MRI: Acquisition of a High-Pressure, High-Temperature Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Instrument for Oklahoma

该主要研究仪器（MRI）奖支持购置小角度x射线散射（SAXS）仪器，这将使俄克拉荷马州和周边地区的基础和应用研究成为可能。该仪器将允许科学家和工程师研究各种材料的纳米级结构。这些包括聚合物、纤维、复合材料、薄膜、液晶、纳米颗粒、洗涤剂、乳液和生物材料。该仪器还可以研究这些材料在流动和与工业过程有关的高压和高温下的情况。该工具支持的研究项目包括与塑料回收、药物输送和水处理有关的项目。除了最先进的科学之外，该奖项还将通过在每年为期两天的实践培训研讨会中提供仪器访问，从而增强俄克拉荷马州学生的教育和培训机会。SAXS仪器将是俄克拉荷马州现有仪器基础设施的宝贵补充，并将补充该州可用的电子显微镜仪器。SAXS是一个有价值的补充，因为从SAXS获得的结果代表了大块材料，而不仅仅是在电子显微照片中观察到的局部部分。然而，显微照片更容易解释，并且不像SAXS那样依赖于将测量数据拟合到复杂的数学模型中。通过使用这两种技术，研究人员可以得出比仅使用一种测量方法更有力的结论。重要的是，SAXS也是非破坏性的，可以在没有任何专门的额外设备或样品制备的情况下分析材料的原始状态结构。该仪器的二维探测器对于具有排列纳米级结构的各向异性样品（如液晶或流动变形颗粒）将是有价值的。该项目由民用、机械和制造创新部门（CMMI）、刺激竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）和主要仪器研究计划（MRI）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) instrument that will enable fundamental and applied research in the state of Oklahoma and surrounding region. The instrument will allow scientists and engineers to study the nano-scale structure of a wide variety of materials. These include polymers, fibers, composites, thin-films, liquid crystals, nanoparticles, detergents, emulsions, and biological materials. This instrument will also enable study of these materials under flow, and at elevated pressures and temperatures which are relevant to industrial processes. The research projects enabled by this instrument include those related to plastic recycling, drug delivery, and water treatment. Beyond state-of-the-art science, the award will also enhance the educational and training opportunities for students in Oklahoma by providing instrument access in an annual, two-day, hands-on training workshop.A SAXS instrument will be a valuable complement to existing instrument infrastructure in Oklahoma and will complement the electron microscopy instrumentation available in the state. SAXS is a valuable addition because the results obtained from SAXS are representative of the bulk material and not just the local portion(s) observed in electron micrographs. Micrographs, however, are much easier to interpret and do not rely on fitting the measured data to complex mathematical models, as SAXS does. By having access to both techniques, researchers can draw much stronger conclusions about their materials than would be possible with only one type of measurement. Importantly, SAXS is also non-destructive and analyzes the material’s structure in its original state without any specialized additional equipment or sample preparation. The instrument’s 2D detector will be valuable for anisotropic samples with aligned nano-scale structures, such as liquid crystals or flow-deformed particles. This project is jointly funded by the division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Major Instrumentation Research Program (MRI).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.