MRI: Acquisition of a Multi-functional Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) System to Establish a Cross-disciplinary Nano-imaging/spectroscopy Laboratory at CCNY

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This Major Research Instrumentation award to City College of New York (CCNY) supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art Near Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM). NSOM is a critical and complementary nanoscopytechnique, which will immediately enable a wide range of important leading-edge, cross-disciplinary research projects at CCNY between the Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Biology departments. This multifunctional NSOM system will become a key component instrument of a "Nano-imaging/spectroscopy Laboratory" that will be established for use by a cluster of researchers who will comprise a so-called "Nanoscopy Cluster". The instrument will facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge, promote new experimental approaches, and promote cross-disciplinary collaborations. In addition, the instrument will be integrated into CCNY's "Shared Imaging Core Facility" and will create well-equipped research environments that integrate research with education of students, many of whom will be underrepresented minority students as CCNY is a recognized minority-serving institution. More than 20% of Ph.D. graduate students in the physical sciences and engineering would benefit from acquisition of the requested instrument. Undergraduate training and use of the tool will be integrated within the scope of the facilities goals, impacting multiple members of the large undergraduate research community at CCNY. In addition, through the non-profit organization, International Research Experiences, Inc. (iREs), NSOM techniques will be presented in a summer research program for high school students and teachers.The goal is to establish a cross-disciplinary Nano-imaging/spectroscopy Laboratory at City College of New York (CCNY). The instrument will enable the pursuit of 16 research projects in highly diverse research areas/thrusts ranging from (1) Bio-inspired Self-assembled Nanomaterials, (2) Plasmonic & Photonic Materials, (3) Semiconductor Nanomaterials, (4) Natural Bio-Materials as well as (5) Materials for Frontier Applications. It will be used in answering a diverse set of both fundamental and applied scientific questions such as "nature of energy transport processes within and between nanoscale systems", "control of light-matter interaction in two-dimensional atomic crystals", "engineering melanin-derived polydopamine coatings and biosensors" as well as "development of high sensitivity Raman spectroscopy tools", and "understanding the failure modes in supercapacitors".