MRI: Acquisition of a Nanoscale 3D printer for Fundamental and Applied Research at Wayne State University and Southeast Michigan

3D打印设备的快速成型已经成为科学和工程研究中不可或缺的工具；然而，传统仪器无法创建定制的微米和纳米级结构，而且周转时间很短。该项目寻求通过收购Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2来加速密歇根州东南部多样化调查团队的研究，这是一种最先进的纳米级3D打印和无掩模光刻系统，将是密歇根州下半岛的第一个此类系统。该仪器将由韦恩州立大学(WSU)和其他六所地区性大学的七个系的18名教职调查人员使用。GT2将安装在WSU纳米加工设施(NFab)，这是一个5,000平方英尺的洁净室，提供100级空气过滤，以减少缺陷、过滤照明和使用其他仪器进行打印前和打印后处理。管理计划寻求通过维持适度的费用和远程服务模式来最大限度地扩大用户基础。GT2将加速WSU的微和纳米制造能力，同时加强其在密歇根州东南部设备制造中心的区域网络中的作用。在其15年的寿命中，我们预计该仪器将用于400名研究生、400名本科生和80名博士后的研究，其中包括女性、代表性不足的学生和初级学者。它将通过将快速纳米级原型技术融入到微制造和设计的研究生和本科生课程中，帮助培训另外1000名学生。在密歇根州，制造业占总经济的20%，亲身接触3D CAD和微制造对劳动力培训至关重要。六所合作大学中有三所主要是本科院校，为7500名工科学生提供服务。最后，GT2将通过西苏里州立大学STEM创新学习中心、底特律地区科学博览会项目和一年一度的K-12学生STEM日促进社区外展。GT2将补充WSU其他由NSF资助的光学、电子和原子力显微镜，为底特律社区提供对微观设计工作流程的深入、实践了解。Nanoscribe光子专业版GT2采用双光子聚合(2PP)技术，可在多种材料上打印分辨率为200纳米的3D结构。三项关键的仪器能力将克服研究人员面临的挑战。GT2：(1)能够以比传统3D打印机小1000倍的长度尺度制造具有不受约束几何形状的3D结构，从而能够在200 nm-100微米的长度尺度上进行系统的物理研究和开发；(2)与各种定制树脂兼容，以支持各种项目，包括纳米颗粒嵌入或可生物降解材料；以及(3)能够在实验设备设计上快速迭代，这是加速假设驱动和应用研究的关键。GT2将在3个科学推力方面实现协同进展。1)胶体组装将解决尚未解答的问题，即3D结构如何控制长度从200 nm到100微米的生物膜、纳米胶体和液滴的组装。2)确定性孔隙率将试图了解几何控制的亚微米到微米介观结构如何改变本体聚合物的性质，解决当代问题，如固态电池电极的体积膨胀，以及孔隙率梯度在分子过滤中的作用。3)3D MEMS将设计3D结构，以扩展或改善微传感器和执行器的性能，为行星地震仪、活体微型机器人、图像激活细胞分类器和光学信号处理器提供新的方法。三次推进的成果将促进不同应用领域的知识进步，包括能量存储、芯片实验室、组织工程、神经接口、胶体制造、药物输送、机器人、传感器和超材料。项目还将加强2PP制造领域，包括计算机辅助设计的机器学习优化，以及通过干涉测量对2PP光学元件进行表征。成功将通过出版物和向研究社区传播的3D CAD设计的数量和多样性进行评估。该奖项反映了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。

Rapid prototyping of devices by 3D printing has become an indispensable tool in science and engineering research; however, conventional instruments are unable to create custom micro- and nanoscale structures with short turnaround times. This project seeks to accelerate research for a diverse team of investigators in southeast Michigan by acquiring a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2, a state-of-the-art nanoscale 3D printing and maskless lithography system that will be the first of its kind in Michigan’s lower peninsula. The instrument will be used by eighteen faculty investigators across seven departments at Wayne State University (WSU) and six other regional universities. The GT2 will be housed at the WSU Nanofabrication Facility (nFab), a 5,000 sqft clean room that provides class 100 air filtration to reduce defects, filtered lighting, and access to other instruments for pre- and post-print processes. The management plan seeks to maximize the user base by maintaining modest fees and a remote service model. The GT2 will accelerate the micro- and nanofabrication capabilities at WSU while strengthening its role in the regional network of device manufacturing hubs in southeast Michigan. Over its 15-year lifespan, we anticipate the instrument will be used in research by 400 graduate students, 400 undergraduates, and 80 postdocs, including women and underrepresented students and junior scholars. It will help train 1,000 additional students by incorporating rapid nanoscale prototyping into graduate and undergraduate courses on microfabrication and design. Hands-on exposure to 3D CAD and microfabrication is critical to workforce training in Michigan, where manufacturing makes up 20% of the total economy. Three of six partner universities are primarily undergraduate institutions, serving 7,500 engineering students. Lastly, the GT2 will facilitate community outreach through the WSU STEM Innovation Learning Center, Detroit-area science fair projects, and the annual STEM day for K-12 students. The GT2 will complement WSU’s other NSF-funded optical, electron, and atomic force microscopes to provide an in-depth, hands-on understanding of micro design workflow to the Detroit community. The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 uses 2-photon polymerization (2PP) to print 3D structures with a resolution of 200 nm in a variety of materials. Three key instrument capabilities will overcome challenges faced by researchers. The GT2: (1) enables fabrication of 3D structures with unconstrained geometries at 1000X smaller length scales than conventional 3D printers, enabling systematic studies and exploitation of physics at 200 nm-100 µm length scales; (2) is compatible with a variety of custom resins to support a diversity of projects, including nanoparticle embedded or biodegradable materials; and (3) enables rapid iteration on experimental device designs, which is key to accelerating both hypothesis-driven and applied research. The GT2 will enable synergistic advances in 3 scientific thrusts. 1) Colloidal assembly will address unanswered questions of how 3D structures control the assembly of biomembranes, nanocolloids, and droplets at length scales from 200 nm to 100 µm. 2) Deterministic porosity will seek to understand how geometrically controlled, sub-µm to µm mesostructures change bulk polymer properties, addressing contemporary issues such as the volume expansion in solid-state battery electrodes, and the role of porosity gradients in molecular filtration. 3) 3D MEMS will engineer 3D structures to extend or improve the performance of microsensors and actuators, contributing novel approaches for planetary seismometers, in-vivo microrobots, image-activated cell sorters, and optical signal processors. Outcomes within three thrusts will advance knowledge in diverse applications including energy storage, lab on a chip, tissue engineering, neural interfaces, colloidal manufacturing, drug delivery, robotics, sensors, and metamaterials. Projects will also enhance the field of 2PP fabrication, including machine-learning optimization of CAD designs, and characterization of 2PP optical components by interferometry. Success will be evaluated by publications and the number and diversity of 3D CAD designs disseminated to the research community.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.