MRI: Acquisition of a Spark Plasma Sintering System for Functional Ceramics at Rio Grande Valley, Texas

MRI：在德克萨斯州里奥格兰德谷购买功能陶瓷火花等离子烧结系统

• 批准号: 1828672
• 负责人: M Jasim Uddin
• 金额: $ 22.97万
• 依托单位: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-09-01 至 2021-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1828672&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Spark; Plasma; Sintering

With the support from the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI), the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) acquires a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) System. Compared with conventional consolidation techniques such as solid state sintering and hot press sintering, SPS employs additional driving forces such as electromechanical stress and high local temperature gradients. These additional driving forces enable powder compacts achieving rapid sintering without grain growth and near theoretical density at lower sintering temperature. The SPS system is housed at UTRGV and used by faculty and students, as well as others at the South Texas region. The instrument advances research on optoelectronic ceramics important for potential uses in scintillators, thermistors, sensors and spintronics devices, environmental remediation ceramics for nuclear and chemical wastes, functional blend materials for energy applications such as petroleum recovery and photovoltaic cells, and metal-glass composites for prosthetics. UTRGV ranks 2nd in the nation in total Hispanic enrollment (89% Hispanic enrollment) at four-year colleges. The exposure of these students to cutting edge instrumentation facilitates their development as scientifically literate individuals and contributes to a competitive scientific workforce. The SPS system is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It especially impacts the development of a wide variety of advanced ceramics from complex metal oxides and other functional materials which possess broad application potentials such as advanced scintillators for medical diagnostics, ceramics for nuclear waste encapsulation and thermistor ceramics, etc. With the acquired SPS system, UTRGV will have the necessary capability to build a highly competitive materials science and engineering research program, and ultimately establish a Ph.D. degree. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is undergoing a transition to a research emerging university that is of significant importance to the preparation and success of our current STEM students. The award of a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) system further promotes this transition. This acquisition supports research and student training in Chemistry, Physics, and Materials Science and Engineering fields. Faculty members from five departments and two colleges directly use the SPS system for their research in materials science and engineering. Specifically, the SPS system supports projects to advance development of nanoceramics, metal-glass blends and other types of nanocomposites. This acquisition broadens the research scope for all participants, making it possible to address scientific problems in novel research areas. The state-of-the-art SPS provides a new approach for advanced materials fabrication via superfast Joule heating with additional driving forces compared with conventional consolidation techniques. The instrument strengthens current and futures courses at UTRGV. It provides unique opportunities for the cross-disciplinary research, education and training of many undergraduate and graduate students. The opportunity to participate in the state-of-the-art research projects motivates UTRGV students from a diverse background to pursue graduate school (M.S. or PhD degrees). It also serves the outreach activities to high school students and teachers in South Texas. Finally, this new instrument allows local companies to have access to an instrument that could solve ceramics related science and engineering issues while helping to support maintenance of the instrumentation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在重大研究仪器计划(MRI)的支持下，德克萨斯大学格兰德河谷大学(UTRGV)获得了一套放电等离子烧结(SPS)系统。与固相烧结和热压烧结等传统固结技术相比，SPS采用了机电应力和高局部温度梯度等附加驱动力。这些额外的驱动力使粉末压坯能够在较低的烧结温度下实现快速烧结而不会长大，并达到接近理论密度的水平。SPS系统位于UTRGV，由教职员工和学生以及南得克萨斯州地区的其他人使用。该仪器推动了光电陶瓷的研究，这些陶瓷在闪烁体、热敏电阻、传感器和自旋电子器件、核废料和化学废物的环境修复陶瓷、用于能源应用的功能混合材料(如石油回收和光伏电池)以及用于假肢的金属-玻璃复合材料等方面具有重要的潜在用途。在四年制大学中，UTRGV的拉美裔学生总数(89%)在全国排名第二。这些学生接触到尖端的仪器设备有助于他们作为具有科学素养的个人的发展，并为具有竞争力的科学工作队伍做出贡献。SPS制度旨在加强各级的研究和教育。它尤其影响了从复杂金属氧化物和其他具有广泛应用潜力的功能材料开发各种先进陶瓷，如用于医疗诊断的先进闪烁体、用于核废料封装的陶瓷和热敏陶瓷等。通过收购SPS系统，UTRGV将具备必要的能力，建立具有竞争力的材料科学和工程研究计划，并最终建立博士学位。德克萨斯大学格兰德河谷分校(UTRGV)正在向一所新兴研究型大学转型，这对我们当前STEM学生的准备和成功具有重要意义。火花等离子烧结(SPS)系统的获奖进一步促进了这一转变。这项收购支持化学、物理和材料科学与工程领域的研究和学生培训。来自五个系和两个学院的教职员工直接使用SPS系统进行材料科学和工程方面的研究。具体地说，SPS系统支持促进纳米陶瓷、金属-玻璃混合物和其他类型纳米复合材料开发的项目。这项收购拓宽了所有参与者的研究范围，使其有可能解决新研究领域的科学问题。与传统的固结技术相比，最先进的SPS为通过超快焦耳加热制造先进材料提供了一种新的方法，具有额外的驱动力。该工具加强了UTRGV的当前和未来课程。它为许多本科生和研究生的跨学科研究、教育和培训提供了独特的机会。参与最先进的研究项目的机会激励了来自不同背景的UTRGV学生攻读研究生(硕士或博士学位)。它还为南得克萨斯州的高中生和教师提供外展活动。最后，这一新的仪器允许当地公司获得一种可以解决与陶瓷相关的科学和工程问题的仪器，同时帮助支持仪器的维护。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。