The grant will enable the acquisition of state-of-the art equipment for nanoscale mechanical testing, which includes a versatile stand-alone nanoindenter/nanoscratch instrument, a specialized nanoindenter used inside a transmission electron microscope and a sub-nanoindenter capable of sub-nanometer indentations. The instruments will enable measurements of the mechanical behavior at scales from few Angstroms to microns of a plethora of engineering and biological materials. Specifically, the equipment will advance research projects on a range of diverse materials research problems on biological materials, thin films, microelectromechanical systems, and nanocomposites. In the area of bioengineering, biological tissues, biomaterials, cells, and biological systems such as ant jaw traps, will be investigated. Characterization of in-situ properties at the micro- and nano-scales will enable fundamental understanding of their hierarchical structures, will lead to design of novel bioinspired systems, and serve as sorely needed inputs for modeling. In the areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology, novel nanoscale materials, devices, systems and processes, as well as new composite and construction materials, will be characterized to design fabrication processes and to tailor properties of novel engineering materials for a range of technological applications. This equipment will also advance the fundamental knowledge of micro- and nano-scale tribological phenomena in thin films and advanced materials.
The equipment will be housed in a shared user facility at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, open 24 hours to the entire campus and outside users. The facility houses a range of materials and surface characterization equipment and is accessed by over 700 users. The instruments will be integrated in a graduate laboratory course and will also be introduced to researchers in an established annual workshop. A dedicated website will also be developed addressing fundamentals and advanced topics on nanoindentation and it will include results of different research groups using this equipment serving as forum to exchange scientific ideas in the open community.
