MRI: Acquisition of a X-Ray Diffraction System for Materials Research in Alabama

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With this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award, Auburn University is acquiring a new high-resolution X-ray diffraction system. The system enables cutting-edge research in materials science and engineering at the university across five disciplinary fields and will be available to researchers throughout the state of Alabama. Research enabled by this instrument focuses on the development of new crystalline thin film and nanostructured materials for next-generation electronic devices and renewable energy systems. Materials for electronic devices include ultrathin crystalline films and multilayers that are engineered to produce electronic and magnetic properties that do not occur naturally. The system is also tailored to study electrochemical reactions in materials such as those used for batteries and catalysts, which advances their applications in future energy technologies. The instrument will be managed through the Auburn University Research Instrumentation Facility and available to student and faculty researchers across the university and to other academic and industrial researchers across Alabama, where there is no instrument with its capabilities at any other university. In synergy with this work, investigators will support minority undergraduate students to perform research projects through the Auburn Collaborative Approaches Among Scientists and Engineers (CASE) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program run by the Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity. Faculty researchers at Auburn will mentor students in the REU program each summer on projects employing the system for experiments on next-generation materials synthesized in the investigators’ laboratories. The X-ray diffractometer is designed to perform measurements with high angular resolution using an X-ray monochromator on the source and detector. A two-dimensional area detector enables ultrafast measurements for more efficient use of the system. Measurement capabilities include reciprocal space mapping, X-ray reflectometry, temperature-dependent studies, and in situ electrochemical studies. The instrument will enhance research output in electronic and energy materials research at Auburn. Electronic materials research is focused on complex oxide and chalcogenide thin films, multilayers, and superlattices synthesized via molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition that require high-resolution capabilities. These materials are promising for spintronic devices and topological quantum computation where Auburn has a growing interdisciplinary research team. Energy materials research is led by faculty hired through the Auburn energy cluster hiring initiative and is focused on transition metal oxide and carbide materials for catalysis and energy storage. This work will take advantage of an in situ battery cell attachment and heated stage for temperature-dependent studies. Graduate and undergraduate researchers will be trained on the instrument and enhance their experience for future careers in industry and scientific 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.