Welcome
The continued development of nanoscale materials and devices raises the need to analyze the properties and performance of surfaces — the natural physical limit of any device or component. Underlying phenomena contributes to surface degradation (e.g. corrosion, wear, creep, and fatigue) due to their interactions with the surrounding environment, often with significant cost to industry and the national economy. The Multi-scale Surface Science and Engineering research cluster studies these interactions and develops strategies to arrest this process, enhance performance, improve sustainability and extend the lifetime of materials. Multi-scale engineering of surfaces is critical for current and next-generation applications, ranging from chemical mechanical polishing of copper in the microelectronics industry to novel high temperature coatings that resist oxidation, wear, and fracture of critical jet engine components, and advanced coatings and surface texturing for hard tissue bioimplants.
Working with researchers across UNT departments — Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical and Energy Engineering, and Physics — the Multi-scale Surface Science and Engineering research cluster offers a unique and innovative research base that combines expertise in surface engineering with experimental multi-scale engineering for materials analysis, from the atomic scale to the macro scale. No other major academic institutional effort of this type exists. Additionally, very few academic institutions have the requisite organic knowledge- and infrastructure-base consisting of both the experimental and computational resources that can be applied to various sub-disciplines of surface engineering. Cluster researchers utilize cutting edge computational facilities and an advanced suite of processing and materials characterization instruments, many available via CART (http://research.unt.edu/cart), such as the dual-beam FIB/SEM (focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope), the analytical high-resolution TEM (transmission electron microscope), and the 3D atom probe (LEAP). These tools allow for precise, three-dimensional, structural and compositional characterization of the same specimen from the micrometer scale to the atomic scale. This in-house capability places this research cluster at a superior level when compared with other efforts around the country that typically focus on one length scale.
Latest News
NSF awarded MTSE faculty members to study solid state lubricant- July, 2011
Dr. Thomas Scharf and Dr. Jincheng Du have received a National Science Foundation (NSF) award to study solid state lubricants under extreme conditions. The award provides total support of $282,079 for three years to investigate critical issues of solid state lubricants by combining state of the art experimental and computational research efforts. These issues include how changes to the structure and defect chemistry of solid oxide lubricants can influence their high temperature properties. The award will involve both graduate and undergraduate researchers that utilize the CART characterization facilities and UNT Talon and Eagle high performance computer facilities. (Read More)
MTSE Student Places First at STLE 2011 Student Poster Contest - June, 2011
Every year the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) organize a student poster contest in an attempt to provide the opportunity for students to present their research activities. For the second year in a row, Hamidreza Mohseni was awarded the first place prize amongst 36 national and international students at the STLE 2011 annual meeting in Atlanta, GA. Hamidreza’s award winning poster was titled: Friction Mitigation in Nanocrystalline ZnO via Subsurface-Induced Plastic Shear. This investigation was supervised by Professor Thomas W. Scharf. It involved a collaborative effort of experimental and computational (with the help of Professor Srinivasan Srivilliputhur and graduate student Niraj Gupta) approaches to reveal the fundamental mechanisms responsible for friction reduction and wear minimization in solid lubricant nanocrystalline ZnO.Expanding Research - March, 2011
With the help of its collaborative research clusters, UNT is making strides toward becoming a major research university. In 2008, the university launched the first phase of the research cluster initiative with the goals of advancing research, strengthening the state's economy and developing technology vital to addressing today’s most pressing needs. With two years' momentum behind them, these clusters have attracted top faculty and students and continued groundbreaking research. UNT expanded its commitment to the initiative in the fall by investing in four new research teams and five areas of strategic development.Learn more about the clusters' premier researchers and advancements in the Spring 2011 issue of The North Texan.