Ashok Kumar Receives 1.3M NSF Prestigious NIRT Award to Develop Nanocrystalline Diamond Thin Films for MEMS and Biomedical Devices

Prof. Ashok Kumar of Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Research Center received a 4-year award of 1.3 million dollars from National Science Foundation (NSF) under Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) Program. The co-investigators on the grant are Profs. Shekhar Bhansali and Tom Weller of Department of Electrical Engineering,  and Prof. Ivan Oleynik of Department of Physics, all from University of South Florida.

The objective of this research is to synthesize nanocrystalline diamond thin films with very small grain size (5-10 nm), lower surface roughness (20-30 nm), less internal stress and utilize its extraordinary properties in various applications such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and biomedical devices. The research focus will be: 1) to synthesize nanostructured diamond thin films by using novel plasma chemistry; 2) to develop and apply advanced characterization techniques to understand mechanical and tribological properties of this material at the nanoscale; 3) to demonstrate potential applications in critical technologies including high fidelity MEMS and biomedical devices; 4) to model the growth and resulting properties of nanodiamond thin films important for MEMS and bioapplications. The rationale for this project is based on the fact that material properties change drastically as the grain size of the materials reduces to the nanoscale. By controlling the grain size and grain boundary structure at the nanoscale extraordinary materials properties will be achieved including high hardness, high fracture strength, high Young’s modulus, extremely low friction coefficient and high wear resistance, negligible stiction, low residual stress in as-deposited films.

The NIRT projects will provide a unique environment for the research, education and training of graduate and undergraduate students from different disciplines in interdisciplinary setting with active participation of national laboratories, industry and international collaborators. Students will be involved in the development and use of cutting-edge research tools and will receive excellent training at the frontiers of nanotechnology. A vigorous education and outreach program will be aggressively pursued to bring nanotechnology to pre-college students, teachers and general public. This NIRT program will strive to educate next generation of scientists and engineers that will play a key role in advancing nanotechnology research and development in 21^st Century.