MRI: Acquisition of a Zetasizer to Support Multi-Disciplinary Research and Education at Western Washington University

非技术描述：这个主要的研究仪器项目支持西华盛顿大学（WWU）购买一台Zetasizer，以丰富校园内外一系列科学学科的合作研究和课程努力。Zetasizer使用散射光来测量悬浮在液体中的颗粒的大小和表面电荷，同时还提供颗粒聚集行为等信息。该仪器支持材料化学、环境科学、生物化学、工程和生物材料科学等领域的10多个研究小组。这个工具加强了WWU学生的教育，他们中的许多人继续攻读研究生院，工业职位或其他专业学位课程。WWU的多个本科课程使用Zetasizer，每年有数百名学生获得使用该仪器的实践经验。Zetasizer也有利于其他区域本科院校合作伙伴的研究和教育工作，并可供当地工业使用。技术描述：该仪器能够无损、快速地表征尺寸在大约1纳米到10微米之间的颗粒的表面和物理性质，并可以直接评估颗粒在溶液中的分布和聚集。该仪器在广泛的浓度，温度和pH范围内用途广泛，可以测量样品的体积小至3微升。目前使用Zetasizer的研究项目包括有机金属化学、纳米材料传感器、光偶联多相催化、聚合物和复合材料的合成和表征、环境污染物的测量和监测、生物聚合物的制备和蛋白质调节研究。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。

Non-technical Description:This major research instrumentation project supports the acquisition of a Zetasizer by Western Washington University (WWU) to enrich collaborative research and curricular efforts across a range of scientific disciplines both on and off campus. The Zetasizer uses scattered light to measure the size and surface charge of particles suspended in liquids, while also providing information such as particle aggregation behavior. The instrument supports more than 10 research groups in fields including materials chemistry, environmental science, biochemistry, engineering, and biomaterials science. This instrument enhances the education of the students at WWU, many of whom go on to graduate schools, industrial positions, or other professional degree programs. Multiple undergraduate courses at WWU utilize the Zetasizer with hundreds of students gaining hands-on experience with the instrument annually. The Zetasizer also benefits research and educational efforts at other regional undergraduate institution partners and is available for use by local industries.Technical Description:This instrument enables non-destructive, rapid characterization of surface and physical properties of particles between approximately one nanometer and ten micrometers in size and can assess particle distributions and aggregation directly in solution. The instrument is versatile across broad concentration, temperature, and pH ranges and can measure samples in volumes as small as three microliters. Current research projects that utilize the Zetasizer include topics such as organometallic chemistry, nanomaterial sensors, light-coupled heterogeneous catalysis, polymer and composite synthesis and characterization, environmental contaminant measurement and monitoring, biopolymer preparation, and protein regulation studies.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.