IMR: Acquisition of a Scanning Probe Microscope for Undergraduate Materials Research and Education

Northern Kentucky University, Newport KY

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical abstract The NSF IMR grant will support the acquisition of a scanning probe microscope for materials science research and education at Northern Kentucky University, a primarily undergraduate institution. This instrumentation would provide new opportunities to characterize and evaluate the application potential of materials, allowing students to work with faculty on a diverse array of cross-disciplinary projects, including the development of protective coatings and the design of new materials for drug delivery and solar cell technology. This instrumentation will also be utilized in science courses at NKU and as an outreach tool to local schools. The integration of a new laboratory-based interdisciplinary materials science course will expand the quality of materials science curriculum at NKU, providing high-tech training for undergraduates entering their post-baccalaureate careers. Many of these students are first generation, non-traditional students, from low socio-economic backgrounds (Appalachia). Technical Abstract This NSF IMR proposal requests the acquisition of a scanning probe microscope (SPM) for materials science research and cross-disciplinary education at Northern Kentucky University. The incorporation of a scanning probe microscope into the science departments at the university is central to current research projects conducted at NKU including: 1) development of new materials to characterize and prevent biofilm formation, 2) design of polymeric nanomaterials (dendrimers) for drug delivery across the blood brain barrier, and 3) characterization of organometallic supramolecular systems as potential charge transport devices. The SPM will be utilized to evaluate the antifouling potential of materials, analyze the interaction of custom designed dendrimers at model blood brain barrier surfaces, and to determine if layered fullerene-transition metal and multimetallic systems can conduct charge using electric force microscopy. The SPM will also provide new research avenues for faculty at NKU and serve an important role in the materials science undergraduate curriculum and educational outreach to local schools. A new laboratory-based interdisciplinary materials science course incorporating the SPM to study concepts such as magnetism, nanostructures, and phase transitions in materials will be integrated into the science curriculum.