Engineering Research Equipment Grant: Evaporator/Sputter Coating Apparatus for SEM Analysss Supporting Membrane, ThinFilm, and Biotechnology Research

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An evaporator/sputter-coating apparatus will be purchased for use with a high resolution scanning electron microscope to support research in membrane science, biotechnology, combustion and coal gasification research at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The high energy electron beam used in SEM analysis can cause charging as well as thermal degradation in nonconducting, thermally sensitive materials such as polymeric membranes and microbial cells. This problem is minimized by applying a coating of conductive metal or a carbon coating to the materials. Small scale structures, however, such as nodules on polymeric membranes and pili on microbial cells can be masked by conventional techniques. The equipment to be purchased features electron beam evaporative coating capability to achieve ultrathin, fine-grained conductive films required for ultrahigh resolution SEM analysis.