MRI: Acquisition of a High-Resolution Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope and Focused Ion-Beam Milling System

塔尔萨大学技术总结：现代科学事业在很大程度上依赖于尖端研究仪器的可用性。我们要求环境扫描电子显微镜/聚焦离子束系统(ESEM/FIB)，以满足塔尔萨大学和俄克拉何马州其他学院和大学的仪器需求。所要求的仪器将影响塔尔萨大学工程和自然科学学院的所有系。具体地说，该仪器将通过拟议的项目在微电子、自我修复材料、替代能源、半导体物理和催化方面实现研究进展。最后，该仪器将被广泛用于TU工程与自然科学学院所有系的各种教学实验室。该仪器还将通过一个积极的推广计划，向各种独特的和服务不足的群体提供尖端科学技术。该计划将包括显微镜的网络操作和教师培训，以便与从农村小学到小型地区性大学的各种网站整合，包括在科学领域代表不足的少数民族地区。除了拟议的研究项目和推广活动外，屠呦呦最近还获得了Gilcrease博物馆的负责人职位，该博物馆收藏了大量美国原住民艺术和文物。利用这种仪器进行科学研究和保护文化遗产的能力令人兴奋，而且只在少数几个地点可以复制。莱曼摘要：环境扫描电子显微镜(ESEM)可以直接检查几乎任何物体上微米和纳米大小的特征；特征大小可以达到人类头发大小的1/50,000。这些精密的显微镜是现代材料科学和生物学研究的主力。聚焦离子束系统(FIB)基本上是一种分子级的加工工具，它允许在几个纳米的尺度上移除或添加材料；例如，能够为塔尔萨大学开发的纳米生物体创造微型电流收集器。将这两台仪器集成到一个系统中，允许同时成像和离子束操作，并使各种先进的表征技术成为可能，例如连续切片。在这个过程中，用FIB去除材料的薄片，并用扫描电子显微镜对新表面进行成像。重复这个过程多次，就会产生一系列图像，可以用来对先进材料的内部结构进行3D重建，比如独特的自我修复塑料，或者塔尔萨大学研究的用于生产生物燃料的特殊藻类。除了支持大学的研究议程外，该工具还将成为许多班级的基本工具，并成为积极推广计划的重点。显微镜的远程操作能力将允许与俄克拉荷马州从农村小学到小型地区性大学的地点整合。该乐器还将成为与Gilcrease博物馆相关的研究和教学项目开发的核心，该博物馆收藏了世界著名的美洲原住民艺术和文物收藏。

0923461TeetersUniversity of TulsaTechnical Summary: Modern scientific endeavors rely heavily on the availability of cutting edge research instrumentation. We are requesting an environmental scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam system (ESEM/FIB) to address instrumentation needs for The University of Tulsa and other colleges and universities across the state of Oklahoma The requested instrument will impact all Departments in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at the University of Tulsa. Specifically, the instrument will enable research advances through the proposed projects in microelectronics, self-healing materials, alternative energy sources, semiconductor physics, and catalysis. Finally, the instrument will be utilized in wide variety of teaching labs spanning all departments in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at TU. This instrument will also make cutting edge scientific techniques available to a variety of unique and underserved groups through an aggresive outreach program. The program will include web-based operation of the microscope and teacher training to allow integration with sites ranging from rural elementary schools to small regional colleges, including locations with minorities under-represented in science. In addition to the proposed research projects and outreach, TU recently acquired the directorship of the Gilcrease museum, which houses a large collection of Native American art and artifacts. The ability to utilize this instrument for the scientific study and preservation of cultural heritage is exciting and replicated in only a handful of locations.Layman Summary: Environmental scanning electron microscopes (ESEM) allow the direct inspection of micron and nanometer-sized features on virtually any object; features ranging down to 1/50,000 of a human hair in size. These sophisticated microscopes are the workhorses of modern materials science and biology research. A focused ion beam system (FIB) is basically a molecular-level machining tool that allows material to be either removed or added on the scale of a few nanometers; enabling, for example, the creation of microscopic current collectors for nanobatteries developed at The University of Tulsa. The integration of these two instruments into a single system allows for simultaneous imaging and ion beam operation and makes possible a variety of advanced characterization techniques such as serial sectioning. In this process, thin slices of material are removed with the FIB and the new surface is imaged with the SEM. Repeating the procedure many times yields a series of images that can be used to make a 3-D reconstruction of the internal structure of advanced materials like the unique self- healing plastics or the specialized strains of algae for biofuel production that are subjects of investigation at the University of Tulsa. In addition to supporting the research agenda of the university, the instrument will be an essential tool in many classes and the focus of an aggressive outreach program. Remote operation capabilities for the microscope will allow integration with sites ranging from rural elementary schools to small regional colleges across the state of Oklahoma. The instrument will also become a centerpiece in the development of research and teaching programs associated with the Gilcrease museum, which houses a world renowned collection of Native American art and artifacts.