MRI: Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope

这个奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。所要求的蔡司超55场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)将为化学系、物理系和生物材料与生物仿生学系的核心用户群以及来自这些系和纽约大学其他系以及纽约大学理工学院的更广泛的用户群提供结构和成分表征。该仪器将位于纽约大学华盛顿广场主校区，并将隶属于纽约大学材料研究科学与工程中心(MRSEC)。此次收购将解决一个关键需求，因为纽约大学目前还没有FE-SEM，这对于其在软材料、分子材料、生物分子组装、生物材料和磁学方面的日益增长的努力是必不可少的。这些材料中的大多数都是不导电的，因此在用传统电子显微镜成像时容易充电，这降低了图像质量。蔡司Ultra 55 FE-SEM具有独特的电荷补偿功能，在保持优异分辨率和图像质量的同时，最大限度地减少了样品充电，简化了分析，最大限度地减少了样品准备步骤，并提供了更可靠地描述样品结构的图像。广泛的内部和外部用户将拥有亲身体验？由负责监督和操作仪器的扫描电子显微镜专家在培训后访问设备，远程用户将能够控制现场计算机，以实时访问所有软件启用的功能以及数据可视化和检索。除了在材料研究的核心技术方面对用户进行培训外，FE-SEM还将被纳入纽约大学面向材料的课程，REU和MRSEC支持的暑期访问研究教师和学生将可以使用它，他们中的许多人来自少数族裔服务机构和四年制学院。项目组还将为更广泛的用户社区组织年度电子显微镜大师班？三州地区的学生、教职员工和行业科学家？它将扩大用户基础，并作为附近四年制大学学生的招聘工具。蔡司超55 FE-SEM是一种扫描电子显微镜，具有获得各种材料的高分辨率图像的独特能力。扫描电子显微镜可以生成高质量的导电材料图像，而非导电材料在成像过程中会产生电荷，这会降低图像质量。Ultra55 FE-SEM为这一问题提供了一种创新的解决方案，它可以分散电荷，从而生成非导电材料和导电材料的特殊图像，从而简化样品处理并提供更可靠的样品结构和形态描述图像。该仪器将对纽约大学的研究产生重大影响，因为它能够对各种材料进行精确的结构表征，包括用于组织工程的牙科复合材料和聚合物支架、复杂的胶体结构、基于DNA的纳米机械设备和生物矿物？在传统的扫描电子显微镜成像过程中，哪些因素对电荷积累特别敏感？以及将推进信息存储的磁性纳米结构。FE-SEM将为纽约大学的学生和博士后提供对材料研究至关重要的技术方面的培训，并将被纳入纽约大学现有的和新的课程。通过现有的REU项目、MRSEC支持的师生团队奖学金以及与纽约大学教师资源网络的合作伙伴关系，该仪器将被访问的夏季研究教师和学生使用，其中许多人来自少数族裔服务机构和四年制学院，包括与HBCU下属的路易斯安那泽维尔大学的教师进行的新合作。FE-SEM还将被纳入高中教育工作者化学科学硕士S的必修研究部分，该项目团队将为更广泛的用户社区组织每年一次的电子显微镜大师班？三州地区的学生、教职员工和行业科学家？它将扩大用户基础，并成为附近四年制大学学生的招聘工具。

0923251WardNew York University"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Technical Abstract. The requested Zeiss ULTRA 55 field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) will provide structural and compositional characterization for a core group of users from the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, and Biomaterials & Biomimetics, as well as a broader user group from these and other NYU departments, and the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. The instrument will be located on the main NYU Washington Square campus, and it will be affiliated with the NYU Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). This acquisition will address a critical need, as NYU currently does not own an FE-SEM, which is essential for its growing effort in soft materials, molecular materials, biomolecular assemblies, biomaterials, and magnetics. Most of these materials are non-conducting and, as such, are susceptible to charging during imaging with conventional electron microscopes, which degrades image quality. The Zeiss ULTRA 55 FE-SEM has a unique charge compensation feature that minimizes sample charging while maintaining excellent resolution and image quality, streamlining analysis, minimizing the number of sample preparation steps, and providing images that are more reliable depictions of sample structure. A wide range of internal and external users will have ?hands on? access to the equipment after training by an SEM specialist, who will be responsible for oversight and operation of the instrument, and remote users will be able to control the on-site computer for real-time access to all software-enabled functions and data visualization and retrieval. In addition to the training of users in a technique that is central to materials research, the FE-SEM will be incorporated into materials-oriented courses at NYU and it will be accessible to REU and MRSEC-supported visiting summer research faculty and students, many from minority-serving institutions and four-year colleges. The project team also will organize annual electron microscopy master classes for a broader user community ? students, faculty, and industry scientists in the tri-state area ? which will expand the user base and serve as a recruiting tool for students from nearby four-year colleges.Non-technical Abstract. The Zeiss ULTRA 55 FE-SEM is a scanning electron microscope with unique capabilities for obtaining high-resolution images of a wide range of materials. Whereas scanning electron microscopes can produce high-quality images of electrically conducting materials, non-conducting materials build up electrical charge during the imaging process, which reduces image quality. The ULTRA 55 FE-SEM offers an innovative solution to this problem that dissipates the charge, thereby producing exceptional images of non-conducting materials as well as conducting materials, which eases sample handling and provides images that are more reliable depictions of sample structural and morphology. The instrument will substantially impact NYU research by enabling precise structural characterization of a diverse range of materials, including dental composites and polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering, complex colloid architectures, DNA-based nanomechanical devices, and biominerals ? all which are especially sensitive to charge accumulation during imaging with conventional SEMs ? as well as magnetic nanostructures that will advance information storage. The FE-SEM will provide training of NYU student and postdocs in a technique that is central to materials research, and it will be incorporated into existing and new courses at NYU. Through an existing REU program, MRSEC-supported faculty-student team fellowships, and a partnership with the NYU Faculty Resource Network, the instrument will be used by visiting summer research faculty and students, many from minority-serving institutions and four-year colleges, including a new collaboration with faculty from Xavier University of Louisiana, an HBCU. The FE-SEM also will be incorporated into the required research component of the Master?s of Science in Chemistry for High School Educators, and the project team will organize annual electron microscopy master classes for a broader user community ? students, faculty, and industry scientists in the tri-state area ? which will expand the user base and serve as a recruiting tool for students from nearby four-year colleges.