Grant Helps UA Researchers Develop Protective Material For Electronics

Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have received a $438,317 grant from the National Science Foundation to help in nanotechnology research.

The research grant will identify and characterize the fundamental mechanisms of a novel, core-shell nano-scale structure that was discovered by Min Zou, professor of mechanical engineering.

The core-shell structure is a new type of material that can be used to improve the mechanical integrity of electro-mechanical systems in computer hard-drive discs and a wide range of other electronics devices.

“Core-shell nanostructures have many novel properties – optical, magnetic and catalytic,” Zou said. “Recently, my group discovered that these structures also have novel mechanical properties – unusually high strength and deformation resistance, for example – and thus can be incorporated into solid surfaces for many applications where mechanical integrity of nanostructures is of paramount importance.”

Nano-scale core-shell structures also function as a friction-reduction material. The research project will focus on using them to texture the surface of micro- and nano-scale electro-mechanical systems and computer hard drives to reduce friction between contacting surfaces.

The textures can also be used to enhance water-repellency of surfaces for self-cleaning and anti-corrosion applications and to facilitate cell growth in tissue engineering.

Zou will collaborate with Douglas Spearot, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Arun Nair, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. Spearot and Nair both have atomistic and multi-scale modeling expertise.

Together, the team will:

• Perform nano-indentation experiments to study the effects of core and shell materials, core size and micro-structure, shell thickness and core/shell volume ratio;
• Develop and validate molecular dynamics and multi-scale simulation models to understand the role of the core/shell interface; and
• Develop computational models to gain a fundamental understanding of the space and parameters of the core/shell structure to ensure optimal performance.