Like many other Viet kieu (overseas Vietnamese), Nguyen Chanh Khe missed home just too much to accept the job offers being thrown his way by large US companies.

And now Vietnam is reaping the benefits of the prodigy’s return after years working in Japan and America.

His recent invention, the first carbon nanotube material in Vietnam, is a breakthrough for the hi-tech industry throughout developing nations – a success that promises to pave the way for Vietnam in the computer microchips and semiconductor world market.

R&D pays off

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been deemed "the material of the century" by scientists because of its extraordinary strength and unique electrical properties that conduct heat efficiently and can be useful in material sciences like nanotechnology, electronics and optics.

Since carbon nanotubes have such universal applications, they are costly to produce; therefore, the world market asks for about US$1,000 per gram.

Before Khe revamped the production process, plants were using a plasma chemical vapour deposition for a costly $200,000 to synthesise CNTs. But Khe’s method required just a special chemical reaction and facilities which cost only $600-700.

"I can say for sure that our CNTs have the same molecule structure to the products in the world market and are very pure but they will be much cheaper," Khe said.

"Current expensive prices limit its applications. The purpose of our work is to find more affordable synthesis techniques which are vital to the future of carbon nanotechnology. If cheaper means of synthesis can be discovered, it would make it financially possible to apply this technology to commercial-scale applications," Khe added.

Khe has just completed copyright registration procedures for his new product.

At 19 Khe went to Japan to study materials for information processing. His first invention (also his MA graduation project) "Photoreceptive material" for photocopy machines drew attention from a number of Japanese companies.

He chose Dai Nippon Ink Company, where he invented organic photo conduction material which was applied in the first portable wireless photocopy machines.

Long road home

In 1985, Khe went to the US to introduce a research project and ended up staying to work.

Nguyen Chanh Khe introduces his new workplace in HCM City to a visitor.

In 1989, Khe discovered the way to form micro nano particles from salt, which was applied to produce the fastest laser colour printers in the world at that time.

This invention was very important because salt is cheap but its derivative could help accelerate printing speed of four-colour laser printers to 23 pages per minute.

During his 20 years living and working abroad, Khe created 30 scientific inventions in Japan and 36 inventions in the US, helping immensely to advance commercial applications in the computer industry.

Although he was very confident about his contributions to science and technology with leading companies in developed countries, Khe was still torn. His conscious kept reminding him about home.

Since 1982 Khe had been coming back to Vietnam to host seminars, sponsor research at the Vietnam Science Institute and provide scholarships for students at Can Tho University. But he remained unsatisfied with his work.

In 2002 Khe decided to settle back in his homeland.

He was quickly appointed to director of the Research and Development Centre under the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park.

Right after his repatriation, Khe and his associates in the centre successfully produced the first liquid nano coal in Vietnam from calcium carbide, coconut fiber and oil coal which was effectively applied in production of made-in-Vietnam colour and black&white printer ink at very competitive prices.

"Studying and researching conditions in terms of facilities, funding and human resources in Vietnam could not be compared to developed countries but I was welcomed back and always given the most favourable conditions to work by the authorities within their reach. I was also officially assigned by the State to take part in international scientific conferences. It made me think a lot and I was so moved," Khe confided.

Khe has a message he wants to convey to Vietnamese overseas: "If you want to set up a business in Vietnam, the time is now! Our motherland is a place to realise our dreams and ambitions, and nothing could bring us bigger happiness than to contribute to our nation."

(Source: VNS)