Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Physical Property Measurement System for diverse materials research and education

The acquisition of a cryogen-free Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) enables next-generation energy and quantum materials research and education at the University of Oregon. The state-of-the-art PPMS tool facilitates investigations of thermal, electrical, and magnetic material properties to low temperatures without the need for helium to operate.

The ability to characterize these properties is crucial to the development of advanced materials, for example, those used in solid-state batteries, superconducting qubits, and semiconductor devices. The tool also enables new research on the natural minerals that influence volcanic activity in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. The instrument meets critical needs of research, education, and training by a large, diverse group of faculty across the College of Arts and Sciences and the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact.

Training and access of the instrument for academic and external partners is facilitated through the Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon (CAMCOR)—a research core facility with dedicated scientific technicians and business management. The tool will offer advanced training capacity for two new degree programs: a Quantum Technologies Master’s Internship program and a Materials Science and Technology undergraduate degree program—the first in the state of Oregon.

In addition to strengthening current research and education capabilities, the PPMS provides a new point of engagement with many regional industries, facilitating opportunities for students and postdocs to seek out job prospects and internships, thus growing the ecosystem of materials science and technologies in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

Thermophysical and transport properties of materials play a critical role in the understanding and development of nearly every kind of engineering technology and are central to materials research across physical sciences. The PPMS provides unparalleled opportunity for condensed matter investigations of engineering and research materials from ~1.8–400 K and under magnetic fields up to 9 T.

In particular, the ability to measure heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansion coefficients, as well as electronic conductivity and magnetic susceptibility of materials, makes the PPMS a versatile instrument for investigating diverse topics from the characterization of phase transitions and informing magma reservoir dynamics, to understanding thermal runaway and thermal management in batteries, probing dynamic bonding in porous framework materials, identifying emergent properties of atomic-scale heterostructures, and searching material losses in order to engineer better superconducting quantum computing devices. Ultimately, the cryogen-free PPMS expands research capabilities and experiential trainings that promote needed technology development in coordination with industry and national laboratories within the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.