MRI: Acquisition of a State-of-the-Art Scanning Electron Microscope for Advanced Materials Research and Education

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Non-Technical Description:To truly understand the connections between the structure of materials and their properties, it is necessary to study them across a wide range of length scales using multiple analytical techniques. However, it is often difficult to precisely link the various lines of research data generated from experiments performed using an assortment of different specialized instruments into a single, cohesive picture. The environmental scanning electron microscope purchased through this grant directly addresses this challenge by integrating a large array of powerful imaging and analysis modalities into one unified platform. The transformational capabilities and experiments enabled by this instrument will have a major impact on materials-oriented research and education at The Ohio State University and across the region. This instrument enables educators to develop new courses on cutting-edge microscopy methods for both local and remote students, as well as innovative interactive teleconference based outreach activities that touch the lives of young learners. The new modes of outreach enabled by this microscope make it possible to reach a large number of K-12 students, including populations that are typically underserved in such activities such as hearing-impaired students.Technical Description:Researchers at The Ohio State University, as well as across the State of Ohio, use the microscope's novel combination of high-resolution imaging, data-rich analytical methods, and in-situ testing and manipulation to probe a wide range of length scales and create advanced experimental methods for multidisciplinary materials science research. The simultaneous and/or precisely correlated application of multiple analysis modalities (imaging, diffraction, plus chemical and electronic property measurements) and in-situ sample manipulation capabilities (heating, cooling, mechanical stress, and environment) empower the discovery of new scientific knowledge and make possible transformational advances in critical materials fields, including advanced functional materials, high-performance structural materials, and forward-looking engineered biomaterials. Of particular focus are meso-scale heterogeneities within a material's structure and composition, the study of which clarifies the important linkages from individual dislocations, grain substructure, and damage initiation to full-scale devices, polycrystal aggregates, and bioengineered fibers and tissue scaffolds. These studies allow researchers to fill critical gaps in the fundamental understanding of meso-scale phenomena and structure-property relationships within the atoms-to-applications continuum.