This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This proposal seeks funding to acquire an advanced atomic force microscope (AFM) for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UWP). The multifunctional capacity provided by an advanced AFM with an integrated inverted light microscope will enable researchers and students to perform material imaging, manipulation, and property measurements with optical, electrical and thermal stimuli in both ambient air and liquid environments. Specific research projects include: (1) Electrical double layer interactions of bio-synthetic membranes at the material/water interface, 2) Nano-scale mapping of the mobility of charge carriers in heterojunction organic solar cells, 3) Study of nanoscopic, cholesterol-rich membrane domains, 4) Nanowire electro-deposition using liquid phase AFM, and 5) Characterization of solution cast transparent graphene conductive electrodes for photovoltaics, electrodes and ultracapacitors. The AFM will be a key resource within the UWP Microsystems and Nanotechnology Minor (and anticipated future four-year degree program), which provides in-depth training and experience for undergraduate students in a variety of nanoscale characterization techniques and in nanoscience topics. As a shared instrument between several departments across two Colleges, the AFM will promote interactions and catalyze interdisciplinary research and teaching at the university. The instrument will also be incorporated into existing summer outreach programs, and faculty members will attempt to address diversity issues in science and engineering through outreach activities which involve this equipment. Finally, the instrument will also find use by local business at the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Recent and future advances in diverse fields such as electronics, solar energy, and cancer studies depend on understanding the properties of materials at the "nanoscale;" that is, measuring features with dimensions a million times smaller than the width of a human hair. A remarkable aspect of this convergence in size is that one instrument, an atomic force microscope (AFM), is a key tool for these seemingly unrelated fields. The AFM requested in this proposal will enable a variety of research for students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UWP), plus hands-on student training in nanoscale measurement and fabrication techniques. One example includes using AFM to study the structure, composition, and function of biological membranes while in their natural environment: underwater. This basic research will have future implications in drug research, cancer treatment, and materials development. Further, the requested AFM can also perform nanoscale electrical measurements, which not only enable exploration of the motion of electric current in "next generation" plastic solar cells at the smallest scales, but also enable research into the fabrication of nanoscale wires, which have potential future uses in solar cells, sensors, and computing. Finally, the AFM will be an important tool in the continued development of a novel, patent-pending technique developed at UWP, in which graphene (one-atom-thick sheets of carbon) can be made into transparent, electrically conducting films at very low cost. The AFM will help optimize their fabrication, and will also characterize their electrical properties - thus laying the groundwork for their application in solar cells and electronics. All insights gained in this wide range of research will be shared with the larger scientific community; most importantly, though, acquiring this state-of-the-art AFM will help prepare UWP's science and engineering students for jobs and research opportunities after they graduate.
(UW-Platteville). The overall goal of this project was to provide an opportunity for advancing nanotechnology education and research at UW-Platteville with a multifunctional atomic force microscope system. The principal investigators successfully purchased and installed a state-of-the-art AFM (Asylum Research MFP-3D-BI) in the fall of 2010. This tool is a "workhorse" of nanotechnology, and is able to perform a wide range of nanoscale measurements of materials. Students and faculty members at UW-Platteville used this tool for nanometer-scale imaging, manipulation, and measurement of optical, electrical and thermal properties in both ambient air and liquid environments. A total of seven faculty members from three departments across the campus have used the instrument for research projects, with the involvement of over 24 undergraduate students. The projects provided in-depth training and a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to perform leading-edge research on materials at the nanometer scale. The AFM was used to make advances on several scientific fronts: (1) we have increased the understanding of interaction forces between water and solid surfaces with different chemical treatments; (2) we aided the development of a novel AFM probe capable of measuring the nanoscale electro-thermal response of material; (3) we made progress in developing a graphene/polypropylene nanocomposite; (4) we discovered insights to the nature of light-enhanced electrical conduction in ferroelectric thin films; (4) we also revealed the key technical barrier to imaging certain bio-synthetic free-standing membranes. The results of the supported work were published in scientific journals and presented in national and international conferences. Finally, the instrument also gained usage by local start-up companies for research and development. The project promoted the culture of undergraduate research in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The enrollment in our research credit course has increased by about 50% over the course of this project. The infrastructure needs of the AFM, and of the research supported by this grant, have driven the successful development the Nano Characterization and Materials Fabrication Laboratory in University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The state-of-the-art lab facility provides undergraduate students at UW-Platteville the opportunity to learn key skill sets they will need in industry, and also provides a unique opportunity to not only use world-class instrumentation, but also to train other students in its use. In addition to being a key instrumentation for research activities, the AFM serves as a major tool in nanotechnology education and outreach. In education, the project facilitated curriculum development and the addition of a bachelor's degree in Microsystems and Nanomaterial Engineering at UW-Platteville in 2011. The AFM has been used in two undergraduate courses in the newly launched major. It was also used in workshops on nanotechnology education for physics teachers in Wisconsin. In outreach to the greater public, the AFM was used to help spark public interest in science: some of the AFM images generated by the students were displayed in the Science as Art Contest during the EXPO Day in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science at UW-Platteville. The AFM was also a featured instrument in UW-Platteville day camp programs for recruiting underrepresented high school and community college students into fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
