Research Planning Grant: High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis of Carbon Clusters

这项工作的目的是利用高分辨率透射电子显微镜（HRTEM）设备对富勒烯进行初步的结构分析。从本质上说，这项研究计划拨款旨在发展安装HRTEM设备的首席研究员与同一研究所的另一个小组成员之间的合作，该小组成员发现了批量生产富勒烯和随后晶体生长的方法。来自两组的研究生接受了使用HRTEM技术的培训。HRTEM设备特别适合于在10到100 oa范围内对各种结构和地形进行结构分析，例如更高的富勒烯，管状和插层几何形状，以及检查在碳框架之间或碳球内具有金属原子或离子的新化合物。初步研究的结果将用于为国家科学基金会准备一份完整的提案。富勒化学为合成和制造具有不同寻常的光学和磁光性质的新材料开辟了一条前沿途径。富勒烯和相关化合物的表征是独特的服务于使用纳米分析TEM设备。该设施对研究生的培训，以及这项研究计划提案所取得的初步成果，将有助于更好地了解富勒烯领域，并有助于在化学前沿领域培养女科学家。

The goal of this work is to conduct preliminary structural analysis on fullerenes, using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) facility. In essence, this Research Planning Grant is designed to develop a collaboration between the Principal Investigator who installed the HRTEM facility and members of another group at the same institute who discovered methods for bulk production of fullerenes and the subsequent crystal growth. Graduate students from two groups are trained in the use of the HRTEM technique. The HRTEM facility is uniquely suitable for structural analysis in the 10 to 100-oA range for a variety of structures and topographies such as higher fullerenes, tubular and intercalated geometries, and for examination of novel compounds having metal atoms or ions in between carbon frame or encased within carbon spheres. The results of preliminary studies will be used to prepare a full proposal for NSF. Fullerence chemistry has created a frontier avenue for the synthesis and fabrication of new materials with unusual optical and magneto-optical properties. The characterization of fullerenes and associated compounds is uniquely served by the use of the nanoanalytical TEM facility. The training of graduate students on this facility, and the preliminary results obtained as the consequence of this research planning proposal will contribute to the better understanding of the fullerene field and to the development of women scientists in the frontier areas of chemistry.