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

The collaborating research groups at Dalhousie University seek funds for a nano-indentation suite for materials characterization. This award will provide an internationally recognized state-of-the-art facility which will enrich knowledge and enable the development of a new generation of materials for across a range of applications including medical device development. This equipment will allow relationships between material compositions, structure and properties to be evaluated in a comprehensive and internationally respected fashion. This equipment will allow researchers to examine how medical devices interact with tissues (e.g. how well coatings are adhered to implants / how well materials bond to tissue); such knowledge be crucial to the development of new therapies in oncology, orthopedics and in medical engineering in general. Of equal importance, this equipment will expose HQPs in training to state-of-the-art evaluation methodologies for materials in areas ranging from energy and medicine. Such skills will positively impact on private industries and academic research institutions across Canada. For these reasons the requested equipment is an attractive asset with respect to enhancing the technological capabilities of Dalhousie University for national and international collaborations, developing new technologies and training of HQPs.