MRI: Acquisition of a Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for a Primarily Undergraduate Consortium

技术摘要我们请求购买一台场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)，用于克莱蒙特学院联盟，这是一个拥有5500名学生的主要学术社区。该仪器将由多个学科的本科生每天使用，时间由在线预订系统分配，不收取使用费。我们选择在下面的描述中重点关注三个主要领域：(1)能源和环境材料。在这一领域，拟议的仪器将支持以下几个项目的重要成像：氧化锌纳米管上带有卟啉增敏剂的染料敏化太阳能电池、低成本、高稳定的聚合物太阳能电池、用于低能量分离的无机/有机复合气体分离膜，以及环境监测(用于化学微传感器和微分析系统开发的组合材料研究)。(2)生物工程。在该领域的其他项目中，该仪器将支持组织工程、角膜和壳聚糖纳米颗粒合成等项目。(3)地质学。该领域的两个主要项目包括火成岩和变质岩石学和地质微生物学以及沉积地质学。所需仪器的主要目的是用于本科生研究和研究培训。我们的管理计划是基于我们在过去7年中取得的成功，目前的设施是围绕着使用过的FE-SEM建造的，现在已经超过13年的历史。在过去的四年里，超过150名用户，几乎都是本科生，使用了目前的FE-SEM总共1070次。为本科生提供使用尖端仪器工作的机会，可以激励他们讨论各种专业主题，并可能是鼓励学生进一步从事科学研究、研究生学习或工业研究职位的关键因素。该设施将出现在整个财团的外展计划中。非技术摘要克莱蒙特学院财团，一个拥有5500名学生的主要学术社区，已经向国家科学基金会提交了一份购买场发射扫描电子显微镜的建议书。这种类型的显微镜能够常规地对纤维、细胞、颗粒、矿物、新材料和设备进行图像分析，尺寸从英寸到纳米，对应的放大倍数从十倍到一百万倍，明显优于任何传统的光学显微镜。该显微镜将由本科生在广泛的项目中每天使用，包括新能源的新材料，如新型太阳能电池，环境监测传感器，人造角膜的生物工程，以及帮助科学家了解最基本生命形式与地球相互作用的机制的地质样本分析。虽然大多数场发射扫描电子显微镜位于大型研究型大学和高科技工业环境中，但所需仪器的主要目的是用于本科生研究和研究培训。这项提议是基于过去7年来的成功，目前的显微镜设施是围绕一个旧显微镜建造的，现在这个显微镜已经有13年多的历史了。在过去的四年里，超过150名用户，几乎都是本科生，使用目前的显微镜进行了1000多次研究。为本科生提供使用尖端仪器工作的机会，可以激励他们讨论各种专业主题，并可能是鼓励学生进一步从事科学研究、研究生学习或工业研究职位的关键因素。该设施将出现在面向公众的外联计划中，特别是针对1-12年级的学童和教师。该提案是由波莫纳学院和哈维穆德学院的教授团队撰写的，这两所学院都是美国最顶尖的大学，在本科生研究方面有着良好的记录。

Technical AbstractWe request the purchase of a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) for use in the Claremont Colleges consortuim, a major academic community of 5,500 students. The instrument will be used daily by undergraduate research students across a broad range of disciplines with time allocated by an online reservation system and without user fees. We have chosen to focus on the three main areas in the description below:(1) Materials for Energy and the Environment. In this area, the proposed instrument would support important imaging in several projects: Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Porphyrin Sensitizers on Zinc Oxide Nanotubes, Low-cost, High-Stability Polymer Solar Cells, Inorganic/Organic Composite Gas Separation Membranes for Low-Energy Separations, and Environmental Monitoring (combinatorial materials research for chemical microsensor and microanalytical system development).(2) Bioengineering. Amongst other projects in this area, the instrument would support projects on Tissue Engineering a Cornea, and Chitosan Nanoparticle Synthesis.(3) Geology. Two major projects in this area include Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology and Geomicrobiology and Sedimentary Geology.The primary purpose of the requested instrument is for undergraduate research and research training. Our management plan is based on our success over the past 7 years with the current facility built around a used FE-SEM, which is now over 13 years old. In the past four years, more than 150 users, almost all undergraduates, have used the current FE-SEM for a total of 1070 sessions. Providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to work with sophisticated instrumentation provides motivation to discuss a variety of specialized topics and can be a key factor in encouraging students to pursue further scientific research, graduate studies or industrial research positions. The facility will be featured in outreach programs across the consortium.Non-technical AbstractThe Claremont Colleges consortuim, a major academic community of 5,500 students has submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for the purchase of a field-emission scanning electron microscope. This type of microscope is able to routinely image analyze fibers, cells, particles, minerals, new materials, and devices at size scales ranging from inches to nanometers, corresponding to magnifications from ten times to one million times, and significantly better than any tradition optical microscope. The microscope will be used daily by undergraduate research students across a broad range of projects including novel materials for new energy sources such as new types of solar cells, sensors for environmental monitoring, bioengineering of artificial corneas, and for analysis of geologic samples that help scientists understand mechanisms through which the most basic forms of life interact with the Earth. While most field-emission scanning electron microscopes are located in large research universities and high tech industrial settings, the primary purpose of the requested instrument is for undergraduate research and research training. The proposal is based on the success over the past 7 years with the current microscope facility built around a used microscope, which is now over 13 years old. In the past four years, more than 150 users, almost all undergraduates, have used the current microscope for over a thousand research sessions. Providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to work with sophisticated instrumentation provides motivation to discuss a variety of specialized topics and can be a key factor in encouraging students to pursue further scientific research, graduate studies or industrial research positions. The facility will be featured in outreach programs for the public, especially with school children and teachers in grades 1-12. The proposal was written by a team of professors from Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College, both amongst the most selective colleges in the country with strong records of undergraduate research.