MRI: Acquisition of a Shared Scanning Probe Microscope Facility to Improve Research and Education

通过这笔拨款，将建立一个扫描探针显微镜（SPM）设施，以改善韦恩州立大学（WSU）的研究和学生学习。购买的主要仪器是带有Nanoscope IV控制站的Dimension 3100 SPM，将由两个学院的五个部门的研究人员共享。这项投资解决了由华盛顿州立大学国家科学基金会资助的许多项目对表面表征的关键需求，并为我们的本科和研究生课程中的材料研究提供了先进的工具。纳米科学和工程已经成为华盛顿州立大学的主要研究方向，这一点得到了充分的证明：1)纳米颗粒、纳米结构、光学和磁性应用设备；2)蛋白质、组织和生物材料涂层和工程；3)使用生物或生物启发材料的封装。在这些领域中，SPM技术是在纳米尺度上阐明和理解结构的不可或缺的工具。建立一个中央SPM实验室，并配备一个新的、最先进的SPM仪器，这将使我们能够在界面和纳米结构材料研究方面建立现有的优势，提高个人研究的生产力，并促进合作研究。一个致力于SPM研究的实验室将在WSU工程学院建立，以容纳Dimension 3100 SPM和目前的Nanoscope IIIa SPM。该实验室将向所有主要研究人员和其他用户开放。这些计算机将联网，以便可以很容易地访问SPM映像文件。这个更新的SPM设备将补充其他现有的材料表征仪器，如核磁共振、质谱、x射线晶体学、光学显微镜和光谱学以及扫描电子显微镜。将聘请一名博士后级别的显微镜专家来监督研究人员的安装、维护和培训。据估计，每年受此提案影响的研究人员和学生人数包括11名高级用户、5名博士后助理、20名研究生和100多名本科生。受影响的外部研究经费每年约为100万美元。

A Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) facility for the improvement of research and student learning at Wayne State University (WSU) will be established through this grant. The major instrument to be purchased, Dimension 3100 SPM with Nanoscope IV control station, will be shared among researchers from five departments spanning two colleges. This investment addresses a critical need for surface characterization in many projects funded by the National Science Foundation at WSU and provides an advanced tool for materials study in our undergraduate and graduate curricula. Nanoscale science and engineering has emerged as a principal research thrust at WSU as evidenced by well-funded efforts in 1) nanoparticles, nanostructures, and devices for optical and magnetic applications, 2) protein, tissue, and biomaterial coating and engineering, and 3) encapsulation using biological or biologically inspired materials. In each of these domains, the SPM technique is an indispensable tool for elucidating and comprehending structure at the nanometer scale. The establishment of a centralized SPM laboratory with an additional SPM instrument with new, state-of-the-art features should allow us to build on our current strengths in interfacial and nanostructured materials research, increase individual research productivities, and foster collaborative research.A laboratory dedicated to SPM research will be established in the WSU College of Engineering to house the Dimension 3100 SPM and the current Nanoscope IIIa SPM. This laboratory will be made accessible to all principal investigators and other users. The computers will be networked so that the SPM image files can be easily accessed. This updated SPM facility will complement other existing material characterization instrumentation such as NMR, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography, optical microscopy and spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. A microscopist at the postdoctoral level will be hired in order to oversee the installation, maintenance, and training of researchersThe estimated number of researchers and students impacted by this proposal annually consists of 11 senior users, 5 postdoctoral associates, 20 graduate students, and over 100 undergraduate students. The impacted external research funding amounts to approximately $1,000,000 annually.