MRI: Acquisition of a Property Measurement Facility for Interdisciplinary Studies

宾夕法尼亚大学（Penn）的材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）获得了主要研究仪器项目的奖金，将建立一个共享实验设施（SEF），为跨学科研究和教育进行电、磁、热和光学测量。该设施将容纳一个新的量子设计物理特性测量系统（PPMS），以及已经开发出独特磁光能力的现有PPMS。SEF将把这些仪器放在一个单独的实验室里，每天24小时供学生和博士后使用。目标是建立一个由不同用户组成的社区，让他们在近距离工作的同时交流想法和专业知识。拟议的SEF将远远超过其各部分的总和，并将大大利用现有资源。由于PPMS系统采用模块化设计，可以共享实验插件，因此新获得的系统不仅将增加最先进的热传输和热容量功能，还将“继承”现有系统的高电阻率、克尔效应、磁化、光纤探头、旋转插件、定制软件和操作经验。SEF中的第二个PPMS将通过允许同时运行任何实验组合来减少用户的积压，并将为构建和测试用于定制测量的专用自制插入提供宝贵的仪器时间。提出的SEF的智力价值在于它作为一种强有力的催化剂，促进新的跨学科研究，特别是在材料发现方面。自从三年前问世以来，现有的PPMS已经激发了具有广泛兴趣的研究人员之间的合作活动。在金属dna、医学物理、碳纳米管和纳米纤维、磁阻氧化物和导电有机物等领域，已经建立了充满活力和意想不到的项目，其中大部分源于使用该仪器的探索性测量。这些努力现在需要比目前可能的更多的仪器时间，并且新材料进一步创造了对宾夕法尼亚大学无法提供的额外功能的新需求。拟议的SEF将大大扩展MRSEC的能力，并为人工多功能氧化物薄膜和新型分子导电、半导体和自旋电子器件以及其他不可预见的活动的探索性努力创造机会。拟议SEF的更广泛影响在于它为费城及其他地区的科学界提供的服务和机会。SEF仪器的设计便于使用和连续操作，并将吸引那些可能会犹豫或因缺乏经验而被拒绝开始复杂测量的用户。SEF将为当地医院和博物馆的本科生、暑期学生和工作人员提供服务，也将作为波多黎各大学访问教师和本科生的主要物理测试资源，宾夕法尼亚大学MRSEC与波多黎各大学有一个由美国国家科学基金会支持的材料研究与教育合作伙伴关系（PREM）项目。SEF体验将给这些用户一种自主感和兴奋感，从而在更广泛的社会中培养对科学的热情和意识。有了这笔拨款，宾夕法尼亚大学的材料研究科学与工程中心将建立一个共享的实验设施，为跨学科研究和教育进行电、磁、热和光学测量。该设施将容纳一个新的量子设计物理特性测量系统，并将纳入一个已经开发出独特功能的现有仪器。这些仪器将被安置在一个单独的实验室里，每天24小时供学生和博士后使用。目标是建立一个由不同用户组成的社区，让他们在近距离工作的同时交流想法和专业知识。所要求的仪器是一种独特的多功能仪器，能够进行多种类型的实验。通过模块化设计，该仪器可以接受商业或定制的实验插入。由于新系统和现有系统之间可以共享选项，因此新的收购在很大程度上利用了现有资源。研究人员将能够在-271摄氏度到140摄氏度的广泛温度范围内测量物理特性，并在高达9特斯拉的磁场强度下测量。许多物理性质，如电阻、光传输和磁化，都与温度和磁场密切相关。使用所要求的仪器对这些特性进行研究将使物理科学家能够了解控制这些特性的潜在机制，从而改进已知材料并发明有用的新材料。拟议的设施的智力价值在于其作为新跨学科研究的有力催化剂的作用，特别是在材料发现方面。自从三年前到来以来，现有的仪器已经激发了具有广泛兴趣的研究人员之间的合作活动。在医学物理学、纳米科学和有机电子学方面，已经建立了充满活力和意想不到的项目，这些项目起源于新设施的探索性研究。拟议的工具将支持这些活动，同时也确保投机性的“种子”研究仍然可以进行，以确定未来的研究方向。拟议设施的更广泛影响在于它为费城及其他地区的科学界提供的服务和机会。这些仪器的设计便于使用和连续操作，并将吸引那些可能因缺乏经验而犹豫不决或被拒绝开始复杂测量的用户。该设施将为当地医院和博物馆的本科生、暑期学生和工作人员提供便利，并将作为波多黎各大学访问教师和本科生的主要物理测试资源，宾夕法尼亚MRSEC与波多黎各大学有一个由美国国家科学基金会支持的材料研究与教育合作伙伴关系（PREM）合作项目。在该设施工作的经历将给非传统用户一种自主和兴奋感，从而在更广泛的社会中培养对科学的热情和认识。

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation program the Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) will establish a shared experimental facility (SEF) to perform electrical, magnetic, thermal and optical measurements for interdisciplinary research and education. The facility will house a new Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) along with an existing PPMS for which unique magneto-optical capabilities have already been developed. The SEF will house these instruments in a single laboratory accessible to students and post-docs 24 hours a day. The goal is to establish a community of diverse users who will exchange ideas and expertise while working in close proximity.The proposed SEF will be much more than the sum of its parts and will significantly leverage existing resources. The PPMS systems can share experimental inserts by virtue of their modular design, so the newly acquired system will not only add new state-of-the-art capabilities for thermal transport and heat capacity, but will also 'inherit' the high-resistivity, Kerr effect, magnetization, fiber probe, rotating insert, custom software, and operator experience that accompanies the existing system. The second PPMS in the SEF will reduce the backlog of users by allowing any combination of experiments to run simultaneously, and will provide valuable instrument time for building and testing specialized home-built inserts for custom measurements. The intellectual merit of the proposed SEF lies in its role as a potent catalyst for nucleating new interdisciplinary research, especially in material discovery. Since its arrival three years ago, the existing PPMS has already stimulated collaborative activities among researchers with a wide variety of interests. Vigorous and unexpected programs in metallo-DNA, medical physics, carbon nanotubes and nanofibers, magnetoresistive oxides, and conducting organics have been established, most of which originated from exploratory measurements using this instrument. These efforts now require more instrument time than is currently possible, and the new materials have further created new demand for additional capabilities not available at Penn. The proposed SEF will significantly expand MRSEC capabilities and create opportunities in exploratory effort in artificial multifunctional oxide thin films and novel molecular conducting, semi-conducting and spintronic devices, as well as in other unforeseen activities.The broader impact of the proposed SEF lies in the services and opportunities it offers to the science community of Philadelphia and beyond. The SEF instruments are designed for ease of use and continuous operation, and will attract users who might otherwise hesitate, or be denied for lack of experience, to begin a complex measurement. The SEF will avail itself to undergraduates, summer students, and staff from local hospitals and museums, and will also serve as the primary physical testing resources for the visiting faculty and undergraduates from University of Puerto Rico with which the Penn MRSEC has a NSF-supported Partnership for Research & Education in Materials (PREM) program. The SEF experience will give these users a sense of autonomy and excitement, and thereby foster enthusiasm and awareness of science in the broader society.With this grant, the Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at the University of Pennsylvania will establish a shared experimental facility to perform electrical, magnetic, thermal and optical measurements for interdisciplinary research and education. The facility will house a new Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System and will also incorporate an existing instrument for which unique capabilities have already been developed. The instruments will be housed in a single laboratory accessible to students and post-docs 24 hours a day. The goal is to establish a community of diverse users who will exchange ideas and expertise while working in close proximity.The requested instrument is a uniquely versatile being able to run many types of experiments. The instrument can accept either commercial or custom-made experimental inserts by virtue of a modular design. Since options can be shared between the new system and the existing one, the new acquisition considerably leverages existing resources. Researchers will be able to measure physical properties over a wide range of temperatures, from -271 oC to 140 oC, and in magnetic field strengths up to 9 Tesla. Many physical properties, such as electrical resistance, optical transmission, and magnetization, are strongly temperature- and magnetic-field dependent. The study of these properties using the requested instrument will allow physical scientists to understand the underlying mechanisms that control these properties, and thereby improve known materials and invent useful new materials.The intellectual merit of the proposed facility lies in its role as a potent catalyst for nucleating new interdisciplinary research, especially in material discovery. Since its arrival three years ago, the existing instrument has already stimulated collaborative activities among researchers with a wide variety of interests. Vigorous and unexpected programs have been established in medical physics, nanoscience, and organic electronics, which originated from exploratory studies in the new facility. The proposed instrument will support these activities while also ensuring that speculative 'seed' research can still take place for identifying future research directions.The broader impact of the proposed facility lies in the services and opportunities it offers to the science community of Philadelphia and beyond. The instruments are designed for ease of use and continuous operation, and will attract users who might otherwise hesitate, or be denied for lack of experience, to begin a complex measurement. The facility will avail itself to undergraduates, summer students, and staff from local hospitals and museums, and will serve as the primary physical testing resources for the visiting faculty and undergraduates from the University of Puerto Rico with which the Penn MRSEC has a NSF-supported Partnership for Research & Education in Materials (PREM) collaborative program. The experience of working in the facility will give non-traditional users a sense of autonomy and excitement, thereby fostering enthusiasm and awareness of science in the broader society.