MRI: Acquisition of an X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer for Characterization of Next-Generation Materials

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This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the acquisition of a multi-user XPS instrument to serve a large community of scientists at the University of California Davis and in the greater Davis area. X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) is a surface sensitive technique that can provide detailed information about the chemical composition of materials, chemicals and devices. Therefore, data from XPS measurements is of great importance to the understanding and development of materials in chemical, physical, environmental, and engineering research. The instrument will positively impact the research of over 33 faculty members from three institutions and enhance the research infrastructure and educational outreach of UC Davis. It will accelerate current progress and enable new directions in research. More than ten projects will be affected, including research on renewable fuels and the manufacture and optimization of next generation electronics. The instrument will also aid the discovery of more efficient devices for solar energy conversion and it will enable fundamental research on the properties of catalysts used in chemical industry. This instrument will have a strong impact on the education and training of the next generation of scientists. Concepts related to XPS are taught in many graduate and undergraduate courses at UC Davis, and students enrolled in these classes will now have the opportunity to engage in hands-on actual experiments with the instrument. During the summer, the instrument will be made available to undergraduate students in the NSF-REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program in Physics and Chemistry departments. New learning modules will be created and integrated into the high school summer outreach program COSMOS (California Summer School for Mathematics and Science). Additionally, the instrument will serve economically disadvantaged and minority students that come to campus as part of the MURPPS (minority undergraduate research participation in the physical sciences), CAMP (California alliance for minority participation in math, science and engineering), and UC LEADS (UC Leadership program for disadvantaged students) programs. Acquisition of an X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy tool (XPS) is proposed to enhance materials science research and educational activities at UC Davis and in the Northern California Sacramento region. The XPS tool will enable spatially resolved chemical state analysis with a detection resolution from 0.1 to 1 atomic percent and an imaging resolution of 1 micron. Acquisition of an XPS will add a critical new dimension to materials research on the UC Davis campus, where expertise and infrastructure for the successful application and operation is available. XPS will impact the materials research and training activities of over 177 direct users who are working in research and development of novel, next-generation materials for industrial applications and renewable energy technologies. It will boost the campus research infrastructure and educational outreach of UC Davis, accelerating current progress and enabling new directions in materials research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.