MRI: Acquisition of a Low-Voltage Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) to Enable Chemistry Research and Training at Central Pennsylvania Undergraduate Institutions

该奖项由主要研究仪器（MRI）和化学研究仪器（CRIF）项目支持。有了它，富兰克林马歇尔学院的凯瑟琳·普拉斯教授及其同事克劳德·约德和詹妮弗·莫福德获得了透射电子显微镜（TEM）。透射电子显微镜发射一束电子穿过一层薄薄的材料。电子束与物质相互作用产生视觉图像，类似于显微镜。这些图像对研究材料的化学性质具有重要意义。它们揭示了结构的细节，比如纳米粒子或蛋白质的大小和形状。这些信息有助于研究人员了解材料的特性并改进它们。这次收购加强了本科生的研究能力培养。该仪器主要用于四所本科院校，富兰克林和马歇尔学院，奥尔布赖特学院，乌尔西纳学院和米勒斯维尔大学。获得这台电子显微镜的目的是加强研究，特别是在以下领域：(a)纳米材料的合成，用于研究纳米颗粒与分子或细胞界面的性质，(b)等离子体半导体纳米颗粒用于调节阳离子交换，(c)通过合成铁钼硫化纳米颗粒研究海洋沉积物中的钼积累，(d)磷灰石材料中的离子取代，(e)金属纳米颗粒作为碳纳米纤维生长的催化剂，(f)碳纳米管和氧化石墨烯作为运输四环素抗生素的载体，(g)等离子体金属纳米粒子和(h)模块化蛋白质及其在细胞内的移动方式。

This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation (CRIF) Programs. With it, Professor Katherine Plass from Franklin & Marshall College and colleagues Claude Yoder and Jennifer Morford acquire a transmission electron microscope (TEM). A TEM sends a beam of electrons through a thin layer of material. The electron beam interacts with the substance to produce a visual image, similar to a microscope. These images are important for research on the chemical properties of materials. They reveal details of the structure, such as size and shape of a nanoparticle or a protein. This information helps researchers understand the material's properties and improve them. The acquisition enhances the training of undergraduates in research. The instrument is used at four primarily undergraduate institutions, Franklin and Marshall College, Albright College, Ursinus College and Millersville University. The acquisition of this electron microscope is aimed at enhancing research, especially in areas such as: (a) the synthesis of nanomaterials for the study of the properties of nanoparticles interfacing with molecules or cells, (b) plasmonic semiconducting nanoparticles used to modulate cation exchange, (c) studies of molybdenum accumulation in marine sediments by synthesizing iron-molybdenum-sulfide nanoparticles, (d) ion substitution in apatite materials, (e) metal nanoparticles as catalysts for carbon nanofiber growth, (f) carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide as vectors for transporting tetracycline antibiotics, (g) plasmonic metal nanoparticles and (h) modular proteins and how they move within cells.