Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The modification of viscoelastic materials to meet engineering specifications is often based on a trial-and-error approach because there is a lack of understanding of their dynamic behavior at solid states. The novel technique enabled by the proposed equipment will enable an in-depth study of these behaviors, not possible through existing techniques, allowing us to modify materials to the extent required for high-end applications in advanced materials and manufacturing sectors (e.g. electronics, automotive, aerospace, healthcare.) We request funding for a hyper-frequency viscoelastic spectroscopy (HFVS) instrument, which will enable us to perform a newly-developed technique for the contactless and non-destructive mechanical characterization of advanced composites and biomaterials under dynamic conditions. Dynamic mechanical characterization is essential to the applicants' research programs investigating advanced composites tailored at micro/nano scales and biomaterials including soft hydrogels, biological tissues, biofilms, smart adhesive, foods, rigid bone-like materials, rubbers, and structural composites in the fields of chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, system design engineering, and chemistry. However, our current capabilities are destructive, time-consuming, and limited in terms of the testing ranges of elastic modules and excitation frequency range, which prevents us from acquiring in-depth scientific insights for modification of the viscoelastic properties of our materials. Contactless and ultrafast measurements are ideally suited for materials that are fragile and time-sensitive, such as hydrogels, biofilm, and adhesive micro/nano structure. The proposed equipment will greatly enhance a number of on-going research programs by (a) enabling characterization of dynamic mechanical properties of a variety of materials (both biological and synthetic) with a range of viscoelasticities, (b) enabling study of the behavior of multifunctional architectured materials (biomimetic materials and 3D-printed architectures), (c) addressing a critical need for advancing computational modeling and simulation of advanced materials used in vehicles for the protection of humans in car collisions. These capabilities will allow us to perform research at the forefront of the field and boost our world-class programs to the next level of sophistication. This state-of-art equipment is highly versatile, and has vast potential for unique training opportunities to our graduate students and researchers. During the lifetime of the instrument, it is expected that 400 HQP will be trained in measuring the dynamic mechanical properties of composites and biomaterials. These knowledge and skills are in high demand in such manufacturing sectors as electronics, automotive, aerospace, biomedical and healthcare materials.