MRI: Acquisition of Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) for high resolution 3-D materials analysis

所有的物质都是由原子组成的，但确定材料的精确原子结构几乎是所有科学研究领域的根本挑战。对材料原子结构的了解为了解地球的历史、环境的复杂化学、能量储存技术的发展以及生物系统的结构和功能提供了线索。该项目将通过购买飞行时间二次电离质谱仪(TOF-SIMS)提供对广泛材料的详细成像和成分分析。TOF-SIMS是一种强大的技术，可以检测整个元素周期表中的原子，并提供材料原子组成和结构的三维图像。TOF-SIMS仪器将服务于从地球和环境科学到生物医学领域的广泛领域，并对当地工业的技术创新和竞争力产生直接影响。这些项目的智力优势横跨地质学、能量储存和转换材料、纳米材料研究、生物工程研究、有机和有机/无机杂化薄膜以及地球科学等多个领域。更广泛的影响包括创建新的教育项目以及对地区研究机构和行业的支持。目前，休斯顿地区没有TOF-SIMS能力。该仪器将由莱斯大学的共享设备管理局管理，校园内和校外用户都可以使用该仪器。该仪器将直接通过向休斯顿地区的学生和研究人员提供培训机会，或间接通过支持相关项目的教育努力，为许多教育机会提供场所。一年一度的TOF-SIMS用户会议将由PI组织，并在莱斯大学举行，以交流不同样本的技术和结果，引入新的参与者，并教育感兴趣的研究人员。该研究所还将开设一门研究生级别的课程，重点是材料科学中材料的TOF-SIMS分析，该课程将包括一个用于样品分析和学生培训的动手模块。从纳米级到微米级的定量成分和结构分析对于几乎所有科学研究领域的进步都是必不可少的。该项目将在莱斯大学建立飞行时间二次电离质谱仪(TOF-SIMS)，用于对与地球科学、能源储存和转换、环境修复和生物科学相关的材料进行元素、分子和同位素成像。二次离子质谱仪(SIMS)是一种强大的技术，可以为各种材料提供亚微米级的元素或同位素图谱，飞行时间探测器的使用使全面的质谱分析成为可能，包括分离质量相差低至0.001微米的物种的能力，以及收集从H到U及更大范围的质量范围的能力。该仪器可以对横向分辨率低于50 nm的材料进行成像，并以低于10 nm的分辨率进行深度剖析，从而实现三维材料分析。总而言之，现代TOF-SIMS仪器提供了深度和三维分析表面、有机薄膜、生物材料、痕量金属和其他材料所需的能力。这些项目的智力优势横跨多个领域，包括地球科学、能量储存和转换材料、纳米材料研究、生物工程研究以及有机和有机/无机杂化薄膜。在地球科学中，TOF-SIMS将应用于与地质相关的物质，以研究元素在地质过程中的迁移路径和动力学，以及热液系统中微量元素在微米和纳米相中的分配。在与能源相关的研究中，光伏混合物和复合电极的三维结构将通过TOF-SIMS来阐明。TOF-SIMS将被用来量化二维材料的生长和掺杂。TOF-SIMS还将对生物系统中纳米颗粒的传输和毒性研究起到关键作用，提供细胞内痕量元素的同时成像，允许并行的CN、P和Pb图像。最后，TOF-SIMS将为薄膜涂层提供纳米级的横向和深入的成分分析。拟议的TOF-SIMS仪器将为墨西哥湾沿岸地区的国内外研究人员感兴趣的这些和其他研究项目提供服务。这些项目的更广泛影响包括科学和工程研究的根本性进展，对当地工业的支持，以及创造新的教育活动。此次收购是墨西哥湾沿岸地区唯一的TOF-SIMS仪器，该仪器将通过莱斯的共享设备管理局向地区研究机构和行业提供。莱斯的TOF-SIMS将服务于从地球和环境科学到生物医学领域的广泛领域，并对当地工业的技术创新和竞争力产生直接影响。教育活动包括一年一度的TOF-SIMS用户会议，一个研究生级别的课程，重点是TOF-SIMS对材料科学中材料的分析，以及对暑期学生和研究人员的动手培训。

1626418Verduzco, RafaelAll matter is made up of atoms, but determining the precise atomic structure of materials is a fundamental challenge across virtually all fields of scientific research. Knowledge of the atomic structure of materials provides clues to the history of the Earth, the complex chemistry of the environment, the development of technologies for energy storage, and the structure and function of biological systems. This project will provide detailed imaging and compositional analysis of a broad range of materials through the acquisition of a Time-of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). TOF-SIMS is a powerful technique that can detect atoms across the entire periodic table and provide a three dimensional image of materials' atomic composition and structure. The TOF-SIMS instrument will serve a wide range of fields, ranging from the Earth and environmental sciences to the biomedical fields and have a direct impact on the technological innovation and competitiveness of local industry. The projects' intellectual merit crosses fields as diverse as geology, materials for energy storage and conversion, nanomaterials research, bioengineering research, organic and hybrid organic/inorganic thin films, and Earth sciences. The broader impacts include the creation of new educational programs and support of regional research institutions and industry. At present, the Houston area does not have TOF-SIMS capabilities. The instrument will be managed by Rice University's Shared Equipment Authority, making the instrumentation available to both on-campus and off-campus users. The instrument will serve as a venue for a number of educational opportunities either directly by providing training opportunities to students and researchers in the Houston area or indirectly by supporting the educational efforts of related projects. Annual TOF-SIMS user meetings will be organized by the PI and held at Rice University to exchange techniques and results on different samples, bring in new participants, and educate interested researchers. The PI will also establish a graduate-level course focused on TOF-SIMS analysis of materials in materials science, and the course will include a hands-on module for sample analysis and student training.Quantitative compositional and structural analysis from the nanoscale to the micron-scale is essential for advances in virtually all fields of scientific research. This project will establish a Time-of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) at Rice University for elemental, molecular, and isotopic imaging of materials relevant to earth sciences, energy storage and conversion, environmental remediation, and biosciences. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) is a powerful technique that can provide elemental or isotopic mapping at the sub-micron level for a wide range of materials, and the use of a time-of-flight detector (TOF) enables full mass-spectrum analysis, including the capability to separate species that differ in mass by as little as 0.001 amu and for collecting a wide mass range from H to U and beyond. The instrument can image materials with sub-50 nm lateral resolution and perform depth profiling with sub-10 nm resolution, thereby enabling three-dimensional materials analysis. Altogether, a modern TOF-SIMS instrument provides the capabilities required to analyze surfaces, organic films, biological materials, trace metals, and other materials both in-depth and in three dimensions. The projects' intellectual merit crosses fields as diverse as Earth sciences, materials for energy storage and conversion, nanomaterials research, bioengineering research, and organic and hybrid organic/inorganic thin films. In the Earth sciences, TOF-SIMS will be applied to geologically-relevant materials to study pathways and kinetics by which elements are transported in geological processes and trace element partitioning in micro- and nano-phases in hydrothermal systems. In energy-related research, the three-dimensional structure of photovoltaic blends and composite electrodes will be elucidated through TOF-SIMS. TOF-SIMS will be used to quantify the growth and doping of two-dimensional materials. TOF-SIMS will also be critical to the study of nanoparticle transport and toxicity in biological systems, providing simultaneous imaging of trace elements intracellularly, allowing parallel CN, P, and Pb images. Finally, TOF-SIMS will provide nanoscale lateral and through-depth compositional analysis of thin film coatings. The proposed TOF-SIMS instrument will serve these and other research projects of interest to internal and external researchers in the Gulf Coast Region. The projects' broader impacts include fundamental advances in science and engineering research, support of local industry, and the creation of new educational activities. The acquisition represents the only TOF-SIMS instrument in the Gulf Coast region, and the instrument will be made available to regional research institutions and industry through Rice's Shared Equipment Authority. The TOF-SIMS at Rice will serve a wide range of fields, ranging from the Earth and environmental sciences to the biomedical fields and have a direct impact on the technological innovation and competitiveness of local industry. Educational activities include annual TOF-SIMS user meetings, a graduate-level course focused on TOF-SIMS analysis of materials in materials science, and hands-on training for summer students and researchers.