FIRST Research Projects
Research projects at FIRST span basic research through applied development. Funding is received from federal, state, and industrial sources. Current topics of interest include:
- Gas Sensors for Toxic Chemicals
- Liquid Phase Chemical Sensors
- BioSensors to Detect Pathogens
- Sensors and Microsystems for Health Monitoring
- Pesticide Detection in Food Products
- MEMS and Microsystems
- Thin Film Ceramic and Semiconductor Materials
- High Temperature Materials and Sensors
- Porous Materials and Selective Gas Adsorption / Filtration
- Nanomechanics and Tribology
- Microwave Acoustic Devices
- Paper Coatings and Nanocellulose Materials
- Time of Flight Electron / Ion Detectors
- Modeling of Phase Transitions
- Membranes for Battery Applications
Recent Grants
Air Force
- LGX High Temperature Acoustic Wave Sensors
- Microwave Acoustic Sensors for Condition Based Maintenance in Harsh Environments
- Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors for Turbine Engines
- Multifunctional SiAlON Films for High Temperature Applications
Army
- Automated System for Liquid Phase Detection of Toxic Compounds
- Characterization of LGX Crystals for Military Electronic Systems
Department of Energy
- Thermochemical Conversion of Woody Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals
- Micro-Tribology: Friction and Wear in Advanced Materials
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Nitric Oxide / Ammonia Sensor for Combustion Control
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Nitric Oxide Sensor for Early Detection of Pathogenic Exposure
- A Fluidic Microinstrument with Biomolecular Pump
National Science Foundation
- Accelerated Testing of Oxynitride Films for High Temperature Applications
- Lateral Field Excited Acoustic Wave Sensor for Peroxide Based Explosives
- Nanoscale Sensing Device for Measuring the Supply of Iron
- Acoustic Wave Filters for High Frequency Wireless Communication
- Exact Results in Model Statistical Systems
- A Microsystem for Detection of Bacterial Endospores
- A New Class of Modified Mesoporous Silica Membranes
- Integrated Fluorocarbon Microsensor System Utilizing Catalytic Modification
- Electrochemiluminescence at Microelectrodes During PCR Amplification of DNA
National Institutes for Health
- Nanopore Gene Sequencing
National Science Foundation
- Accelerated Testing of Oxynitride Films for High Temperature Applications
- Lateral Field Excited Acoustic Wave Sensor for Peroxide Based Explosives
- Nanoscale Sensing Device for Measuring the Supply of Iron
- Acoustic Wave Filters for High Frequency Wireless Communication
- Exact Results in Model Statistical Systems
- A Microsystem for Detection of Bacterial Endospores
- A New Class of Modified Mesoporous Silica Membranes
- Integrated Fluorocarbon Microsensor System Utilizing Catalytic Modification
- Electrochemiluminescence at Microelectrodes During PCR Amplification of DNA
Navy
- Advanced Development of a Chemical and Biological Sensor Suite
Packard Foundation
- Microinstrument for Nucleic Acid Sequencing by Nanopores
U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Organophosphate Pesticide Sensor for Foods
W.M. Keck Foundation
- Environmental Gas Sensors for Ice Core Research