MRI: Acquisition of a surface & sorption characterization instrument to enable multidisciplinary research at a rural West Texas HSI

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This award will the support acquisition of material surface characterization instrument for research and education at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) and the partner institution Amarillo College (AC), located in the rural Panhandle of Texas. Both institutions are non-PhD granting institutions, while WTAMU is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution with an overall Hispanic population of 26%. The proposed instrument will be able to quantify the surface and volume in highly porous materials and particles when exposed to gases under controlled temperature and pressure conditions. Ongoing research of 11 faculty members from both institutions will benefit from the instrument while over 30 graduate and undergraduate students will be exposed to cutting-edge surface science research. In addition, over 170 students will have an opportunity to use the instrument through planned coursework. The proposed team from environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, agricultural engineering, chemistry, and biochemistry plans to study physisorption and chemisorption phenomena using a Micrometrics 3Flex system. The specific research areas to be explored include highly porous biochar as an inexpensive material for treatment of wastewater; effect of small-scale atmospheric cellulose in hail storm damage; improving the viability of methanol fuel cells to produce high power output for electronics and vehicles in a small space; and increasing understanding of surface chemistry of high energy nanomaterials for use as solids fuel, energy storage media, and explosives. In addition, evaluation of best practices in engaging Hispanic students in science and technology is an important aspect of the proposed work. Specifically, inclusion of Hispanic students in state-of-the-art instrumentation and their desire to pursue science and technology topics will be evaluated.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.