This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award will fund the acquisition of an atomic force microscope (AFM), the sole state-of-the-art AFM device in Northeast Arkansas. It will be used to support ongoing multi-disciplinary materials research, education, and training programs at Arkansas State University at Jonesboro (ASU-J). The AFM device will empower faculty members, researchers, and students (graduate and undergraduate) of ASU-J to expand their collaborations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research, instruction, and training in characterizing materials for engineering, chemical, and biological applications. The requested equipment will also assist ASU-J faculty expand their ongoing outreach activities through internships and training sessions with local high schools to motivate and recruit underrepresented student groups into STEM majors.
The requested AFM system will be used in several ongoing research projects in collecting nano-scale data in the fields of sustainable and alternative paving materials, the nature of small electromagnetic particles, energy harvesting and efficient operation of power plants, physiochemical properties of atmospheric particles relevant to global warming, and semiconductor/photovoltaic materials. Furthermore, test results obtained from the AFM system will be used to validate those obtained from mathematical and molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, the AFM will be used to: (i) evaluate atomic level mechanistic properties and interfacial strength through nanoindentation, and examine nanoscale dispersion characteristics of multifunctional asphalts modified with different additives, (ii) fabricate microfluidic channels for molecular level identification of biological and plant species, (iii) evaluate physical properties of aerosol particles in the atmosphere, (iv) test corrosive inner surface and ash deposits on outer layers of specimens taken from post-boiler equipment in coal-fired power plants, (v) quantify micro-particle (e.g., toner) adhesion to flat substrates, (vi) profile and visualize bioinformatic images and gene expressions toward developing scalable algorithms based upon granular computing concepts, and (vii) synthesize and characterize optoelectronic materials and semiconductor devices, for example, solar cells. The outcomes of this project will assist in building a strong collaborative materials research group to study novel materials through fundamental science approaches.
