MRI: Development of Full Vector Vibrating Sample Magnetometry for Materials Research and Education

这一重大研究仪器奖为三轴振动样品磁学(VSM)的开发提供了资金，以表征各向异性磁性材料。磁力计是一种仪器，可以用来表征磁性材料，例如粘在冰箱门上的磁铁。为了充分表征磁性材料，有必要测量磁偶极矩向量的所有三个分量。然而，三轴VSM并不是商业上可用的，欧洲、日本和俄罗斯过去尝试建造三轴VSM的研究实验室不多。该仪器的开发允许在很大的温度和场范围内进行三轴测量。将开发的矢量线圈组对于理解具有随场方向变化的磁性的各向异性材料的磁性是极其重要的。新工具预计将加强现有研究，并在学术界和工业界之间促成新的合作，并将为美洲带来全面的矢量磁力测量和扭矩能力。正在制定具体计划，每年将新工具整合到物理学、MSEC和制造工程的几个研究生课程中，并将该工具用于高中外展活动和科学与工程学院的学徒暑期研究计划。仪器的开发将由一名研究生和本科生完成。不过，一旦该工具被实现并通过得克萨斯州立大学和其他地方的多个研究生项目进行测试，受益于这一独特的能力，预计影响会更大。该仪器开发奖旨在开发三轴振动样品磁测量(VSM)，以同时测量样品的磁偶极矩的所有三个分量，并允许将矢量扭矩磁测量作为温度的函数。研究人员将为现有的两个VSM设计和实现三轴线圈组，而不是设计一个全新的仪器。该方法允许较短的跑道，增加了新测量工具的可采用率，受益于这两个工具的现有用户池，并产生了较大的测量参数窗口(0-9特斯拉，2.8-1000K)。该方法可用于多种材料的表征。该项目将直接加强5个不同学术项目(物理、化学、制造工程、电气工程和MSEC)的研究。实现的矢量扭矩磁力仪将使研究人员能够研究具有复杂磁各向异性能量面的材料，这些材料具有源于形状、应变、表面、台阶、流动和沉积过程中施加的磁场的多个各向异性。用传统的扭矩磁强计很难对这种材料进行研究。将研究的材料包括用于新型传感器和驱动器的倾斜共沉积NiFe薄膜，各向异性邻近衬底上的应变Fe掺杂外延(InGa)_2O_3薄膜，目前正被探索作为无锂电池电极材料的镍铁氢氧化物和氧化物，以及通过磁场辅助添加剂制造(MFAAM)沉积的磁性复合材料。通过2D(喷墨)或3D(熔丝制造)打印的磁性纳米复合材料在外加磁场下沉积的MFAAM材料似乎具有增强的性能，包括更高的剩磁、更大的磁化率和/或更强的磁各向异性。开发的线圈装置和方法将通过该项目的网站和同行评议的出版物进行传播，以允许其他研究小组为其VSM实施三轴能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 award provides funding for the development of triaxial vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) to characterize anisotropic magnetic materials. A magnetometer is an instrument that allows one to characterize magnetic material, for example the magnets that stick to your refrigerator door. To fully characterize magnetic materials, it is necessary to measure all three components of the magnetic dipole moment vector. Triaxial VSMs however are not commercially available and less than a handful of research labs in Europe, Japan and Russia have attempted in the past to build a triaxial VSM. The instrument development allows for triaxial measurements to be done over a large temperature and field range. The vector coil sets that will be developed is extremely important for understanding the magnetic properties of anisotropic materials that have magnetic properties that vary with field direction. The new tools are expected to strengthen existing research and lead to new collaborations among academia and industry and will bring full vector magnetometry and torque capabilities to the Americas. Concrete plans are being developed to integrate the new tool in several graduate courses in Physics, MSEC, and Manufacturing Engineering each year and use the instrument for high school outreach activities and apprentice summer research programs in the College of Science and Engineering. The instrumentation development will be done by a graduate and undergraduate student. It is expected that the impact is much larger though once the tool is realized and tested with multiple graduate projects at Texas State and elsewhere benefiting from this unique capability. This instrument development award is to develop triaxial vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) to measure all three components of the sample’s magnetic dipole moment simultaneously and allow for vector torque magnetometry as a function of temperature. Rather than designing a completely new instrument, the researcher will design and realize triaxial coil sets for two existing VSMs. The approach allows for a short runway, increases the adoptability of the new measurement tool benefitting from the existing user pool for both tools, and results in a large measurement parameter window (0-9 tesla, 2.8-1000 K). The method will be useful for the characterization of a wide range of materials. The project will directly enhance the research in 5 different academic programs (Physics, Chemistry, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and MSEC). The realized vector torque magnetometer will enable researchers to study materials that have a complex magnetic anisotropy energy surface with multiple anisotropies originating from shape, strain, surface, step, flow, and a magnetic field applied during deposition. Such materials cannot be easily studied with a conventional torque magnetometer. Materials to be studied include oblique co-deposited NiFe films to be used in novel sensors and actuators, strained Fe doped epitaxial (InGa)2O3 films on anisotropic vicinal substrates, Nickel-Iron hydroxides and oxides that are currently being explored as electrode materials in lithium free batteries, and magnetic composites deposited by Magnetic Field Assisted Additive Manufacturing (MFAAM). MFAAM materials that are deposited by 2D (inkjet) or 3D (Fused Filament Fabrication) printing magnetic nanocomposites under applied magnetic field appear to have enhanced properties including a higher remanence, a larger susceptibility, and/or a stronger magnetic anisotropy. The coil sets and methods developed will be disseminated via the project’s website and peer-reviewed publications to allow other research groups to implement triaxial capability for their VSM.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.