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

一个扫描探针显微镜（SPM）设施，以改善研究和学生学习在韦恩州立大学（WSU）将通过这笔赠款。要购买的主要仪器，尺寸3100 SPM与Nanoscope IV控制站，将在来自两个学院的五个部门的研究人员之间共享。 这项投资解决了由WSU国家科学基金会资助的许多项目中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WSU的主要研究方向，这一点可以从以下方面得到充分的证明：1）纳米颗粒，纳米结构和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，以及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，配备一台具有新的、最先进功能的SPM仪器，应使我们能够在界面和纳米结构材料研究方面发挥现有优势，提高个人研究生产力，一个专门用于SPM研究的实验室将在WSU工程学院建立，以容纳Dimension 3100 SPM和当前的Nanoscope IIIa SPM。 该实验室将开放给所有主要研究人员和其他用户使用。这些计算机将联网，以便能够方便地获取SPM图像文件。 这个更新的SPM设施将补充其他现有的材料表征仪器，如NMR，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。 在博士后水平的显微镜将被雇用，以监督安装，维护和研究人员的培训，每年受此建议影响的研究人员和学生的估计数量包括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。 受影响的外部研究资金每年约为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.