About
CART was established in 2004 through substantial funding from the Army Research Laboratory and the university, which led to the acquisition of advanced analysis, characterization, and synthesis/processing equipment to support advanced scientific research activities within the university and with external collaborators. Expert staff members facilitate the training of graduate and undergraduate students, post-doctoral researchers and visiting scientists.
CART is housed in Discovery Park, UNT’s off-site campus for the College of Engineering, the College of Information and premier research facilities focused on advancing research and economic development through industry-university partnerships.
Collaborators
Materials scientists, biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers are among the UNT researchers who use the more than two dozen machines at CART to analyze materials from the micro to atomic level.
Outside collaborators include Sandia National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, Semiconductor Research Corporation, Pratt and Whitney, Ohio State University, Indian Institute of Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Nebraska, Colorado School of Mines, Zyvex Corporation, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and Timken Company.
There is a long and rich history of collaboration with researchers from universities in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex, such as the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), Texas Woman’s University (TWU), and Southern Methodist University (SMU).
Renovation
CART is pleased to announce its upcoming renovation. The modernized facility will be an open access ‘one stop shop’ for novel research and training activities.
Key areas of renovation include 1) the consolidation of instruments into one location to enhance collaborations and the efficiency of research, 2) the addition of an adjacent clean room and technology incubator to facilitate the seamless and contiguous flow of samples and devices — from synthesis/processing labs to characterization/analysis equipment, 3) real-time visualization of the samples being characterized, with high-speed remote access of these instruments so that research can be conducted with external collaborators located off site, 4) increased visibility of research via glass wall enclosures so that the general public, students, school groups and other guests can view research activities, with the additional ability to transmit these activities to classrooms and museums to enhance educational outreach.
The integration of CART with the clean room and technology incubator will comprise the UNT Nanofabrication Analysis and Research Facility (NARF). These changes bring new opportunities for faculty researchers and students as well as collaborators in industries and other institutions.