Officials from West Virginia University and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Tuesday (Feb. 1) dedicated a new laboratory devoted to the study of building blocks finer than the hair on grandpas scalp.
The Department of Physics multifunctional materials lab on the third floor of Hodges Hall will provide critically needed capabilities in support of the WVNano Initiative at WVU .
The initiative promotes the study of nanotechnology, the research and development of manufacturing materials 1/1,000 th the size of human hair or smaller.
Products already on the market courtesy of nanotechnology include electronic equipment, construction materials, stain-resistant clothes, hard-disk drive magnetic media and sensors, and sports merchandise such as tennis rackets.
Research and development associated with WVNano is expected to lead to new devices ranging from advanced communications systems to diagnostic and therapeutic tools for health care.
WVUs new lab contains highly specialized equipment necessary to study matter on the nanoscale. This equipment includes three molecular beam epitaxysystems to create nanoscale structures and systems, and electron microscopy, electron lithography, scanning probe microscopy and x�€ray diffraction to study these materials. The lab complements other Department of Physics facilities that can be used for nanotechnology research.
The facility is the brainchild of Thomas Myers, interim director of the WVNano Initiative, and fellow physics professor David Lederman. Drs. Myers and Lederman envision the lab as a key resource in fostering multidisciplinary collaboration in nanoscale science and engineering here.
Such collaboration is the cornerstone of the WVNano Initiative, which will involve faculty and facilities from Eberly College, the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, and College of Human Resources and Education.
The lab represents an investment of more than $2 million, with funding coming from the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundations Materials Research Instrumentation and Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the WVU Research Corp., Eberly College, West Virginia Challenge Grant program and Department of Physics.
For more information, contact Myers at Thomas.Myers@mail.wvu.edu , Lederman at David.Lederman@mail.wvu.edu or the Department of Physics at 304�€293�€3422.