MRI: Acquisition of a field emission scanning electron microscope to expand characterization capabilities at the University of Iowa

MRI：购买场发射扫描电子显微镜以扩展爱荷华大学的表征能力

• 批准号: 2215495
• 负责人: Emily Finzel
• 金额: $ 46.17万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2215495&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; field; emission; scanning

A Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) with added diverse imaging and detection capabilities will be acquired by the University of Iowa (UI). This FE-SEM system will 1) improve the quality and range of data that will be collected and analyzed, 2) increase the speed of data collection and thereby enable more efficient and effective use of research and educational funds, 3) facilitate quantitative evaluation of robust datasets, 4) provide additional opportunities for training STEM students for the 21st Century on a robust, user-friendly analytical tool that can be easily learned with comparatively low training time, 5) provide key support for undergraduate and graduate student research and teaching across a wide spectrum of disciplines, 6) be used regularly by faculty in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Department, as well as researchers in the Chemistry and Anthropology Departments and staff in the Iowa Geological Survey, 7) deliver a new level of micro and nano imaging capability for users from the College of Engineering and Department of Physics and Astronomy, and 8) greatly enhance electron microscopy competencies at UI thereby opening new avenues of research to a wider user base within the university itself and surrounding region. Placement of the instrument into the new Iowa Materials Analysis, Testing, and Fabrication (MATFab) facility will provide critical staff and infrastructure support for the instrument, researchers at UI, easy access for researchers at UI and from neighboring institutions (Iowa State University, Cornell College) who identified as major users, as well as others who would be occasional users (University of Northern Iowa, Kansas State University, Purdue University). We envisage that this instrument will become a regional facility, attracting users from elsewhere in the Midwest, given its unique capabilities that are not available elsewhere in the region.Addition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) with automated mineralogy capabilities will expand the scope of Earth Science research and education and transform the materials characterization capabilities of existing facilities available at the University of Iowa. Detailed chemical and textural sample characterization are increasingly critical components of many in-situ microanalytical applications in the Earth and material sciences. Correct interpretation ultimately rests on understanding the primary context of the material or grains of interest. Establishing this context involves documenting the distribution and spatial relationships of minerals or phases within a sample. Secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging will be combined with automated energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis for rapid mineral identification and quantitative characterization of mineral abundance, elemental distributions, and textural properties across a broad range of materials. Cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging capabilities will greatly enhance current research efforts in trace element zoning characterization for petrologic and geochronologic studies. Simultaneous automated collection of all signals will provide cutting edge correlation of mineral distribution and textures and major, minor and trace element distributions. A field emission source will enable maximum signal generation and source longevity for mapping applications while also enabling nanometer scale imaging resolution for characterization of synthetic and natural nanomaterials. The instrument will be primarily used for applications related to geochronology and petrochronology, structural and metamorphic fabric analysis, igneous petrology, and characterization of sedimentary strata, but other applications will include economic geology, archeology and anthropology, and characterization of environmental surface films, synthesized catalytic materials and optoelectronic semi-conductor devices, as well as engineering applications.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.

爱荷华大学 (UI) 将购买一台具有多种成像和检测功能的场发射扫描电子显微镜 (FE-SEM)。该 FE-SEM 系统将 1) 提高收集和分析数据的质量和范围，2) 提高数据收集速度，从而更有效地利用研究和教育资金，3) 促进对数据的定量评估强大的数据集，4) 为 21 世纪的 STEM 学生提供额外的机会，使用强大的、用户友好的分析工具，可以通过相对较短的培训时间轻松学习，5) 为跨学科的本科生和研究生研究和教学提供关键支持广泛的学科，6) 被地球与环境科学系的教员、化学和人类学系的研究人员以及爱荷华州地质调查局的工作人员定期使用，7) 为来自以下领域的用户提供新水平的微米和纳米成像能力工程学院和物理与天文学系，8) 大大提高了伊利诺伊大学的电子显微镜能力，从而为大学本身和周边地区更广泛的用户群开辟了新的研究途径。将仪器放置到新的爱荷华州材料分析、测试和制造 (MATFab) 设施中将为该仪器、UI 研究人员提供关键的人员和基础设施支持，并方便 UI 和邻近机构（爱荷华州立大学、康奈尔大学）的研究人员访问学院）被确定为主要用户，以及其他偶尔使用的人（北爱荷华大学、堪萨斯州立大学、普渡大学）。我们设想该仪器将成为一个区域性设施，吸引来自中西部其他地方的用户，因为它具有该地区其他地方所没有的独特功能。增加具有自动化矿物学功能的场发射扫描电子显微镜（FE-SEM）将扩大地球科学研究和教育的范围，并改变爱荷华大学现有设施的材料表征能力。详细的化学和结构样品表征越来越成为地球和材料科学中许多原位微分析应用的关键组成部分。正确的解释最终取决于对材料或感兴趣的颗粒的主要背景的理解。建立这种背景涉及记录样品中矿物或物相的分布和空间关系。二次电子 (SE) 和背散射电子 (BSE) 成像将与自动能量色散 X 射线光谱 (EDS) 分析相结合，以快速识别矿物并定量表征各种矿物丰度、元素分布和结构特性。材料。阴极发光（CL）成像能力将极大地增强当前岩石学和地质年代学研究中微量元素分区表征的研究工作。同时自动收集所有信号将提供矿物分布和纹理以及主要、次要和微量元素分布的前沿相关性。场发射源将为测绘应用提供最大信号生成和源寿命，同时还能够实现纳米级成像分辨率，用于合成和天然纳米材料的表征。该仪器将主要用于与地质年代学和岩石年代学、结构和变质组构分析、火成岩岩石学以及沉积地层表征相关的应用，但其他应用将包括经济地质学、考古学和人类学以及环境表面膜的表征、合成催化该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过利用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响进行评估，认为值得支持审查标准。