NSF Award
9961065
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to develop an instrumentation system capable of characterizing the surface area and surface pore size distribution of coatings without the need for removing the coating from its substrate or using specific deposition substrates. Current state of the art instrumentation is incapable of accurately characterizing the surface and pore size distributions of deposited coatings. The proposed instrument would provide enabling technology for the characterization of coatings and surfaces.<br/><br/>The proposed surface characterization instrument represents a breakthrough capability for manufacturers and users of advanced coatings and membranes. Instead of relying on time-consuming empirical trials of large volumes of prototype material, rapid determination of surface area and pore size distribution will be possible with cost-effective small samples.<br/><br/>The coatings and membrane industries represent markets exceeding $4 billion in the next decade. Instrumentation that would enable industry to accurately, quickly and inexpensively characterize the vital surface features of coatings and membranes will be widely applicable for quality control of devices. This instrument system is applicable, but not limited, to semiconductor processing, membrane development, optical coatings and pharmaceutical and medical products.
