Nanoscience Facility
in the Works

The more than 70 physicists, chemists and engineers who collaborate on UNL’s nationally recognized materials and nanoscience research soon will share a new, centralized research facility.

The new Nanoscience Metrology Facility will provide much-needed research space for this interdisciplinary program of excellence, whose core facilities, equipment, labs and faculty currently are located in several campus buildings. The new facility will feature centrally located laboratories, research facilities and administrative space. Construction is under way with completion slated for 2011.

Construction was made possible by a $6.9 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to cover nearly half of the $14.8 million cost. Private donations and university funds will finance the rest. NIST is a non-regulatory agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The 32,000-square-foot building is being constructed adjacent to the new Theodore Jorgensen Hall, which houses the physics and astronomy department. It is designed with flexible, multi-use research space to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration. It will provide a low-vibration, temperature-controlled, low-electromagnetic field environment and clean rooms necessary for world-class research and measurements.

"It will provide modern central facilities for nanofabrication, electron microscopy and other synthesis and characterization laboratories," said David Sellmyer, director of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience. "Also, it will permit new collaborative research that cannot be pursued in our present … buildings and laboratories that are scattered across campus."

UNL is home to one of the nation’s top nanomagnetism research groups. Materials scientists, nanoscientists and engineers from across UNL collaborate through the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, and in UNL’s National Science Foundation-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center focused on nanomagnetics and spintronics.


Powerful Microscope Will Aid Research

Sophisticated equipment in UNL’s Nanoscience Metrology Facility will include a new transmission electron microscope to characterize the structure and properties of nanoscale materials and devices.

Such state-of-the-art equipment is important "so that you can do the best science," said physicist David Sellmyer, director of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience. The center received a $1.3 million Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the microscope, which should be installed in early 2011.

The powerful microscope can characterize nanomaterials such as thin films, patterned surfaces, particles and wires. It can map structure, composition and properties and provide 3-D analysis. UNL researchers currently must travel out of state to use such equipment.

"Knowing the structure of nanomaterials is extremely important," Sellmyer said. "When you make particles that small, they can have structures that don’t exist normally. You can’t clearly understand how the particles are functioning without knowing the structure."

Javascript is not enabled for your browser or the latest flash player is not installed. Click here to download the latest player.

Credits
hide

Related Videos

Nanophysics

MRSEC

Associated Web Content

UNL news release

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience

Credits

The 2009-2010 Annual Report is published by the
University of Nebraska−Lincoln Office of Research and Economic Development. More information is available
at http://research.unl.edu or contact:

Prem S. Paul
Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
301 Canfield Administration Building
University of Nebraska−Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0433
(402) 472-3123  •  ppaul2@unl.edu

Writers/Editors:
Vicki Miller, Monica Norby, Ashley Washburn, Elizabeth Banset, Office of Research and Economic Development

Contributing Writers:
Gillian Klucas, Kim Hachiya, Cara Pesek
Some articles are based on earlier stories from University Communications and IANR News Service and written by Kelly Bartling, Troy Fedderson, Sara Gilliam, Sandi Alswager Karstens, Daniel R. Moser, Judy Nelson, Tom Simons,
Steve Smith, Carole Wilbeck

Photography/Illustrations:
Joel Brehm, Brett Hampton, Craig Chandler,
Alan Jackson/Jackson Studios, Greg Nathan,
Bruce Thorson, Robert Cope, Laurence Smith
Historic photos, page 22, courtesy Joyce Clarke Turvey

PDF/Print Design: Sym Labs

Website Design: Joel Brehm