NSF Award
2214855
This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a nanoindenter for fundamental investigations of advanced engineering materials and biomaterials. The mechanical properties of materials are intricately linked to how they function. Understanding how these properties influence material behavior is critical for both the design of advanced engineered materials and the response of biological tissues to disease. This instrument will enable quantitative mechanical characterization of materials impacting several scientific disciplines and provide foundational understanding of engineering, construction, and biological materials. Additionally, targeted K-12 educational outreach activities will allow students and teachers to participate in hands-on experiments and explore STEM careers. These opportunities will impacting low socioeconomic status communities in the Arkansas Delta. <br/><br/>This nanoindenter acquisition will provide a comprehensive nanomechanics platform for quantitatively measuring elastic modulus, hardness, deformation/wear, fatigue strength, and friction of materials. The unique capabilities of the tool will impact the following research projects: 1) Investigating strengthening mechanisms and the role dislocation dynamics in novel high-strength core-shell nanostructures; 2) Assessing the hardness of caries-affected teeth to understand how the pathogen Streptococcus mutans causes tooth decay; 3) in vitro mechanical characterization of cardiovascular tissues at physiological conditions; 4) Understanding the nanomechanistic properties of polymeric asphalt binders with high-resolution spatial mapping of elastic modulus, hardness, and complex shear modulus; 5) Precision nanomanufacturing research to improve the uniformity metallic nanopatterned surfaces produced by thin film dewetting and pulsed electric wave generation; and 6) interfacial strain measurements of III-V semiconductor quantum dot wells grown on sapphire. Together, these projects represent multi-disciplinary research collaborations across engineering and biological sciences. <br/><br/>This project is jointly funded by the division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Major Instrumentation Research Program (MRI).<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
