MRI: Acquisition of a Physical Properties Measurement System With 9 Tesla Magnetometer (Dynacool) for Research and Teaching at VCU

该主要研究仪器奖将帮助获得弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）的物理特性测量系统（PPMS），该系统具有自旋、辅助电测量和低温和高温能力，以及振动样品磁力计（VSM）。此外，无低温PPMS/VSM将能够进行可靠的低温测量，而不需要液氦来进行极其敏感的磁测量。该设备将有助于加强VCU和附近大学的研究和教学工作，包括与智能材料，固体电子理论，固体物理和实验技术以及纳米科学基础相关的研究和教学。VCU设施的改善将影响传授给普通学生和兼职学生的高科技技能，最终将帮助位于美国东北部的工业。这个主要的仪器将帮助VCU的研究人员开发研究项目，在这些研究项目中，磁性材料的基本特性被用于设计新的应用。研究人员正在研究这些材料在不同长度尺度上的应用，包括磁致伸缩声纳换能器、自传感磁电致动器、自旋电子器件、非易失性存储器、磁性纳米颗粒催化剂、用于生物医学应用的磁性纳米颗粒，如用于肿瘤治疗的磁热疗和纳米级传感器。基础科学贡献包括理解磁性和磁致伸缩材料沿不同晶体取向的各向异性行为，多功能磁致伸缩-压电复合材料在多长度尺度上的磁电行为，磁性纳米线和量子点自组装有序阵列的实验研究，这些磁性纳米线和量子点是通过选择性化学或物理电沉积在纳米尺寸的氧化铝膜孔上产生的，以及纳米制造的铁氧体纳米粒子和钆基材料的磁性研究。这些活动需要一个物理特性测量系统（PPMS）和附加的振动样品磁力计（VSM），能够在低温和高温和磁场下测量磁电、热磁和磁光。此外，使用无液氦的PPMS将实现可靠的低温测量。这将使运行成本非常低，同时允许敏感的磁测量（优于10-6 emu）和观察在高温下难以观察到的相干自旋输运现象。

This Major Research Instrumentation award will help acquire a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) with autorotation, supplementary electrical measurements and low and high temperature capabilities coupled with a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Additionally, the cryogen-free PPMS/VSM would enable making robust low temperature measurements without requiring liquid helium to extremely sensitive magnetic measurements. The equipment will help enhance research and teaching efforts at VCU and nearby universities including those related to Smart Materials, Electron Theory of Solids, Solid State Physics and Experimental techniques and Foundations of Nanoscience. Improved facilities at VCU will impact high tech skills imparted to both regular and part time students which eventually will help industries located in northeast USA.This major instrumentation will help support researchers at VCU who have developed research programs in which fundamental properties of magnetic materials are used in devising novel applications. These materials are being studied at different length scales for applications ranging from magnetostrictive sonar transducers, self-sensing magnetoelectric actuators, spintronic devices, non-volatile memory, magnetic nanoparticular catalysts, magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications such as magnetic hyperthermia for oncological treatment and nanoscale sensors. The fundamental scientific contributions include understanding anisotropic behavior of magnetic and magnetostrictive materials along different crystallographic orientations, magnetoelectric behavior of multifunctional magnetostrictive-piezoelectric composites at multiple length scales, experimental understanding of self-assembled ordered arrays of magnetic nanowires and quantum dots produced by selective chemical or physical electrodeposition on nm-sized pores of an alumina film and magnetic study of nano-manufactured nanoparticles of ferrites and gadolinium based materials. These activities require a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) with supplementary Vibration Sample Magnetometer (VSM) capable of measuring magneto-electric, mangetocaloric and magneto-optic measurements at both low and high temperature and fields. Additionally, the use of a liquid helium-free PPMS would enable robust low temperature measurements. This will keep the operating cost very low while allowing sensitive magnetic measurements (better than 10-6 emu) and observation of coherent spin transport phenomena which are difficult to observe at elevated temperatures.