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.
