IMR: Acquisition of a SAXS Facility for Research and Education in Nano-Structured Materials

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Technical Abstract:This NSF IMR proposal requests funds for a small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) facility for studies of nano-structured materials at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA). This multi-user facility will address our immediate research and educational needs for the characterization of bulk engineering materials at nanometer length scales. Several groups will immediately use this facility in research projects where bulk nano-structures play critical roles in controlling the resulting macroscopic material properties. Some of these projects include the optimization of protein separations through the use of novel surfactant nanostructures and self-assembled sieving matrices; the development of semiconductive polymers for solar energy conversion; the structural design of molecular assemblies with non-linear optical properties; the enhancement of dispersion and interfacial toughness in fiber-nanocomposites; the design of superlattices with collective magnetic properties and the characterization of structural defects in electrochemical ceramics. This facility addresses our long-standing research needs for the non-invasive characterization of bulk materials at the nanoscale. It will also serve as an essential tool for the training and education of engineers and scientists that work in all areas of materials research. The SAXS facility will be immediately incorporated into existing graduate and undergraduate laboratory courses and into specialized scattering courses that will be developed. The facility will also enhance the undergraduate experience through its incorporation into on-going undergraduate research programs. The facility will be the first and only SAXS user facility in the region. Non-technical AbstractIf funded, this NSF IMR grant will provide funds for the acquisition of a small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) facility at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA). SAXS provides information about the structural order of materials over distances of nanometers (billionths of meters). This nano-scale structural information is critical for the development of new engineering materials that are based on a high level of molecular organization. This facility, which will be the first and only SAXS user-facilty in the region, will immediately benefit several research groups at UW who are currently using nano-scale ordering to improve the performance of materials. These projects include the optimization of biomolecular separations for fast ?point of care? medical diagnosis, the development of semiconductor polymers for efficient and inexpensive solar power, the design of composite materials with enhanced toughness and gas permeability and the control of magnetism in particle assemblies. This facility will also serve as an essential tool for the training and education of engineers and scientists that work in all areas of materials research. The SAXS facility will be immediately incorporated into existing graduate level and undergraduate level laboratory courses and in specialized courses that will be developed in the future. The facility will also enhance the undergraduate experience through its incorporation into on-going undergraduate research programs.