Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a multi-modal x-ray diffraction and scattering instrument

描述材料结构的能力--从原子的排列到表面的粗糙度--是材料科学和工程领域的基础。确定材料结构在使用过程中或由于与环境的相互作用而发生变化，对于了解和应对气候变化、清洁高效的能源生产和利用以及疾病检测等各种挑战至关重要。X射线衍射和散射(X射线衍射/S)技术是唯一能够探测广泛结构特征的技术。在这个项目中获得的X射线分析系统可以很容易地重新配置，以执行几个互补的测量，并确定对材料的行为和功能负责的关键结构特征。由这台X射线衍射仪/S仪器促成的研究实例包括：改进电池和超薄电子设备所用材料的性能；设计新型环保生物聚合物；开发用于检测病毒和抗体的廉价传感器；发现用于轻型汽车和飞机的新型合金；以及识别和减少水和空气中的环境污染物。至少有25个研究小组计划在他们的研究中使用这种仪器，这些研究小组涉及5所大学的8个学科。此外，该仪器将是培训下一代科学家和工程师掌握各种测量技术的重要资源。该仪器将供本科生和研究生在材料表征课程的实践中使用，并将在向内部和外部用户开放的技术研讨会上使用。多模式X射线衍射/S仪器将使研究人员能够通过以下方式探测材料结构：·X射线衍射：X射线衍射提供物相鉴定、晶格参数和磁区大小。·小角和广角X射线散射(SAXS/WAXS)：小角和广角X射线散射提供关于尺寸、形状、有序、·X射线反射仪(XRR)：XRR评估平面上的粗糙度和薄膜厚度。·掠入射X射线衍射仪(GI-XRD)：GI-X射线衍射仪是一种表面敏感的X射线衍射仪，能够确定薄膜应变、表面结晶度的破坏和表面沉淀物。通过独特的微焦点X射线源精确准直入射X射线束，可以增强这些模式，与传统的密封管源相比，这种X射线源可以最大限度地提高光束强度并显著减少数据收集时间。附件包括高分辨率平移工作台、电池单元和恒电位仪以及气氛控制加热/冷却工作台，可实现对动态现象的高通量、现场和操作式观察，这些动态现象对于理解和操纵材料行为至关重要。这些能力将用于广泛的材料研究问题，包括能源转换和储存、地质和环境系统、生物衍生材料和其他聚合物，以及加速材料发现和设计。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。

The ability to describe the structure of a material – from the arrangement of atoms to the roughness of a surface – is foundational to the field of materials science and engineering. Determining how material structure changes during use or due to interactions with the environment is critical to understanding and addressing challenges as diverse as climate change, clean and efficient energy production and utilization, and disease detection. X-ray diffraction and scattering (XRD/S) techniques are uniquely capable of probing a broad range of structural features. The X-ray analysis system acquired in this project can be easily reconfigured to perform several complementary measurements and identify critical structural features responsible for a material’s behavior and functionality. Examples of the research enabled by this XRD/S instrument include improving the performance of materials used in batteries and ultra-thin electronic devices; designing new environmentally friendly biopolymers; developing inexpensive sensors to detect viruses and antibodies; discovering new alloys for light-weight automobiles and aircraft; and identifying and mitigating environmental contaminants in the water and air. At least 25 research groups spanning 8 disciplines at 5 universities plan to employ the instrument in their research. Additionally, the instrument will be a vital resource for training the next generation of scientists and engineers in a diverse set of measurement techniques. The instrument will be used by undergraduate and graduate students in a hands-on materials characterization course sequence, as well as in technical skills workshops that will be open to internal and external users.The multi-modal XRD/S instrument will enable researchers to probe materials structure in the following ways:• X-ray diffraction (XRD): XRD provides phase identification, lattice parameters, and domain size.• Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS): SAXS provides information on size, shape, ordering, and self-similarity of materials on the 1-100 nm length scale while WAXS (often simultaneously) provides phase identification and an assessment of crystallinity.• X-ray reflectometry (XRR): XRR evaluates roughness and film thickness on flat surfaces.• Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD): GI-XRD is a surface-sensitive XRD measurement, enabling determination of thin film strain, disruption of surface crystallinity, and surface precipitates.These modes are enhanced by a unique microfocus X-ray source for precisely collimating the incident X-ray beam, which maximizes the beam intensity and significantly reduces data collection times relative to conventional sealed tube sources. Accessories include a high-resolution translation stage, a battery cell and potentiostat, and an atmosphere-controlled heating/cooling stage, which enable high-throughput, in situ, and operando observations of dynamic phenomena crucial to understanding and manipulating materials behavior. These capabilities will be brought to bear on a wide range of materials research problems, including energy conversion and storage, geological and environmental systems, bio-derived materials and other polymers, and accelerated materials discovery and design.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.