Acquisition of an Advanced Thermal Analysis and Imaging System for Integration with Interdisciplinary Research and Education in Low Density Organic-Inorganic Materials
Abstract
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, under authority of 10 U.S.C. ยค 2362 and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OASD(R&E)), allocated $28 million to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) with equipment and instrumentation enhancements to improve their research and education capabilities in scientific disciplines important to the defense mission. The program aims enhance the capacity of HBCU/MI to participate broadly in defense research programs and activities and to increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The objective of this proposal is to integrate the proposed acquisition of thermal analysis and imaging system with teaching and research in polymer science and engineering in the Colleges of Engineering and Science. The proposed thermal analysis system comprises of thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and dynamic thermo-mechanical analyzer (DMA) interfaced with atomic force microscope (AFM). It is a basic state-of-the-art acquisition that is considered as an indispensable part of present day polymeric materials teaching and research laboratory. This area needs strengthening at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). It will complement an extensive instrumentation array comprising of transmission electron microscopes, scanning electron microscopes, X-ray diffraction units, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopes, to list a few. The acquisition will support cutting edge research aimed at obtaining answers to unresolved research issues that broadly involve tailoring of physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of low density materials (polymers and their composites: organic-inorganic hybrid materials) and integrate the new knowledge in the academic curriculum. The acquisition and subsequent utilization of the proposed system for low density materials research at UTEP constitutes the scope of the project. Specific research areas to be enhanced and enabled by the proposed acquisition include nanoparticle effects on nucleation and growth of hierarchical structures and phases during pressure-induced crystallization of polymers, nanotailoring of structure-property relationship of novel high temperature polymer blends through 3D printing, nanoscale near surface deformation of polymer nanocomposites, organic- inorganic hybrid materials with tunable architecture for nanoscale electronics, and next generation thin film organic-inorganic photovoltaics on flexible substrates for portable power in remote defense operations and extraterrestrial satellites. The acquisition is envisioned to advance the research capabilities of more than 10 research groups, over 45 graduate and 40 undergraduate students, and 5 postdoctoral researchers, opening new avenues of research in polymer science and engineering (e.g., design of new generation of nanostructured materials, organic-inorganic hybrid materials, and materials for nanoelectronics), currently inaccessible to UTEP researchers. The PIs of this proposal are part of the team of the research programs and are collaborating with faculty members from Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemistry and Physics departments, who deal with polymer-based composites, polymer substrates for device applications, and MEMS. Furthermore, it will promote the teaching mission of UTEP by providing a user-friendly polymeric materials characterization platform to be employed in undergraduate and graduate education. Undergraduate and graduate students will be trained to conduct leading edge research using state-of-the-art thermal analysis system ...
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 12, 2017
- Source ID
- W911NF1610475
Entities
People
- Devesh Misra
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of Texas at El Paso