MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope for Research and Education

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With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, the Department of Physics at Virginia Commonwealth University will acquire a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) for use in interdisciplinary nanomaterials research. Research work will be conducted in a variety of fields including 1) Nanoparticle Photolithography, 2) Optical Properties of Metal & Semiconductor Nanoparticles, 3) Organic Spintronics, 4) Core-Shell Magnetic Nanoparticles, and 5) Functional Amphiphilic Polymers.Transmission electron microscopy is a widely used technique that provides a microscopic image of a thin sample formed from the interaction of a beam of electrons transmitted through the specimen. A TEM provides higher resolution than optical microscopes. It is used in materials research and biological fields among others to examine the structure and properties of these materials under high resolution. The TEM acquisition will benefit the research and training of students in four different departments (Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering and Chemical Engineering). It will broaden collaborative activities with local industry and national research facilities, and strengthen existing ties with two historically black colleges, Virginia Union University and Norfolk State University. It will be integral to the infrastructure of the new VCU interdisciplinary doctoral program in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.