MRI: Acquisition of a Nanoimprinting System for Research and Education

该奖项为佛罗里达国际大学提供资金，用于购买用于研究和教育的纳米压印设备。纳米压印不受光学衍射极限的限制，具有大面积曝光和高通量的能力。它将使北京外国语大学S开放实验室的研究人员能够开展几个主要的尖端研究项目，如：基于碳纳米电极的微型电池的开发；基于聚合物的集成纳米光子器件；纳米结构聚合物材料的力学；DNA阵列生物医学器件；微/纳米流体器件；以及碳纳米管传感器。拟议的活动将促进不同领域内和跨领域的知识。通过获得这一下一级的能力，FIU的研究人员和合作者将能够对具有巨大实际应用潜力的纳米技术设备和工艺进行研究。收购纳米打印机公司使拟议项目的成功开发成为可能，这对医疗保健和国土安全具有广泛的影响。本次仪器仪表研究将本科生与研究生S的培养融为一体。现有的动手实验室课程将扩大到包括这种新的纳米级大规模生产技术的实验。除了令人兴奋的研究课题外，FIU--佛罗里达州最顶尖的拉美裔服务机构之一--增强的研究基础设施将吸引更多来自我们代表性较低的人口的学生进入研究生院。预计将对增加材料科学、生物医学和电气工程专业的学生数量产生重大影响，这些学生来自传统上代表性较低的群体。让研究生和本科生在开放访问的实验室中接触到这项新技术，也将有助于促进不同研究小组之间的跨学科和多学科研究合作，模糊部门甚至机构的边界。纳米打印机将放置在现有的开放式摩托罗拉纳米制造研究设施中，校园用户以及南佛罗里达州的其他学术和行业用户将很容易获得该打印机。

This award provides funds to the Florida International University to acquire a Nanoimprinter for research and education. Nanoimprinting is not governed by the optical diffraction limit and has the capability of large area exposures with high throughput. It will enable researchers at FIU?s open-access lab to conduct several main cutting edge research projects, such as: the development of micro-batteries based on carbon nanoelectrodes; integrated nano-photonic devices based on polymers; the mechanics of nanostructured polymer materials; DNA array biomedical devices; Micro/Nano fluidic devices; and carbon-nanotube sensors. The proposed activities will advance knowledge in and across different fields. By acquiring this next level of capability, FIU researchers and collaborators will be able to perform research on nanotechnology devices and processes that have great potential for actual applications. The successful development of the proposed projects, enabled by the Nanoimprinter acquisition, has broad implications in health care and homeland security. This instrumentation research will integrate undergraduate and graduate student?s training. Existing hands-on laboratory courses will be expanded to include experiments with this new nanoscale mass-production technology. Together with the exciting research topics, the enhanced infrastructure for research at FIU - one of the top Hispanic Serving Institutions in Florida - will attract more students from our underrepresented population into graduate school. A big impact on increasing the number of students in materials science, biomedical and electrical engineering from traditionally underrepresented groups is expected. Exposing graduate and undergraduate students to this new technology in an open-access laboratory will also help to boost interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research collaboration across various research groups, blurring the boundary of departments and even institutions. The Nanoimprinter will be placed in the existing open-access Motorola Nanofabrication Research Facility, and will be easily accessible to campus users as well as other academic and industry users in south Florida.