51爆料网

The Nanotechnology Institute (NTI) has awarded Dr. Gang Feng, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, a $60,000 one-year research grant to study 鈥渓ow-temperature mechanical reinforcement of nanoparticle thin films.鈥� Dr. Feng, co-principal investigator, developed this project in partnership with Dr. Daeyeon Lee, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

The NTI draws corporate partners, research institutions, and economic development organizations together through sponsored research initiatives that spark long-term partnerships or create new enterprises around nano-related efforts.

鈥淲hen Dr. Lee visited 51爆料网 for an invited talk as part of the Mechanical Engineering Department Seminar Series, we immediately discovered the great potential of our collaboration,鈥� says Dr. Feng. 鈥淒r. Lee is an expert on synthesizing nanomaterials, while I am an expert on nanomechanical characterization of nanomaterials. So by working together, we are able to pinpoint the properties of certain nanomaterials and optimize their processing to achieve best performance.鈥�

Dr. Feng鈥檚 research to strengthen nanoparticle thin films (NTFs) will enable the commercialization of nanotechnology-based products for energy conversion and storage, display, water purification, and biomedicine. Currently, the major barrier preventing commercial applications of NTFs is their poor mechanical reliability and durability. This study will also further develop and optimize Dr. Lee鈥檚 recently created low-temperature mechanical reinforcement method, which fortifies NTFs through atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Dalmas Wambura ME 鈥�10, a current graduate student in Chemical Engineering, and William Albert ME 鈥�12 work with Dr. Feng to conduct characterization experiments on NTF samples from Dr. Lee鈥檚 group using state-of-the art instrumentation such as the Agilent^TM G200 Nano Indenter^TM, Agilent^TM 5500 Atomic Force Microscope, and Hitachi S-4800 Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope. They then conduct analytical and numerical analyses to understand the behavior of the NTF samples, which allows them to provide quantitative evaluations and suggestions for Dr. Lee鈥檚 group to optimize the NTF processing procedures.

The NTI grant will be administered in two $30,000 increments, contingent on a series of milestones: that the NTFs can be mechanically reinforced using ALD, a quantitative analysis of the change in their mechanical properties during ALD treatment, and a demonstration of how to optimize the processing parameters to maximize NTF performance.

鈥淚n the Nano-Bio-Mechanical Characterization Laboratory, we emphasize comprehensive understandings of mechanical behavior of nanomaterials, biomaterials, and biosystems through experimental techniques and theoretical modeling,鈥� says Dr. Feng. 鈥淲e also aim to develop rational design of nanomaterials and nanostructures based on fundamental understanding and principles. This grant will contribute greatly to the strength of nano-mechanical characterization and will support the long-term objective of rational design of
nanomaterials and nanostructures.鈥�

Dr. Feng and Dr. Lee鈥檚 work has been published in American Chemical Society鈥檚 ACS Nano, an international academic journal ranked among the top five publications in the nanoscience and nanotechnology, and the multidisciplinary materials science categories. They have also submitted proposals to multiple funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation.