NSF Award
1725903
This grant is to acquire a spectroscopic ellipsometer for advancing materials research at Kettering University. This award will allow the university to expand research capabilities, support integration of research and experiential learning into courses, and enhance outreach programs in science and engineering fields. As many new educational programs have been established at Kettering recently, research projects targeted at engineered materials and surfaces have been launched, spanning a wide range of collaborative disciplines. An ellipsometer will add breadth to the growing laboratory capabilities essential to many ongoing research projects on campus. Undergraduates will benefit from using the ellipsometer not only as a part of the research experience, but also as a part of their courses, since many research-grade instruments are integrated into their classes. Additionally, the university is expanding its graduate offerings and is currently developing a Master?s program in Materials Science and Engineering. Therefore, this instrument will also greatly benefit the new graduate program. This award will also enrich the outreach programs offered through the university, designed to spark interest in science and engineering fields in the Flint community and beyond.<br/><br/>The proposed instrument is a J.A. Woollam M-2000 Ellipsometer. This model can reach a wide audience with ease of use, while also offering full research-grade capabilities, such as measuring film thickness, optical constants, refractive index, and pore size distribution. Materials science and engineering related research projects recently established at Kettering encompass multiple disciplines. Investigators involved in this proposal mentor many undergraduate research assistants. This ellipsometer will enable researchers to overcome the challenges associated with developing the process-property relationships, necessary to optimize and engineer new materials and surfaces. Examples of projects, which will be supported by this ellipsometer, include developing engineered surfaces for orthopedic implants, investigating the deposition behavior of organosilicons in plasma, creating new materials and models for sodium-ion batteries, improving food storage materials, monitoring of surface-initiated polymerization kinetics, depositing silicon dioxide thin films with plasma, synthesizing materials for tissue engineering and wound repair, and understanding refractive index for thin ferrofluid layers. This award is co-funded by the CBET Division and CMMI Division.
