Acquisition of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer for Molecular Thin Film Research and Education.

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The award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research Program in the Division of Materials Research will allow Northwestern University to acquire a new Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) Instrument for research and education in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry. The proposed FTIR instrument will replace the current outdated equipment and will be housed in the Polymer Characterization Facility of the Materials Science department. The instrument will consist of two modules: a conventional turn-key FTIR spectrometer with an array of attachments for standard spectroscopic techniques, and a highly customizable module specifically designed for measurements of molecular structure in ultra-thin films of organic molecules. The former will make the instrument easily useful to a broad audience of Northwestern researchers, while the latter will allow measurements of molecular conformations in more difficult samples, especially in biomaterials and nanomaterials research. The instrument will facilitate the training of undergraduate and graduate students in all three departments, by being utilized in laboratory sections of polymer materials class offered to the engineering undergraduate students, and a spectroscopy class offered through the chemistry department. The more advanced capabilities of the spectrometer will greatly advance the ability of students involved in the interdisciplinary bio- and nanomaterials research at Northwestern to elucidate and understand the molecular-level details of structure in their samples.%%%The award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research Program in the Division of Materials Research will allow Northwestern University to acquire a new Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) Instrument for research and education. The instrument will be housed in the Polymer Characterization Facility in the Materials Science and Engineering department, and will be used to characterize new polymeric, biological and nanomaterials prepared by researchers at Northwestern. In particular, it will enable measurements of the orientation, shape, and arrangement of molecules in extremely thin (just a few molecules thick) films deposited on the surfaces of solids and liquids. Such films are often critical in creating the new materials for biotechnology and nanoscience applications, governing, for example, the interactions of biomaterials with biological tissues, or the workings of nanoscale sensors capable of precisely measuring minute quantities of substances present in a gas or a liquid. The instrument will be used in instruction for several classes currently taught to science and engineering students at Northwestern. Moreover, students of the undergraduate and graduate levels will use the instrument for their research, improving the quality and scope of their training as future members of the science and engineering workforce.