The Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) is a highly sensitive balance that can detect changes in mass at the molecular level by monitoring changes in frequency and dissipation of a quartz crystal. These capabilities significantly enhance material development research of surfaces and interfaces over a wide range of areas, such as coating development; fouling of membranes; drug capsule preparations; and bio-absorption of aqueous media on geological formations. This instrument will be used as a shared facility in the State of Mississippi and the southeastern region, coordinated by investigators from the University of Mississippi (UM) and Mississippi State University (MSU). Specifically, this instrument will be used to dramatically improve research productivity from at least eight Departments across two Universities (UM and MSU), spanning Chemical, Biomedical, Civil, and Agricultural / Biological Engineering; Department of Geosciences; and the School of Pharmacy. Fourteen different research groups will immediately benefit from incorporation of this instrument into their research activities, and up to 65 research students will learn new interfacial measurements using this state-of-the-art equipment. Additionally, over 200 students will be positively impacted by the study of academic courses that will utilize the QCM-D for practical activities, with approximately half of these students being from underrepresented groups. Finally, this instrument will also be used for summer research activities to interest K-12 students in STEM, as part of a dedicated outreach program.

The QCM-D is a state-of-the-art instrument used in material development and investigation of surfaces and interfaces. It has molecular-level accuracy in measuring adsorption, binding, or removal of molecules from a surface. The proposed instrument has several modules besides the basic 4-channel flow module, including a constant humidity chamber; a module to conduct concurrent microscopy measurements; a high temperature chamber to 150oC; and a spin coater to prepare individual sensors with unique surfaces. This infrastructure will initially serve 14 research groups in areas of a) multifunctional coating development for packaging applications; b) ionic liquid / polymer composites for membrane separations; c) coating development for drug delivery; d) cell division and muscle contraction; e) graphene-based nanocarriers for drug delivery; f) mineralization mechanisms at nano and micro scales in geological applications; and g) bio-absorption of aqueous media on geological formations. These efforts will be expanded to other areas with the shared nature intended for this instrument with other institutions and industries.

This project is jointly funded by CBET-MRI Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program.

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.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2020-09-01
Budget End
2023-08-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
$185,486
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Mississippi
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
University
State
MS
Country
United States
Zip Code
38677