Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The requested equipment will be utilized for precise measurement of electrical and electrochemical properties of composite materials at its constituent particle level. Composite materials - porous and non-porous - are ubiquitous today. One of the most exciting applications of such materials is as components of alternative energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and solar cells. In such devices, microscopic particles and pores must orient themselves in such a manner that desirable effective properties such as electrical conductivity and highly active electrochemical reactions can be effected. Understanding the structure -property relationship is essential for 'micro-engineering of such materials for applications in alternative energy conversion devices'. To allow modification of composite materials in a rational manner it is essential to be able to investigate the electrical/electrochemical material properties at constituent unit particle scale. This can be achieved by the requested equipment. Precise material property measurements at micron/sub-micron level using the requested equipment will allow quantification of the relationship between the material microstructure and its electrical/electrochemical properties. Such a fundamental and quantitative understanding of material behavior in terms of structure-property relationships will allow engineering of composite materials by manipulating the orientation, shape, size, and distribution of its constituent particles. This, in turn, will open doors for fabrication of advanced materials for use as components in next generation energy conversion devices such as polymer electrolyte fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells and solar cells as well as chemical and biochemical sensors.