MRI: Acquisition of a Nanoimprinting System for Research and Education

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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.