MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Broad Beam Ion Mill for Advancing Research and Training

该主要研究仪器（MRI）奖支持获得一台宽束离子磨机，用于制备用于电子显微镜检查的样品。新技术的发展往往需要更深入地了解材料是如何在很小的范围内构造和变化的。通过磨料抛光的传统样品制备实际上会模糊或破坏最重要的特征。该仪器将用于保存这些特征并对其进行详细研究。此次收购将支持高强度、轻量化结构、低成本和高效催化剂和电极的纳米结构合金的研究，并推进增材制造工艺，以扩展材料目录。利伯缇大学主要为本科生提供科学和工程课程，该仪器和相关分析将被纳入这些课程的各个层次，以更好地为未来的科学家和工程师做好准备。除了作为前沿研究的重要组成部分外，该仪器还将用于利伯缇大学新的研究生水平的机会。利伯蒂大学致力于培养科学、技术、工程和数学领域的各类学生，作为其承诺的一部分，该仪器还将用于支持当地学校的推广和招聘，特别是那些在这些领域历史上代表性不足的社区。通过试错来开发新材料和新工艺既耗时又昂贵。综合计算材料工程是一种通过模拟和实验验证的相互作用来优化材料应用的方法，以加速创新。拥有最好的微观结构数据对这一过程至关重要。离子磨机将用于在各种机械和化学过程后以最小的损伤创建横截面和平面，以保持纳米级特征，以阐明化学-结构-过程-性能关系。这些数据将与计算预测相比较，并结合多尺度建模的内部状态变量方法。这项研究将把拥有计算和实验工程专业知识的教师与当地工业结合起来，并包括与医学院在生物医学应用方面的跨学科工作。离子工厂将与利伯缇大学世界一流的显微镜设备协同使用，包括首个用于电子显微镜的原位加热和机械测试阶段。本项目由仪器仪表重大研究计划（MRI）和民用、机械和制造创新部（CMMI）联合资助。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。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a broad beam ion mill that is used to prepare samples for examination by electron microscopy. The development of new technology often requires greater understanding of how materials are constructed and change at a very small scale. Traditional sample preparation by abrasive polishing can actually obscure or destroy the features that are most important. This instrument will be used to preserve those features and study them in detail. This broad beam ion mill acquisition will support research in nanostructured alloy development for high-strength, lightweight structures, low-cost and efficient catalysts and electrodes, and advancing additive manufacturing processes to extend the materials catalog. Liberty University primarily serves undergraduate students in its science and engineering programs, and this instrument and associated analysis will be incorporated into all levels of those programs to better prepare future scientists and engineers. In addition to being a critical component of cutting-edge research, the instrument will also be used in new graduate-level opportunities at Liberty University. As part of Liberty University’s commitment to engage a diverse range of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the instrument will also be used to support outreach and recruitment in local schools, especially those which serve historically underrepresented communities in these fields. The development of new materials and processes by trial and error is time-consuming and expensive. Integrated computational materials engineering is a method that optimizes materials for applications through the interplay of simulation and experimental validation to accelerate innovation. Having the best possible microstructural data is crucial to this process. The ion mill will be used to create cross-sections and planar surfaces with minimal damage to preserve nanoscale features after various mechanical and chemical processes to illuminate chemistry-structure-process-property relationships. This data will be compared to computational predictions incorporating the internal state variable approach to multiscale modeling. The research enabled will pair together faculty with expertise in computational and experimental engineering with local industry and include interdisciplinary work in biomedical applications with the College of Medicine. The ion mill will be used synergistically with Liberty University’s world-class microscopy facilities, including a first-of-its-kind in-situ heating and mechanical testing stage for use in the electron microscope.This project is jointly funded by the Major Instrumentation Research Program (MRI) and the division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI).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.