Acquisition of Instrumentation for Polymer Materials Research and Education

Tuskegee Institute, George Washington Carver Foundation, Tuskegee Institute AL

Investigators

Abstract

0076508 Dean This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program to Tuskegee Institute, George Washington Carver Foundation is for the acquisition of two new instruments, a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) and a Thermomechanical Analyzer(TMA). The DMA and TMA will establish new research capabilities at Tuskegee University and will be very useful in characterizing structure-processing- property relationships of advanced materials that are the focus of both current and future research. Polymers and polymer-based composites are primarily studied at Tuskegee. Several students in a newly established doctoral degree program in materials will benefit significantly from the use of these instruments in their dissertation research, with an additional eight (8) M.S. and six (6 ) undergraduate students in Chemistry, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering also using the instrumentation. Use of these instruments will not only enable students to enhance the quality of their research, but will also allow them to strengthen the principles learned in the classroom with actual "hands-on" experience and significantly broaden their exposure to physical characterization of polymers and polymer-based composites. Undergraduate students involved in these projects will use their research to satisfy their senior project requirements. This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program to Tuskegee Institute, George Washington Carver Foundation is for the acquisition of two new instruments, a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) and a Thermomechanical Analyzer(TMA). The DMA and TMA will establish new research capabilities at Tuskegee University and will be very useful in characterizing structure-processing- property relationships of advanced materials that are the focus of both current and future research. Polymers and polymer-based composites are primarily studied at Tuskegee. Several students in a newly established doctoral degree program in materials will benefit significantly from the use of these instruments in their dissertation research, with an additional eight (8) M.S. and six (6 ) undergraduate students in Chemistry, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering also using the instrumentation. Use of these instruments will not only enable students to enhance the quality of their research, but will also allow them to strengthen the principles learned in the classroom with actual "hands-on" experience and significantly broaden their exposure to physical characterization of polymers and polymer-based composites. Undergraduate students involved in these projects will use their research to satisfy their senior project requirements.