MRI: Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope Equipped with Triboscope Nanoindentation and NanoIR Spectroscopy Capabilities

该重大研究仪器（MRI）奖支持购买带有摩擦镜的原子力显微镜，用于新材料发现和微观结构表征。该仪器将支持宾夕法尼亚州立大学伊利的多学科研究小组的基础研究，并促进与附近机构的合作。它将加强本科生参与材料研究和K-12外联活动的前沿，以促进STEM招聘，特别是在妇女，少数民族和经济弱势群体中。基础研究将在纤维复合材料、先进聚合物材料和太阳能电池效率表征等领域进行。 这项工作的一个潜在的变革方面是耦合测试模式-纳米压痕和红外光谱-可以提供急需的见解材料响应时，受到多物理条件。该仪器将使研究人员能够使用专门的刚性测试探针在微米和纳米尺度上确定硬度和弹性模量等机械性能。 NanoIR光谱提供样品表面的形貌图像，并以高空间分辨率表征材料的化学成分。这使得在亚纳米分辨率下对界面化学组成、界面均匀性、过渡层的形态和性质以及树脂渗透性的基本理解能够取得进展。微观结构特性的局部表征（NanoIR）与局部机械特性（Triboscope）相结合，使研究人员能够在更大的尺度上将微观结构特性与随机材料行为联系起来。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope with a triboscope for new material discoveries and microstructural characterization. The instrumentation will support fundamental research by a multidisciplinary group of researchers at Penn State Erie and foster collaborations with nearby institutions. It will enhance undergraduate involvement in the frontiers of material research and K-12 outreach activities to promote STEM recruitment, particularly among women, minorities and the economically disadvantaged. Fundamental research will be conducted in the areas of fiber composites, advanced polymeric materials and the characterization of solar cell efficiencies. A potentially transformative aspect of this work is the coupled testing modalities-- nanoindentation and IR spectroscopy--that can provide much-needed insights on material response when subjected to multiphysical conditions. The instrumentation will enable the researchers to determine mechanical properties such as hardness and elastic modulus using specialized rigid test probes at the micro and nanometer scales. The NanoIR spectroscopy provides topographical images of the sample surface and characterizes the chemical composition of materials with high spatial resolution. This enables advances in fundamental understanding of interfacial chemical composition, interfacial uniformity, morphology and properties of transition layer and resin permeability at a sub nanometer resolution. Local characterization of microstructural properties (NanoIR), coupled with local mechanical properties (Triboscope), allows the researchers to link microstructural properties to stochastic material behavior at a larger scale.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.