Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for Nanophase Materials Characterization

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9704288 Switzer This project to purchase a field-emission scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive light-element x-ray analysis (EDX) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) capabilities will enable important materials research work to be carried out. The SEM will be housed in the Graduate Center for Materials Research at the University of Missouri- Rolla. The Center is designated as a campus resource for major equipment. The proposed instrument will be used to probe the nanostructure, composition, crystallographic orientation, and phase composition of electrodeposited compositional and defect-chemistry superlattices of conducting metal oxides, metal/semiconductor nanocomposites, nanophase relaxor ferroelectrics and piezoelectric ceramics, nanostructured shape memory alloys, environmentally compliant polymer coatings, glass fiber reinforced composites, nucleation and crystallation of glass, and magnetic films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The new instrument is optimized to operate at low beam voltages and currents, and is therefore ideal for studying materials like polymers which are damaged in conventional filament-based scanning electron microscopes. %%% The instrumentation is essential for work on nanoscale epitaxial architectures, work on electroceramic materials, work on glass sphere's for the treatment of liver cancer and encapsulation of nuclear waste in glass, and work on a corrosion protection material to be a replacement for chrome on aluminum and in work on nanomaterials in metallurgy. ***