MRI: Acquisition of Small/Wide-Angle and Non-Ambient X-Ray Diffraction Packages for Research and Education in Energy and Environmental Sustainability

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X-ray diffraction techniques are essential for nondestructive, high-throughput microstructural analysis of functional materials such as thin films and nanomaterials to enable material innovations for clean energy production, pollution abatement, and public health protection. This project aims at enhancing the capabilities of UMass Lowell’s X-ray diffraction system to serve the research and development needs of a broad portfolio of on- and off-campus users in the relevant areas of chemical, physical, engineering, and health sciences. The system upgrades will leverage historical strengths of UMass Lowell in plastics, polymer science, nanotechnology, and biomedicine while bringing unique capabilities to the region. The upgraded X-ray diffractometer will be made available as a shared instrument within UMass Lowell’s Core Research Facilities, providing opportunities for internal and external research collaborations as well as community outreach activities. Direct access to the equipment by graduate and undergraduate students will facilitate advanced education and research training. X-ray diffraction techniques and applications will be incorporated into several graduate and undergraduate courses in the Colleges of Engineering and Sciences. Furthermore, the instrument will be integrated into well-established K–12 outreach programs organized by UMass Lowell’s Core Research Facilities and will be used by students participating in UMass Lowell’s undergraduate research opportunities, collaborations programs, and professional co-op programs. UMass Lowell seeks to upgrade a state-of-the-art multifunctional X-ray diffraction system to support interdisciplinary collaborative research in green electronics, environmentally sustainable polymers, catalytic metallic nanostructures, and reactive minerals in the aquatic environment, among others, all of which are relevant and timely topics in energy and environmental sustainability. Discoveries enabled through this project will facilitate cutting-edge research in the synthesis and processing of environmentally sustainable materials, generation of clean energy, and pollution abatement in water and soil.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.