Acquisition of a Benchtop Scanning Electron Microscope to Further Facilitate Undergraduate Research

项目总结 配有镀金器的台式扫描电子显微镜(SEM)将进一步促进 瓦奇塔浸会大学正在进行本科生研究，获得了积极的R16奖 具有止血性能的可降解纤维的开发。如果被收购，本科生 会在这台仪器上接受训练，并会利用它来观察形态和分析直径 电纺纳米纤维。然后，这些数据将被用来确定最佳的电纺条件 始终如一地产生均匀纤维。扫描电子显微镜还将用于观察以下内容： 氯化钙溶液处理对纤维支架形态的影响。 在生理条件下，随着时间的推移，纳米纤维垫的降解。 纳米纤维的形态变化是由于将酶加载到支架中而引起的。 NIH3T3细胞在纤维上的形态与在对照基质上的细胞相比较。 目前，本科生研究人员使用的数字透射光倒置显微镜配备了 100x目的是验证他们正在使用静电纺丝工艺生产基于聚合物的纤维。脚手架 样本随后被送往阿肯色大学小石城分校的成像设备，超过一个小时 在扫描电子显微镜上进行分析，以收集有关纤维毡形态和纤维直径的数据。就像外面一样 用户，可能需要几周时间才能从成像设施接收数据，而且学生没有机会 使用扫描电子显微镜。这种漫长的等待时间可以省去，学生们可以获得有价值的研究 如果瓦奇塔的学生在校园里有一个扫描电子显微镜的经验。 台式SEM只需要很少的日常维护，使本科生能够 无需仪器设备经理即可使用仪器。台式中小企业提供非常高的 高质量、高放大倍率的显微照片，特别是在非导电样品上涂有 在分析之前有一层薄薄的金子。台式SEM也有支持轻便光纤的软件包 提供有关所选显微照片的纤维直径和平均纤维方向等信息的分析。 利用这些软件功能将提高学生分析数据的速度 已经在不同的纤维垫上采集了样品。 如果Ouachita在校园里获得一个台式扫描电子显微镜，这将提供一个重要的研究和 为学生提供仪器设备培训经验。它不仅将为他们提供宝贵的技能， 这在他们的职业生涯中是必不可少的，但它也将加快研究，并进一步扩大对教师的培训。

PROJECT SUMMARY A benchtop scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a gold sputter coater would further facilitate undergraduate research being conducted at Ouachita Baptist University under the active R16 award “Development of Degradable Fibers with Hemostatic Properties”. If acquired, undergraduate research students would be trained on this instrument and would utilize it to observe the morphology and analyze the diameters of electrospun nanofibers. This data would then be used to determine optimal electrospinning conditions to consistently produce uniform fibers. The SEM would also be used to observe the following: Impact of calcium chloride solution treatments on fiber scaffold morphology. Degradation of nanofibrous mats over time under physiological conditions. Morphological changes to nanofibers cause by loading enzymes into the scaffolds. Morphology of NIH 3T3 cells on fibers as compared to that of cells on control substrates. Currently, undergraduate researchers utilize a digital transmitted light inverted microscope equipped with a 100x objective to verify that they are creating polymer-based fibers using an electrospinning process. Scaffold samples are subsequently sent to an imaging facility at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock over an hour away to be analyzed on a SEM to collect data regarding fiber mat morphology and fiber diameters. As outside users, it can take weeks to receive data from an imaging facility and students are not given the opportunity to use the SEM. This lengthy wait time could be eliminated and students could gain valuable research experiences if Ouachita students had an SEM on campus. Benchtop SEMs require very little day-to-day maintenance making it feasible for undergraduate students to use the instrument without the need for an instrumentation facility manager. Benchtop SEMs provide very high quality, high magnification micrographs, particularly when non-conductive samples have been coated with a thin layer of gold prior to analysis. Benchtop SEMs also have software packages that enable facile fiber analysis to provide information such as fiber diameters and mean fiber direction about a selected micrograph. Taking advantage of these software capabilities will increase the rate at which students can analyze data they have collected on different fiber mat samples. If Ouachita were to acquire a benchtop SEM on campus, this would provide a significant research and instrumentation training experience for students. Not only would it provide them with valuable skills that will be essential in their careers but it would also expedite research and further expand training for faculty as well.