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Tonya Coffey and Phil Russell have received more than
$380,000 from the National Science Foundation to purchase two
atomic force microscopes (AFM) that will facilitate nanoscience
education, research and outreach at Appalachian State University.
Tonya Coffey, left, and
Phil Russell have been awarded $380,000 from the National
Science Foundation to purchase two atomic force microscopes.
Photo by University
Photographer Marie Freeman |
Coffey is an assistant professor and Russell is a professor in
Appalachian’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. They conduct
research on the nanoscale studying surface friction and surface
roughness of fluids, and the surface of solar cells, semi-conductors
and photo sensors.
They will also use the AFM for lab-scale nanofabrication and nanolithography.
Russell has more than 20 years of AFM research experience dating
to the design and construction of AFMS in the 1980s.
One microscope is a research-grade instrument that will help enhance
Appalachian’s research community. “We have a lot of
research collaborations on campus that will benefit from this
instrument,” Coffey said.
For instance, Larry Kimball, an associate professor in the Department
of Anthropology, will use the microscope to study the wear patterns
of pre-historic tools he has collected from archeological sites
in Russia dating between 100,000 and 28,000 years ago and tools
uncovered in the southern Appalachian region dating between 6,000
B.C. to 500 A.D.
Jeff Ramsdell, an associate professor in the Department of Technology,
will use the microscope to analyze adhesives and polymers used
in the construction industry.
Local industries also are interested in using the microscope to
analyze materials such as tapes, wire and cable products, Coffey
said. “There are all kinds of things you can do with this
scope.”
The second microscope is a portable AFM that can be taken to area
high schools and used during summer enrichment camps for high
school students, and in university classrooms for demonstrations
Russell says the portable AFM will be used to introduce area school
students to nanoscience and raise their interest in science in
general.
He offered this comparison to help illustrate how small materials
at the nanoscale are. “The weight of a standard apple is
about one newton. We are looking at 10 to the negative 12, or
one trillionth the mass of an apple,” he said. “We will
use this as a hook to get students more interested in science
and give teachers the opportunity to have a state of the art piece
of equipment in their classrooms.”
He said the portable AFM is similar to one that was designed for
the Mars lander, Phoenix.
There is a growing need for individuals with skills in nanotechnology.
“It has been estimated that there will be about 10 million
jobs in nanotechnology related fields by 2014,” Coffey said. “We
need to prepare our students for this new job market. That
means making the tools used to study nanotechnology available
to our students, and training them to use them. There is also
demand for products that will come from advances in nanotechnology,
such as faster computers, faster communications, more space travel
and better medicine. These new products will all come from
advances in nanotechnology.”
The microscopes will be configured especially for Appalachian.
The professors hope to have both microscopes in operation by spring
semester 2009.
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