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

购买台式扫描电子显微镜以进一步促进本科生研究

• 批准号: 10799374
• 负责人: Sharon K Hamilton
• 金额: $ 9.95万
• 依托单位: OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-20 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10799374
• 关键词: Arkansas; Award; Baptist Church; Calcium Chloride; Cells; Computer software; Data; Development; Diameter; Electron Microscope; Electrospinning; Enzymes; Fiber; Goals; Gold; Hemostatic Agents; Hour; Image; Maintenance; Microscope; Morphology; NIH 3T3 Cells; Physiological; Polymers; Process; Property; Research; Research Personnel; Sampling; Scanning; Students; Teacher Professional Development; Thinness; Time; Training; Universities; Wait Time; career; digital; experience; imaging facilities; instrument; instrumentation; light transmission; nanofiber; scaffold; skills; undergraduate research; undergraduate student

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.

项目摘要 具有金溅射涂层器的台式扫描电子显微镜（SEM）将进一步促进 在瓦希塔浸会大学进行的本科生研究下，积极的R16奖 “具有止血性能的可降解纤维的开发”。如果获得，本科研究生 我将接受该仪器的培训，并将利用该仪器观察形态和分析直径 电纺纳米纤维的然后，该数据将用于确定最佳电纺丝条件， 一致地产生均匀的纤维。SEM还将用于观察以下情况： 氯化钙溶液处理对纤维支架形态的影响。 纳米纤维垫在生理条件下随时间的降解。 将酶加载到支架中导致纳米纤维的形态变化。 纤维上NIH 3T3细胞的形态与对照基质上细胞的形态相比。 目前，本科生研究人员利用数字透射光倒置显微镜， 100倍物镜，以验证他们正在使用静电纺丝工艺制造聚合物基纤维。支架 样本随后被送到位于小石城的阿肯色州大学的成像设备， 然后在SEM上进行分析，以收集关于纤维垫形态和纤维直径的数据。内外 用户，它可能需要数周才能从成像设施接收数据，学生没有机会 使用SEM。这漫长的等待时间可以消除和学生可以获得有价值的研究 如果Ouachita学生在校园里有一个SEM的经验。 台式SEM需要很少的日常维护，这使得本科生可以 使用仪器，无需仪器设备管理员。台式SEM提供非常高的 质量，高放大倍数的显微照片，特别是当非导电样品已涂有 在分析之前，有一层薄薄的金。台式SEM也有软件包， 分析以提供关于所选显微照片的诸如纤维直径和平均纤维方向的信息。 利用这些软件功能将提高学生分析数据的速度， 在不同的纤维垫样品上收集到的。 如果Ouachita要在校园里获得一个台式SEM，这将提供一个重要的研究， 为学生提供仪器仪表培训经验。这不仅会为他们提供宝贵的技能， 这对他们的职业生涯至关重要，但也将加快研究，并进一步扩大对教师的培训。