t a n n o u n c e d ,

DESPITE ECONOMIC RESTRAINT, AN ALLOCATION OF $24 M ILLIO N

FOR INDUSTRIAL. R:;&.D THROUGH. THE IR & D INCENTIVES PROGRAM

ADMINISTERED BY MY COLLEAGUE, THE M INISTER FOR PRODUCTIVITY

I n d ic a t io n s  ar e t h a t  in d u s t r y ' s r e s p o n s e to t h e in c r e a s e d

INCENTIVES HAS BEEN. GOOD,. I HOPE THIS MEANS WE W ILL SEE

A REVERSAL OF THE ALARMING TRENDS, OUTLINED IN THE .

Bu r e a u ' s r e p o r t, as t h e  economy r ec o ver s an d c o n f id e n c e

RETURNS,: I f THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY

W ILL LOSE THE ADVANTAGE OVER INTERNATIONAL RIVALS OFFERED

BY OUR GLOBALLY-ACKNOWLEDGED S & T S K IL L S .1

Ad o p t io n  of t h e  in n o v a t io n s  f l o w in g  from t h i s  r e s e a r c h ,

EXPERTISE IS THE ONE WAY.AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES Â·

CAN GAIN A COMPETITIVE EDGE, , ' . : v ' ' .

Ac c ess b y  in d u s t r y  to in n o v a t iv e  d e v e l o p m e n t i s  n o t a  .

p r o b l e m , ..F or in s t a n c e , t h e De p a r t m e n t of Sc ie n c e  an d t h e

En v ir o n m e n t  in  c o n j u n c t io n  w it h  CSIRO r e c e n t l y  pr o d u c ed

a  5 0 0 0 - pag e d ir e c t o r y  of A u s t r a l ia n  s c i e n t i f i c  r e s e a r c h

WHICH LIS T S  SOME 13000 PROJECTS IN ALL THE 'NATURAL SCIENCES

AND SELECTED SOCIAL SCIENCES, ' .

I HOPE THIS DIRECTORY W ILL HELP TO IMPROVE CONSIDERABLY THE

EXCHANGE OF S C IE N T IF IC  AND TECHNOLOGICAL INFORMATION BETWEEN

RESEARCH WORKERS IN TERTIARY IN S TIT U TIO N S , RESEARCH

LABORATORIES, GOVERNMENT. AGENCIES AND INDUSTRY, AND BETWEEN

RESEARCH WORKERS AND USERS OF RESEARCH RESULTS.

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To RETURN TO ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY, I AM AWARE THAT

IMPORTANT RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD IS ALSO BEING CARRIED

o u t  in  Sy d n e y  an d Ad e l a i d e , b u t  Me lb o u r n e a p p e a r s to b e

THE HUB OF THIS WORK. . .

, For t h i s , r ea so n i t  . ls a p p r o p r ia t e  t h a t  A u s t r a l i a ' s f i r s t .

Re s e a r c h  Ce n t r e , for Ele c t r o n Sp e c tr o s c o p y s h o u ld b e  '

e s t a b l is h e d  h e r e in  Me l b o u r n e . I t i s  e s p e c ia l l y  f i t t i n g

THAT IT  SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED" AT LA.TrOBE UNIVERSITY., .

WHICH HAS.PLAYED. SUCH A V IT A L  ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF .

THE TECHNIQUE IN AUSTRALIA. .

The Ce n t r e  br t-n g s .-t o g e t h e r  a n d . in t e g r a t e s 1  r e s e a r c h work in

TH IS SCIENCE. GOING ON IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY.

I t  COMPRISES RESEARCH LABORATORIES WITH A COMMON INTEREST

EQUIPPED OVER THE- YEARS IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AND IS ONE

OF VERY FEW SUCH CENTRES IN THE WORLD, .

I HAVE MUCH PLEASURE IN. DECLARING THE CENTRE OPEN. ..

