MRI: Acquisition of Advanced Nanomechanics Instruments for Nanomechanical, Biomechanics and Nanotribological Experiments

这笔拨款将用于购买最先进的纳米机械测试设备，其中包括一个通用的独立纳米压痕/纳米划痕仪器，一个专用的纳米压痕机，用于透射电子显微镜和亚纳米压痕的亚纳米压痕机。这些仪器将能够测量大量工程和生物材料在几埃到微米尺度上的机械行为。具体来说，该设备将推进生物材料、薄膜、微机电系统和纳米复合材料等一系列不同材料研究问题的研究项目。在生物工程领域，将研究生物组织、生物材料、细胞和生物系统，如蚂蚁颚陷阱。在微观和纳米尺度上对原位特性的表征将使人们对它们的层次结构有基本的了解，将导致新的生物启发系统的设计，并作为建模急需的输入。在纳米科学和纳米技术领域，新的纳米材料、器件、系统和工艺，以及新的复合材料和建筑材料，将以设计制造工艺和为一系列技术应用量身定制新型工程材料的特性为特征。该设备还将推进薄膜和先进材料中微纳米级摩擦学现象的基础知识。这些设备将被安置在伊利诺伊大学香槟分校的共享用户设施中，对整个校园和外部用户开放24小时。该设施容纳了一系列材料和表面表征设备，可供700多名用户使用。这些仪器将被纳入研究生实验课程，并将在已设立的年度研讨会上介绍给研究人员。还将开发一个专门的网站，讨论纳米压痕的基础和高级主题，它将包括不同研究小组使用该设备的结果，作为开放社区交流科学思想的论坛。

The grant will enable the acquisition of state-of-the art equipment for nanoscale mechanical testing, which includes a versatile stand-alone nanoindenter/nanoscratch instrument, a specialized nanoindenter used inside a transmission electron microscope and a sub-nanoindenter capable of sub-nanometer indentations. The instruments will enable measurements of the mechanical behavior at scales from few Angstroms to microns of a plethora of engineering and biological materials. Specifically, the equipment will advance research projects on a range of diverse materials research problems on biological materials, thin films, microelectromechanical systems, and nanocomposites. In the area of bioengineering, biological tissues, biomaterials, cells, and biological systems such as ant jaw traps, will be investigated. Characterization of in-situ properties at the micro- and nano-scales will enable fundamental understanding of their hierarchical structures, will lead to design of novel bioinspired systems, and serve as sorely needed inputs for modeling. In the areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology, novel nanoscale materials, devices, systems and processes, as well as new composite and construction materials, will be characterized to design fabrication processes and to tailor properties of novel engineering materials for a range of technological applications. This equipment will also advance the fundamental knowledge of micro- and nano-scale tribological phenomena in thin films and advanced materials. The equipment will be housed in a shared user facility at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, open 24 hours to the entire campus and outside users. The facility houses a range of materials and surface characterization equipment and is accessed by over 700 users. The instruments will be integrated in a graduate laboratory course and will also be introduced to researchers in an established annual workshop. A dedicated website will also be developed addressing fundamentals and advanced topics on nanoindentation and it will include results of different research groups using this equipment serving as forum to exchange scientific ideas in the open community.