MRI: Acquisition of a Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer for Research, Education, and Regional Use

该主要研究仪器（MRI）奖支持购买用于研究，教育和区域使用的单晶X射线衍射仪。该仪器满足了伦斯勒理工学院（RPI）材料科学与工程，化学与化学生物学，物理学，应用物理学与天文学，地球与环境科学，生物学以及化学与生物工程部门的跨学科研究人员的需求，以及整个地区的研究和本科课程，包括联合学院，斯基德莫尔学院和费尔菲尔德大学。该仪器的获得在未来两年的研究，教育和培训中发挥了重要作用，约有10-15名博士后，80名研究生和65名本科生，其中包括STEM领域的女性，弱势群体和代表性不足的少数群体。它允许在RPI开发新课程，并通过单晶表征方法的实践培训增强纳米级X射线散射和成像，蛋白质结构测定和实验无机化学领域的现有课程。在RPI之外和整个纽约的首都地区，X射线衍射仪使晶体学服务能够提供给当地和区域性的小型文科学院和大学，他们自己缺乏X射线仪器。 这款单晶X射线衍射仪为分析高级界面和多畴材料中的晶体结构、相和缺陷提供了无与伦比的能力。该奖项还允许对以下方面进行变革性研究和表征研究：（a）使用普鲁士蓝类似物进行负热膨胀的结构工程晶体，（B）非传统光伏和手性块状晶体材料，（c）用于水分解和二氧化碳/氮固定的生物启发有机金属均相催化剂，（d）超薄晶体薄片金属过渡金属二硫属化物，（e）生物大分子（蛋白质、核酸和病毒），（f）药物发现和（g）用于能量应用的基于半结晶嵌段共聚物的离子交换膜中的各向异性晶体取向。通过使用单晶X射线衍射仪在这些学科中获得的新知识和基本理解将有助于推进逻辑计算/存储器、医疗保健、能量转换和收集的新颖或改进解决方案的设计和开发。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a single-crystal x-ray diffractometer for research, educational, and regional use. The instrument serves the needs of interdisciplinary researchers in the Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, Earth and Environmental Science, Biology, and Chemical and Biological Engineering departments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), as well as research and undergraduate programs throughout the region including Union College, Skidmore College, and Fairfield University. Acquisition of this instrument plays a significant role in the research, education, and training of approximately 10-15 postdocs, 80 graduate students, and 65 undergraduate students, comprised of women, underprivileged and underrepresented minorities in STEM, over the next two years. It allows for the development of new courses at RPI and enhancement of existing courses in the areas of nanoscale x-ray scattering and imaging, protein structure determination, and experimental inorganic chemistry through hands-on training in single-crystal characterization methods. Outside RPI and across the Capital Region of Upstate New York, the x-ray diffractometer enables crystallographic services to be offered to local and regional small liberal arts colleges and universities lacking x-ray instrumentation of their own. This single-crystal x-ray diffractometer provides unparalleled capabilities for analyzing crystal structures, phases, and defects in advanced interface and multi-domain materials. This award also allows for transformative research and characterization studies on (a) structurally engineered crystals featuring negative thermal expansion using Prussian blue analogs, (b) non-traditional photovoltaic and chiral bulk crystalline materials, (c) bio-inspired organometallic homogeneous catalysts for water splitting and carbon dioxide/nitrogen fixation, (d) ultra-thin crystalline-flake metallic transition metal dichalcogenides, (e) biological macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses), (f) drug discovery and (g) anisotropic crystal orientations in semi-crystalline block copolymer-based ion exchange membranes for energy applications. New knowledge and basic understandings gained in these subjects enabled by the use of the single crystal x-ray diffractometer will help advance the design and development of novel or improved solutions for logic computing/memory, healthcare, energy conversion, and harvesting.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.