NSF Award
2018889
Nontechnical Description:<br/>This project funds upgrades to a scanning probe microscope that is central to the research, teaching, and outreach activities at Appalachian State University. This system is critical to four different physics and chemistry research groups on campus and enables continued collaborations with several institutions, including Duke University and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Research performed using the upgraded system will be conducted primarily by undergraduates and Masters students and will focus on the development and characterization of electronic materials such as organic semiconductors and atomically thin crystals. It benefits the public by helping to develop renewable power sources and performant electronic technologies. In addition to research, the instrument is used daily for teaching and is integrated into Appalachian's graduate-level courses on microscopy techniques, materials science, and nanoscience. The microscope is also regularly featured in educational outreach and recruiting events, such as campus open house tours and Appalachian's Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Expo, a science festival event that gathers approximately 2,500 K-12 students annually. <br/><br/>Technical Description:<br/>This award allows the addition of two nanoscale imaging modes, Peakforce Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy and Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping, to the existing Dimension Icon scanning probe microscope at Appalachian. Kelvin Probe microscopy characterizes changes in the work function of a material at the nanoscale, whereas nanomechanical mapping images the spatial variations of the strain and elastic modulus. The team uses these modes to: (1) investigate and optimize the morphology of field-effect and photovoltaic devices based on organic semiconductor blends; (2) characterize local doping in van der Waals heterostructures; (3) image the local strain that arises from Moire effects in twisted van der Waals heterostructures; and (4) characterize the nanoscale morphology of switchable elastomeric materials based on metal-coordination complex crosslinked polymer networks.<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.
