Acquisition of a State of the Art Micro Raman Spectrometer for Research and Education

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9975691SchadlerThis award will provide partial support for the acquisition of a micro Raman spectrometer (MRS) for use of applications including: micro-mechanical behavior of materials, tribology, nanotube technology, biomaterials, and microelectronics. Students from materials engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomediacal engineering will be the primary users of the proposed equipment, but it will be available to other users as well. This instrument will provide research capability currently not available at Rensselaer. It will strengthen many current research programs and provide numerous opportunities for developing new programs. The MRS is a state-of-the-art central facility with an order of magnitude faster count times and better spatial resolution than the technology currently available at Rensselaer.The MRS will do more than impact individual projects. It: (1) will contribute to the infrastructure in Rensselaer's developing center of excellence in nano-structured materials; (2) will help advance the field of micromechanical behavior (i.e., MRS is the only technique capable of directly probing the strain in fibers embedded in a polymer composite), and ; (3) will be used for innovation in studying materials for microelectronic applications and tribology, and bone implant materials.MRS is becoming a standard analytical technique, and RPI students in many areas of study need experience in Raman spectroscopy. The facility will be available to our microscopy for undergraduate research projects. The Department also teaches a course in nanostructured materials in a seminar format. Thus, as new developments are uncovered using micro Raman spectroscopy, they will be included in this course through the guest lectures and/or student projects.%%%This is a unique investment which is expected to advance fundamental knowledge, and provide excellent training for students at all levels.***