Sacharia Albin - US grants

Utilizing funds from the Academic Research Infrastructure Program microscopy instrumentation will be acquired to augment the ongoing interdisciplinary research at Old Dominion University. The instrumentation includes a FT-Raman spectrometer, a Ramanscope microscope, an Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscope, and an Atomic Force Microscope base and scan heads. The instrumentation will shared between the Departments of Chemistry, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering and will be utilized for research in the following areas: Raman characterization of high-performance thermoset polymers; vibrational studies of mixed metal oxide catalysts; synthesis and characterization of thin diamond films; surface characterization of corrosion and dealloying mechanisms; surface characterization of the initial stages of porous silicon formation. Instrumentation in the microscopy area will be acquired for studies of thermoset polymers, metal oxide catalysts, synthesis and characterization of thin diamond films, the study of corrosion and dealloying mechanisms, and studies of the initial stages of porous silicon formation.

The understanding of the electrochemical behavior of structurally characterized diamond thin films is the focus of this research project. With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, Professors John B. Cooper and Sacharia Albin and their coworkers at Old Dominion University are using CVD methods to grow diamond thin films. These films, characterized using scanning tunelling microscopy and other spectroscopic methods, are used to investigate the relationship between surface structure and inner and outer sphere electron transfer reactions. Chemical modification of the diamond surface is carried out using covalently bound molecular species, and the effect of this modification on the electrochemical behavior explored.

Diamond thin films have promising applications in electrochemical and materials science systems. With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, Professors Cooper and Albin are exploring the connection between the structure of these films and their electrochemical properties. A series of probe reactions are being examined, for a range of carefully characterized diamond thin film materials. The information obtained from these studies will be very useful in developing improved and longer lasting electrocatalytic and sensor devices.

The semiconductor industry is undergoing a shift towards creation of value-added products and services, rather than simply focusing on advancing the state-of-the-art in integrated circuit technology, with Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) expected to play an increasingly important role in the new era. The design and development of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems entails sophisticated Computer-Aided-Design tools, elaborate microfabrication facilities, and extensive packaging infrastructures. Such technological barriers limit the abilities of innovators and entrepreneurs to access and use MEMS technologies. This award supports research to enable a novel, cloud-based MEMS design, development and manufacturing platform that is web-accessible, low cost, expansible and interactive. If successful, this research will foster cybermanufacturing innovation by enabling a new manufacturing service infrastructure that allows a wide range of customers and entrepreneurs to prototype their Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems efficiently and at low cost, thereby directly benefitting the U.S. economy and society. This research also will lead to new curriculum in the rapidly emerging areas of cloud computing, electronics, microfabrication, and sensors. Educational, training, and outreach activities envisioned by this research will entail development of hands-on instructional material for minority and underrepresented high school students.

The CloudMEMS platform will establish a novel "Design Anywhere, Manufacture Anywhere" approach in the design and development of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems via standardized processes and materials selections from leading semiconductor foundries easily made available to clients, designers, and entrepreneurs. The multi-university research team will systematically investigate process constraints in the Design-for-Manufacturing of next-generation Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems toward enabling component design and fabrication using standard semiconductor foundry processes. The team will investigate sophisticated mathematical models and scaling laws capable of handling Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems designs based on different structural materials and processes. Pertinent multi-pronged approaches for aiding Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems design will be explored by (1) Fusing commercial Computer-Aided-Design packages into a cloud server and (2) Studying Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems scaling laws for cost effective re-engineering of pre-simulated and pre-decomposed devices. The project will foster distinct design cycles for expert users and non-expert users who lack process knowledge. The CloudMEMS platform will be made accessible via Internet to bridge the cyber and manufacturing domains, thereby promoting leadership of the U.S. in cyber-driven microsystems and manufacturing.

The National Science Foundation uses the Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) funding mechanism to support exploratory work in its early stages on untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches. This EAGER project was awarded as a result of the invitation in the Dear Colleague Letter NSF 16-080 to proposers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to submit proposals that would strengthen research capacity of faculty at the institution. The project at Norfolk State University aims use a novel optical non-contact cell stretching method to create a controlled stretch in biological cells. Accordingly, the project outcome can unveil mechanisms governing heart electrical abnormalities via modeling and relate the electrophysiological measurements to mechanical stretching by enabling reproducible stretch conditions in vitro to mechanistically characterize various human disorders including heart failure.

Excitable biological cells, such as heart cells, exhibit mechano-electric sensitivity by which their electrical behavior is modulated by mechanical stimuli or stretch. This is especially critical in chronic diseases such as heart failure where increased stress may induce life-threatening abnormalities, called arrhythmias. Specialized stretch-activated ion channels in cells are thought to be responsible for this phenomenon. However, these channels are not well characterized, partly due to a lack of efficient cell stretching and simultaneous electrical recording techniques. In this project, a novel optical non-contact stretching method, using counter-propagating laser beams, is proposed which is capable of producing a controlled stretch in biological cells in the most realistic condition. A microfluidic platform for performing automated, high throughput electrophysiological recordings from cells will be designed. Tightly focused laser beams will be used to stretch the cells while simultaneously performing the patch clamp recordings. The proposed optofluidic chip will be used to systematically characterize the stretch-activated ion channels in cardiac cells. The experiments combined with advanced computer-based modeling will provide useful insights into the mechanisms of arrhythmias in heart failure conditions. The cell-stretching technique could be extended to study several other diseases such as cancer, brain tumors, Parkinson disease and even plant disorders.

This EAGER project is funded by the Engineering Directorate.

The goal of this project, REU-RET Mega-Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Teachers in Smart and Connected Cities (led by Morgan State University), is to recruit and train a diverse population of underrepresented minority students and teachers who work in minority-serving K-12 schools and community colleges - focusing on highly relevant Electrical and Computer Engineering research topics. The project involves the development of a combined Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Research Experiences for Teachers (REU-RET) Mega-Site that is centered on the following research topics that are related to Smart and Connected Cities: IoT Security, Renewable Energy, Energy Storage, Smart Grid, Human Computer Interaction, and Advanced Materials. The consortium of institutions involved in this effort are 14 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and 1 Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The project targets lower division students who are less likely to have the opportunity to participate in research as undergraduates. Participation in this type of experience has been demonstrated to be transformative and to have the potential to increase retention and graduation rates at these institutions. RET participants will be recruited from local community colleges and high schools that serve as feeder schools to the consortium institutions.

Providing quality research experiences to an underserved group of undergraduate students and teachers will lay the foundation for positively impacting the retention and graduation of engineering students for years to come, while also increasing the number of minority students who will eventually pursue graduate degrees. In addition, the program will improve the quality of science and engineering education at local high schools and community colleges, further stimulating the interest and imagination of underrepresented minority students who might not otherwise be inclined to pursue higher education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The project will serve as a national model for how to broaden participation in engineering by successfully implementing multi-institution undergraduate research programs, which others can adopt/adapt and build upon. The evaluation of this effort will be conducted by the SageFox Consulting Group and the project's outcomes will be broadly disseminated through Morgan State University's website, presentations at conferences, and articles that are published in peer-reviewed journals.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.