MRI: Acquisition of a Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope to support multidisciplinary research and education at the University of Mississippi

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This award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) at the University of Mississippi (UM). This instrument will impact a broad area of research projects, ranging from fundamental biology to nanomaterials and nanoscience. The new microscope will enable ultra-high resolution imaging and analysis of a variety of materials including nanoparticles, nanocomposites, synthetic polymers, biological samples, metal platings and geological materials. The availability of this resource will directly benefit at least 25 research groups in 10 departments, spanning across the School of Pharmacy, School of Engineering and College of Liberal Arts. Additionally, the instrument will impact the research capabilities and training of many student researchers and postdoctoral associates in these research groups. The new instrument will support several academic courses and benefit hundreds of students in the science, technology and engineering fields each year. The new imaging facility will also benefit researchers from neighboring institutions, high school and community college students, and will greatly impact K-12 students and teachers through outreach activities involving the instrument.The proposed instrument is a versatile microscope with high magnification and ultra-high spatial resolution, enabling high quality imaging and analysis of micro and nanostructures. This state-of-the-art instrument is equipped with multiple detectors, including energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, cathodoluminescence, back-scattered electron, and secondary electron detectors to facilitate the determination of the elemental composition and topographical study of samples. The new equipment will be used across a number of cutting-edge research projects, including a) characterization of gold nanoparticles and investigation of their monodispersity, b) paleontological and biostratigraphic studies and quantitative reconstruction of paleoenvironments and paleoclimates, c) investigation of silica nanoparticles and nanocellulose in developing innovative and intelligent antimicrobial coatings for food packaging applications, d) study of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsequioxane-functionalized graphene and polyurea nanocomposites, e) characterization and utilization of titanium dioxide/graphene oxide nanocomposites, and f) characterization of drug embedded nanoparticles and other matrices. The new microscope will also support numerous other research projects in various UM departments as well as neighboring institutions in the region.