MRI-R2: Acquisition of High Resolution Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) for Characterization of Hydrogels, Nano-/Micro-Structures, & Cell-Material Interfaces

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0959037Schmidt"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."This proposal requests the purchase of a Quanta 250 FEG environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) from FEI for nanometer-scale imaging and analysis of biological samples under near-biological environmental conditions. The proposed instrument is to be housed within the Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology (CNM) at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), and used for original research by student and faculty users representing 10 academic departments. The instrument will allow researchers to examine the structure and composition of hydrated materials under precisely controlled environmental conditions, which will provide a heretofore-unattainable degree of detail (down to 1.4 nm resolution) in the many areas of cutting-edge research using hydrated materials in areas such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, drug-resistant bacterial strains, and development of nanosensors to name just a few. The ESEM can be configured to operate as a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) for even more in-depth analysis of hydrated samples, and will allow elemental data analysis via energy-depletion x-ray analysis (EDS). The University of Texas at Austin has a number of state-of-the-art conventional SEM imaging systems, but is critically lacking a contemporary ESEM. Currently, there is only one ESEM user-facility on campus (in Geosciences), but this is an older system that lacks the resolution (tungsten filament system versus Schottky field emission for the proposed system) and capabilities required for imaging biological samples and micro/nano-materials in their more natural, hydrated state. Due to the ability of the proposed ESEM to image hydrated samples, researchers who were previously unable to use electron microscopy will now have a powerful tool that will open new avenues of research. Additionally, researchers working with biological and other hydrated samples that previously used electron microscopy will have better and complementary imaging data. The ESEM will be maintained by the Texas Materials Institute (TMI) in conjunction with the CNM and it will be centrally located in the CNM's Nano Science and Technology (NST) building. The instrument will be managed by the current facility manager, Dr. Hugo Celio, who has extensive experience in using electron microscopes, in training others in their use, and in performing instrument maintenance. An extended maintenance contract with the manufacturer will also be purchased. This instrument will be available at all times for all eligible users, via a system of controlled access already successfully implemented by the CNM, which balances access with security.