MME - Research Areas - Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Laboratory

Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Laboratory

R. Vernon McBroom Professor: Dr. Yuris Dzenis

This unique multi million-dollar interdisciplinary experimental facility on nanomanufacturing, nanomaterials, and nano/micromechanics has been developed by Dr. Dzenis with funding from NSF, AFOSR, and ARO (Dzenis served as PI/PD on numerous equipment grants including NSF ARI, REG, IMR, MRI, and DURIP projects).

  • Multiple electrospinning stations for controlled nanofiber manufacturing
  • High-rate continuous nanomanufacturing
  • Precision nanofiber manufacturing and deposition
  • Hollow fiber electrospinning
  • Fume hood and equipment for chemical processing
  • Dual-tube CVD furnace
  • High-temperature furnaces for oxidation/carbonization studies
  • Nanoparticle and nanofiber preparation and functionalization facility
  • Custom-designed multistage environmental oven for elevated temperature nanomanufacturing
  • Environmental field emission scanning electron microscope: high vacuum, low vacuum, and environmental modes, computerized mechanical stage for in-situ mechanical testing
  • Nanomanipulator with MEMS microgrippers for manipulation and testing within a scanning electron microscope
  • Ultrasensitive static and fatigue testing of ultraminiature specimens. Individual nanofiber testing through failure. Unique specimen preparation protocols. Continuous modulus monitoring
  • Aerospace-grade nanocomposite preparation equipment
  • Ultrahigh-speed video imaging system for observation and analysis of electrospinning jet instabilities and dynamic fracture processes
  • Multiple mini- and micro-stages for miniature specimen testing, including computerized stages for in-situ mechanical testing inside SEM and FE-SEM chambers or under continuous AFM or SAM observations
  • Comprehensive thermal and thermomechanical materials characterization facility. TGA, DSC, multiple DMTAs
  • Servohydraulic machines for mechanical testing of advanced materials and composites with digital test control and data acquisition systems and thermal chamber
  • Fixtures for tensile, compressive, bending, and fracture mechanics testing. Multiple uniaxial and biaxial extensometers, including water-cooled high temperature extensometer
  • Equipment for low- and high-cycle fatigue testing, including isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue evaluation
  • High frequency (up to 200 Hz) fatigue testing
  • Unique multiscale NDE facility comprising ultrasonic immersion scanner, scanning acoustic tomograph, scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) with 1.3 GHz imaging capability, and a scanning probe microscope with specimen modulation capability
  • Atomic force microscope (AFM) with environmental and thermal cells and mechanical testing stage for in-situ observations
  • Advanced acoustic emission system with digital transient recorder and extensive signal analysis software
  • Stages and fixtures for interfacial testing and evaluation of nano-reinforced interfaces

In addition to the equipment above, extensive facilities of UNL’s Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (SEM/HRTEM electron nanoscopy, X-ray, cryogenic, surface characterization, thin films, metallographic facilities) and UNL CoE Nano-Engineering Research Core Facility (3D printing, confocal laser scanning microscopy, triboindentation, dual-beam FIB-SEM, femtosecond laser texturing) are available for use at nominal charge. The group also has computing cluster for simulating nanomanufacturing processes and materials behavior.