The Ultrafast electron Imaging Lab of Waterloo

滑铁卢超快电子成像实验室

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06474
• 负责人: Sciaini, Germán
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=748085
• 关键词: Ultrafast; electron; Imaging; Lab; Waterloo

This NSERC Discovery program builds on five years of fundamental research and technological developments supported by NSERC-DG, NSERC-CRD, NSERC-I2I, OCE-VIP2 and other funding programs. The long-term goal of my research program lies in the investigation of dynamical phenomena and structure-function correlations relevant to the fields of condensed matter physics, solution chemistry, and molecular biology. To achieve this goal, my team implements homebuilt femtosecond (fs) spectroscopic and electron imaging methods that are capable of providing us with the prerequisite temporal and spatial resolutions to observe atoms in motion; i.e. sub-picosecond temporal and ångstrom spatial resolutions. I lead the Ultrafast electron Imaging Lab (UeIL); I highly motivated and interdisciplinary team with research topics ranging from the study of carrier dynamics, electron-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions, excitons, and laser-induced phase transformations in crystalline low dimensional materials to excited state dynamics and electron transfer reactions between molecular species in the liquid phase. My group also utilizes molecular dynamics simulations and electronic structure calculations to assist our experimental observations. UeIL hosts unique homebuilt infrastructure for the dynamic characterization of molecular structure and materials properties. The objectives of this Discovery proposal are a logical continuation of my research with a focus on the application of time-resolved techniques to the investigation of nanomaterials, thin films and molecular species; special attention will be paid to model two-dimensional van der Waals-stacked materials exhibiting exotic behaviours such as charge density wave, topological insulation, ferromagnetism and Weyl semi-metallicity. In addition to the aforementioned time-resolved experiments, a new and quickly growing research direction at UeIL involves the study of nanoparticles and biospecimens by in-liquid transmission electron microscopy (in-liquid TEM) and cryogenic-TEM (cryo-TEM). My team has developed our own specialized side-entry TEM holders and established collaborations with world leading experts in these research areas. Three of our technologies have been patented via Waterloo Commercialization Office and the creation of a spinoff by senior group member is anticipated, ca. 2021. My intention is two-fold; to enable unique impactful research results through technology innovation and to bring to the market state-of-the-art devices that will drive further expansion of both, the startup and my own laboratory. My team is about to enter a very exciting and productive phase in which UeIL's state-of-the-art instrumentation will drive the generation impactful research results, the establishment of a multitude of interdisciplinary collaborations, and open the doors to new discoveries.

NSERC Discovery计划建立在NSERC-DG、NSERC-CRD、NSERC-I2 I、OCE-VIP 2和其他资助计划支持的五年基础研究和技术开发的基础上。 我的研究计划的长期目标在于在凝聚态物理，溶液化学和分子生物学领域相关的动力学现象和结构功能相关性的调查。为了实现这一目标，我的团队实施了自制的飞秒（fs）光谱和电子成像方法，这些方法能够为我们提供观察运动原子的先决条件时间和空间分辨率;即亚皮秒时间和空间分辨率。 我领导超快电子成像实验室（UeIL）;我积极主动和跨学科的团队，研究课题包括载流子动力学，电子-声子和声子-声子相互作用，激子和晶体低维材料中的激光诱导相变，激发态动力学和液相中分子物种之间的电子转移反应。我的团队还利用分子动力学模拟和电子结构计算来帮助我们的实验观察。UeIL拥有独特的自建基础设施，用于分子结构和材料特性的动态表征。这个发现提案的目标是我的研究的逻辑延续，重点是时间分辨技术在纳米材料，薄膜和分子物种的调查中的应用;将特别关注模型二维货车范德瓦尔斯堆叠材料，表现出奇异的行为，如电荷密度波，拓扑绝缘，铁磁性和外尔半金属性。除了上述时间分辨实验，UeIL一个新的和快速增长的研究方向涉及通过液体透射电子显微镜（液体TEM）和低温TEM（cryo-TEM）研究纳米粒子和生物标本。我的团队开发了我们自己的专业侧入TEM支架，并与这些研究领域的世界领先专家建立了合作关系。我们的三项技术已通过滑铁卢商业化办公室获得专利，预计将由高级集团成员创建一个衍生产品。2021.我的意图是双重的;通过技术创新实现独特的有影响力的研究成果，并将最先进的设备推向市场，这将推动创业公司和我自己的实验室的进一步扩张。我的团队即将进入一个非常令人兴奋和富有成效的阶段，UeIL最先进的仪器将推动产生有影响力的研究成果，建立众多跨学科合作，并为新发现打开大门。