Acquisition of an Analytical Scanning Electron Microscope

9615257布里利这笔赠款提供90,000元，作为购置新的最先进扫描电子显微镜的部分费用，该显微镜配有高分辨率背散射电子探测器、用于轻元素能量色散光谱仪分析的超薄窗口、用于X射线测绘的计算机控制工作台和数字图像处理系统。新的扫描电子显微镜将使地球科学系和气象研究所的一大批研究人员以及区域用户受益。购买该仪器的额外资金将由大学配套基金(70,000美元)和NASA资助的提案(90,000美元)提供。新的扫描电子显微镜将取代他们目前的日立S450扫描电子显微镜(约1980年)，后者具有摇摇欲坠的EDS，因此提供不可靠的背散射电子图像和质量较差的高分辨率(X5000)地质和行星材料图像。新的扫描电子显微镜将有助于大量项目，包括通过分析扫描电子扫描的背散射电子图像来阐明成核率，研究地幔深处橄榄石向贝塔和伽马尖晶石相变的机制和动力学，早期沉积成岩过程中粘土矿物学的鉴定，帮助解开科罗拉多高原下元古代地壳地球化学演化的地壳捕捉体的X射线测绘，作为古地磁研究辅助的磁性矿物相的表征，为后续的SIMS分析和水下火山和行星材料的表面结构分析选择合适的区域。这组投资组合中的显著水平的资助研究将完全认购新的扫描电子显微镜，这也将有助于研究生和本科生开展的扫描电子显微镜研究项目。***

9615257 Brearley This grant provides $90,000 as partial support of the costs of acquiring a new, state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a high resolution backscattered electron detector, an ultrathin window for light element energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis, a computer controlled stage for X-ray mapping and a digital image processing system. The new SEM would benefit a large group of researchers in the Department of Earth Sciences and Institute of Meteoritics as well as regional users. Additional funds for the purchase of this instrument will be provided by University matching funds ($70,000) and a funded NASA proposal ($90,000). The new SEM will replace their current Hitachi S450 SEM (circa 1980) which has a faltering EDS and thus provides unreliable backscattered electron images and poor quality high-resolution (x5000) images of geological and planetary materials. The new SEM will benefit a large number of projects including studies of the mechanisms and kinetics of phase changes of olivine to beta and gamma-spinel at depth within the mantle via analysis of the backscattered electron images from SEM scans to elucidate nucleation rates, identification of clay mineralogy during early sedimentary diagenesis, X-ray mapping of crustal xenoliths to help unravel the geochemical evolution of the Proterozoic crust beneath the Colorado Plateau, characterization of magnetic mineral phases as ancillary to paleomagnetic studies, SEM mapping of thin sections to select appropriate regions for subsequent SIMS analysis and analyses of surface textures of subaerial volcanics and planetary materials etc. etc. The remarkable level of funded research in this group's portfolio will fully subscribe the new SEM which will also aid SEM research projects conducted by both graduate and undergraduate students. ***