Hyper-Frequency Viscoelastic Spectroscopy for Advanced Composites and Biomaterials

粘弹性材料的修改，以满足工程规范，往往是基于试错法，因为有一个在固态下的动态行为缺乏了解。由拟议设备实现的新技术将能够深入研究这些行为，这是通过现有技术无法实现的，使我们能够将材料修改到先进材料和制造领域（例如电子，汽车，航空航天，医疗保健）高端应用所需的程度。我们请求资助一种超高频粘弹性光谱（HFVS）仪器，这将使我们能够在动态条件下对先进复合材料和生物材料进行非接触和非破坏性机械表征。 动态机械表征对于申请人的研究计划是必不可少的，该研究计划调查在微/纳米尺度定制的先进复合材料和生物材料，包括软水凝胶、生物组织、生物膜、智能粘合剂、食品、刚性骨样材料、橡胶和化学工程、机械工程、系统设计工程和化学领域中的结构复合材料。然而，我们目前的能力是破坏性的，耗时的，并且在弹性模量和激励频率范围的测试范围方面受到限制，这使我们无法获得深入的科学见解来修改我们材料的粘弹性。非接触式和超快测量非常适合易碎且对时间敏感的材料，如水凝胶、生物膜和粘性微/纳米结构。拟议的设备将大大加强一些正在进行的研究计划，通过（a）使各种材料的动态力学性能的表征，（生物的和合成的）具有一系列粘弹性，（B）使得能够研究多功能结构化材料的行为（仿生材料和3D打印架构），（c）满足一项迫切需要，即推进车辆所用先进材料的计算建模和模拟，以在汽车碰撞中保护人。 这些能力将使我们能够在该领域的最前沿进行研究，并将我们的世界级项目提升到一个新的水平。这种最先进的设备是高度通用的，并具有独特的培训机会，我们的研究生和研究人员的巨大潜力。在仪器的使用寿命期间，预计将有超过400名HQP接受测量复合材料和生物材料动态力学性能的培训。这些知识和技能在电子、汽车、航空航天、生物医学和医疗保健材料等制造业中需求量很大。

The modification of viscoelastic materials to meet engineering specifications is often based on a trial-and-error approach because there is a lack of understanding of their dynamic behavior at solid states. The novel technique enabled by the proposed equipment will enable an in-depth study of these behaviors, not possible through existing techniques, allowing us to modify materials to the extent required for high-end applications in advanced materials and manufacturing sectors (e.g. electronics, automotive, aerospace, healthcare.) We request funding for a hyper-frequency viscoelastic spectroscopy (HFVS) instrument, which will enable us to perform a newly-developed technique for the contactless and non-destructive mechanical characterization of advanced composites and biomaterials under dynamic conditions. Dynamic mechanical characterization is essential to the applicants’ research programs investigating advanced composites tailored at micro/nano scales and biomaterials including soft hydrogels, biological tissues, biofilms, smart adhesive, foods, rigid bone-like materials, rubbers, and structural composites in the fields of chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, system design engineering, and chemistry. However, our current capabilities are destructive, time-consuming, and limited in terms of the testing ranges of elastic modules and excitation frequency range, which prevents us from acquiring in-depth scientific insights for modification of the viscoelastic properties of our materials. Contactless and ultrafast measurements are ideally suited for materials that are fragile and time-sensitive, such as hydrogels, biofilm, and adhesive micro/nano structure. The proposed equipment will greatly enhance a number of on-going research programs by (a) enabling characterization of dynamic mechanical properties of a variety of materials (both biological and synthetic) with a range of viscoelasticities, (b) enabling study of the behavior of multifunctional architectured materials (biomimetic materials and 3D-printed architectures), (c) addressing a critical need for advancing computational modeling and simulation of advanced materials used in vehicles for the protection of humans in car collisions. These capabilities will allow us to perform research at the forefront of the field and boost our world-class programs to the next level of sophistication. This state-of-art equipment is highly versatile, and has vast potential for unique training opportunities to our graduate students and researchers. During the lifetime of the instrument, it is expected that >400 HQP will be trained in measuring the dynamic mechanical properties of composites and biomaterials. These knowledge and skills are in high demand in such manufacturing sectors as electronics, automotive, aerospace, biomedical and healthcare materials.