MRI: Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, Piotr Piotrowiak and colleagues Elena Galoppini, Frieder Jaekle, Huixin He and Evert Elzinga from Rutgers University Newark will acquire a field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The proposal is aimed at enhancing research, research training and education at all levels. The instrument will support research in a number of areas including studies of exciton and charge dynamics in semiconductor nanostructures and hybrid molecular/nanoparticle systems, investigation of geochemical processes at mineral-water interfaces that control the speciation of heavy metals, studies directed at a molecular-level understanding of interfacial electron transfer through the synthesis of 'sensitizer' dyes, the development of new synthetic chemistry of organoboron compounds and functional polymers with sub-micron structure, and the development of hybrid sensors based on nanotube-polymer interactions. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is one of the basic tools available for the characterization of materials. A beam of electrons scans the surface of a sample resulting in a microimage of the sample composition. The electron microscope can provide higher resolution and magnification than a microscope using light to probe the material. Characteristic X-rays are produced from interaction with atoms in the sample that when dispersed provide information on the elemental composition (EDS). This instrumentation will provide microscopy training and research opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students across many fields including chemistry, earth sciences and environmental science fields preparing them for the demands of the 21st century workforce in science and technology.