Acquisition of a High-Speed, High-Sensitivity Ellipsometer for Materials Research and Education

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This grant supports purchase of a phase-modulated spectroscopic "Picometer" ellipsometer from Beaglehole Instruments. With response times on the order of 1 millisecond and adsorbed mass sensitivity on the order of 2 ng/cm 2, this high-speed, high-sensitivity instrument will be used to study in real-time the assembly and organization of soft materials at interfaces over both short and long time scales. This instrument will also be used to monitor adsorption events at polymer-modified interfaces. A set of projects that will benefit immediately from the capabilities of this instrument include the analysis of the assembly of polymer amphiphiles, the growth of surface-confined polymers, the dynamics of redox molecules at electrodes, and the morphology of thin films of optoelectronic polymers. The spectroscopic ellipsometer will be housed in the recently created Surface Characterization Laboratory, located in the Chemical Engineering Department. Post-doctoral researchers and graduate and undergraduate students from several disciplines (the Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Environmental Engineering and Science Departments) currently utilize this multi-user facility. The scientific projects underway impact important areas, such as advancing the technology for molecular electronics and optoelectronic polymer devices, creating (bio) separation agents designed at the nanoscale, and tailoring interfacial layers that can screen antigenic displays on cells. These research projects will enable expansion of the diversity of students working in the Surface Characterization Laboratory to include students from Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering, thus providing a truly interdisciplinary training environment. The Picometer and associated facility will be available to faculty and students from nearby non-Ph.D. granting colleges that have an association with Clemson's Chemical Engineering Department through the Research Exploration programs. The Picometer will also help to grow the Surface Characterization Laboratory into a state-of-the-art facility in the area of advanced materials research, a core research theme at Clemson University.