Equipment: MRI: Track II Development of an Optical Spectrometer for Multimodal Linearly Polarized, Circularly Polarized, and Integrating-Sphere-Assisted Spectroscopic Measurements

该奖项由主要研究仪器和化学研究仪器计划以及刺激竞争性研究的既定计划共同支持。密西西比州立大学沿着与中央佛罗里达大学正在开发一种用于多模态线偏振、圆偏振和积分球辅助光谱测量的光谱仪。该仪器将支持Dongmao Zhang教授和同事Shengli Zou（中央佛罗里达大学），Colleen Scott，Qilin Dai（杰克逊州立大学）和Sidney Creutz的研究。该仪器促进了化学、化学工程、材料科学和物理学领域的研究。通常，紫外-可见光、荧光、散射和圆二色性是学术界和工业界以及科学教育中的研究人员广泛使用的光学光谱技术。新仪器引入了几种创新的圆偏振光谱方法，这些方法目前无法使用任何商业或出版的工具。该仪器还显着提高了线性偏振和积分球辅助光谱技术的能力。该仪器具有模块化设计，允许灵活控制许多参数，并能够使用同一光谱仪实现许多其他光谱模式。该仪器的开发涉及与Sciencetech Inc的合作，Sciencetech Inc是一家加拿大公司，因其在创建光学仪器工程解决方案方面的熟练程度而闻名。该工具增强了密西西比州立大学和中央佛罗里达大学几个系的各级学生的教育、研究和教学工作。密西西比州立大学拥有多元化的学生群体，其中23%来自代表性不足的群体，主要是黑人或非洲裔美国人。通过该仪器的研究活动，全国各地的众多本科生和研究生以及博士后和高级研究人员将接受跨学科培训。该奖项旨在支持各级研究和教育。正在开发的仪器是一种用于多模态线偏振、圆偏振和积分球辅助光谱测量的光谱仪。该仪器解决了现有的线性偏振和积分球辅助方法的缺点。它提供了几种创新的圆偏振光谱功能。这些测量能力将1）推进我们对光子/物质相互作用的基本理解，2）导致材料特性的非侵入性表征的新策略，包括形态，构象，电子，成分和光学特性。新仪器的线偏振，积分球辅助和圆偏振光谱测量的综合能力将彻底改变手性材料的研究。从这些测量中获得的信息将有助于研究人员定量地了解材料中手性吸收，手性散射和手性发射之间的相互作用。开发的工具将使化学家、生物学家和材料科学家能够更全面地了解他们所研究的材料的结构和性能之间的关系，因为它增强了他们进行非侵入性材料表征的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

This award is jointly supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Mississippi State University along with the University of Central Florida are developing an optical spectrometer for multimodal linearly polarized, circularly polarized, and integrating-sphere-assisted spectroscopic measurements. The instrument will support the research of Professor Dongmao Zhang and colleagues Shengli Zou (University of Central Florida), Colleen Scott, Qilin Dai (Jackson State University), and Sidney Creutz. This instrument facilitates research in the areas of chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and physics. In general, UV-vis, fluorescence, scattering, and circular dichroism are widely used optical spectroscopic techniques by researchers in academia and industry as well as in scientific education. The new instrument introduces several innovative circularly polarized spectroscopic methods that are not currently possible with any commercial or published tools. The instrument also significantly enhances the capabilities of linearly polarized and integrating-sphere-assisted spectroscopic techniques. The instrument has a modular design that allows for agile controls of a number of parameters and enables the implementation of numerous additional spectroscopic modalities using the same spectrometer. This instrument's development involves a collaboration with Sciencetech Inc, a Canadian company recognized for their proficiency in creating engineering solutions for optical instrumentation. This instrument enhances the educational, research, and teaching efforts of students at all levels in several departments at the Mississippi State University and the University of Central Florida. Mississippi State University boasts a diverse student population, with 23% from underrepresented groups, primarily Black or African American. Through the research activities enabled by this instrument, numerous undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdocs, and senior researchers across the nation, will receive interdisciplinary training.This award is aimed at supporting research and education at all levels. Instrument being developed is an optical spectrometer for multimodal linearly polarized, circularly polarized, and integrating-sphere-assisted spectroscopic measurements. The instrument addresses shortcomings of existing linearly polarized and integrating-sphere-assisted approaches. It offers several innovative circularly polarized spectroscopic capabilities. These measurement capabilities will 1) advance our fundamental understanding of photon/matter interactions, 2) lead to new strategies for noninvasive characterization of materials properties, including morphological, conformational, electronic, compositional, and optical properties. The combined capabilities of the new instrument for linearly polarized, integrating-sphere-assisted, and circularly polarized spectroscopic measurements will revolutionize chiral materials research. The information derived from these measurements will help researchers quantitatively understand the interactions between chiral absorption, chiral scattering, and chiral emission in materials. The developed tool will enable chemists, biologists, and materials scientists to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between structure and properties of the materials they study, as it enhances their capability for non-invasive materials characterization.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.