Proposal

Narrative

The objective of this study is to educate undergraduate/graduate students with the material’s rheological behavior using a rheometer. A rheometer is an instrument used to characterize the rheological properties of materials, typically fluids that are melts or solution. The fluidic solution or viscoelastic material is imposed a specific stress field or deformation by a rheometer, and the rheometer monitor and characterize the resultant deformation or stress. Rheology has applications in materials science engineering, geophysics, physiology, human biology and pharmaceutics, specifically, for example, nanomaterial, polymer materials, biopolymers, hydrogels, blood, food thickening agents, personal hygiene products, and so on. Study of flow properties of liquids is important to understand the material’s other physicochemical properties. However, there is not a rheometer available at FAU Boca campus. The unavailability of this instrument hinders the educational opportunities to undergraduate students, also limits the research developments of graduate students. As there are many students at FAU taking the following courses: Nanomaterials, Biomaterials, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, and Biochemistry lab-based courses, a rheometer is highly needed to meet their needs. This Techfee proposal propose to acquire a rheometer to educate students with the rheological behavior of a matter. This proposed rheometer is manufactured by a world’s leading manufacturer of thermal analysis and rheology instrumentation (TA Instruments Company, information is attached). This proposed rheometer has many functions to meet a variety of applications and education needs for FAU students. Once this rheometer is installed at FAU, at least 200 students from mechanical engineering, material science, biochemistry, biomedical science will receive benefits from the instrument every year. Faculty from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, and Biology will receive related benefits. This instrument will be freely accessible to all the students and faculty. After the completion of this project during the following three years, at least 600 students will obtain the educational benefits of rheology science knowledge. Besides the educational benefits, researchers from multiple departments will be able to add a new material’s characterization method for better understanding of materials’ physicochemical properties, thus enhancing the material research development for potential extramural funding.

Facilities

As this instrument will not occupy a big space, there is no required renovations or upgrades. This rheometer will be located in Behavior Science building.

Hardware Requirements

This instrument needs a computer to operate the test.

Software Requirements

There is not any software required. The required software will be come along with the instrument by default.

Personnel Costs

There is no person costs required, as it does not need any dedicated person for the test or maintenance. It is a quite easily-used instrument. Students can easily learn and use the instrument for test.

Other Costs

No any other cost will occur with this project.

Timeline

Proposed Timeline: 6/2018: Installation of the instrument. 7/2018: Run the instrument to make sure there is no any hardware or other issues. 8/2018-8/2019: Open this instrument to students who register in materials or biomedical science related courses. 9/2019-6/2021: Course teaching and Research uses for students and faculty. 1/2019-6/2021: PI will hold seminars talking about the applications and use of the rheometer at FAU for students and researchers.

Sustainability

This project will sustain its initial objective that is to put the educational benefit to students whose majors or research are in materials science, biochemistry, biomedical science, biomaterials science. The project will sustain to open courses and seminars to students for using the rheometer for rheology learning.

Resource Matching

The PI will provide the lab space for the instrument and testing material samples for students training and learning.

Implementing Organization

The Kang's Biomaterials Research Group from the Department of Mechanical Engineering will implement this project.