Miskioglu This is an equipment grant supported under the MRI Program. The instruments to be acquired are Nano Indenter XP and its related accessories which are able to deform very small volumes of material to characterize a material's mechanical properties. This instrument can measure the properties of extremely thin films and coatings, individual phases within a multi phase or composite material as well as other materials not well suited for conventional testing. In the dynamic nanoindentation option which uses the Continuous Stiffness Measurement (CMS) technique in conjunction with the Dynamic Contact Module (DCM), the system can provide a direct and accurate measurement of the contact stiffness at all depths. Material properties may thus be determined continuously. The Lateral Force Measurement (LFM) option provides an effective tool in characterizing scratch resistance in bulk materials and coatings, and adhesion and ode of failure in thin films. The instrument will be utilized in research related to micro-structural characterization of materials. These research activities address issues dealing with light weight composites with fine fibers and/or small particles, thin films, multi-phase polymeric systems, surface mechanical properties of silicon wafers and direct-write mesoscopic structures. In all these activities the nanoindentation system is expected to yield significant insight into the behavior of these materials.***
