MRI: Acquisition of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM)

MRI：获取环境扫描电子显微镜 (ESEM)

• 批准号: 0821021
• 负责人: George Scherer
• 金额: $ 56.37万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2011-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0821021&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Environmental; Scanning; Electron

Conventional electron microscopes operate under high vacuum, so it is not possible to examine biological materials, or delicate inorganic materials (such as gels), without drying them and thereby altering their structure. In contrast, an ESEM permits high resolution imaging of materials under moist conditions, and over a wide range of temperature. Researchers from 7 academic departments at Princeton plan studies including: (1) growth of salt crystals in porous materials (relevant to deterioration of building materials), (2) corrosion of cement exposed to carbonic acid (pertinent to geosequestration of CO2); (3) effects of oxide inclusions on the struc-ture of membranes used in fuel cells; (4) interaction of bacteria with minerals under conditions simulating the surface of Mars; (5) growth of fatigue cracks and (6) DNA sharing at neuron syn-apses. In addition to research, the instrument will be used in undergraduate courses and in a wide variety of K-12 outreach projects. These include Research Experience for Teachers (for local public school teachers), the Princeton University Materials Academy (for under-represented high school students from Trenton and surrounding districts), and Materials Science Days (where un-der-represented students spend the day in hands-on activities in our labs).

传统的电子显微镜在高真空下工作，因此如果不干燥生物材料或微妙的无机材料(如凝胶)，就不可能检查它们，从而改变它们的结构。相比之下，环境扫描电子显微镜允许在潮湿的条件下和在广泛的温度范围内对材料进行高分辨率成像。来自普林斯顿大学7个学术部门的研究人员计划进行的研究包括：(1)多孔材料中盐晶的生长(与建筑材料的劣化有关)，(2)暴露在碳酸中的水泥的腐蚀(与二氧化碳的地理分离有关)，(3)氧化物夹杂对燃料电池用膜结构的影响，(4)细菌与矿物在模拟火星表面的条件下的相互作用，(5)疲劳裂纹的生长，(6)神经元突触的DNA共享。除了研究，该仪器还将用于本科生课程和各种K-12推广项目。这些活动包括教师研究体验(面向当地公立学校教师)、普林斯顿大学材料学院(面向来自特伦顿及周边地区的代表不足的高中生)和材料科学日(代表不足的学生在我们的实验室进行一天的动手活动)。