MRI: Acquisition of Light Scattering Instruments for Nanoparticle Characterization

0923316 Van Keuren乔治敦大学“该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。技术概要：静态和动态光散射提供了分子质量和/或颗粒尺寸的实时、非侵入性表征。它们是表征聚合物分散体，颜料，胶体等材料的强大技术。该提案旨在收购一套光散射仪器，供乔治敦大学化学和物理系的研究人员使用。这两个部门的大量研究活动涉及大分子和纳米粒子系统，包括大分子凝胶，聚合物胶体和分子聚集和自组装的研究。该仪器套件的主要组件将是多角度静态光散射装置、动态光散射附件和差示折射计，均来自Wyatt Technology Corporation（圣巴巴拉，CA）。有了这些，我们将能够测量几纳米到几微米范围内的颗粒尺寸，更重要的是，观察分子组装形成凝胶、晶体或纳米颗粒的时间依赖性。这些仪器将主要由物理和化学系的五名教师以及他们的学生和其他合作者使用，项目范围从疟疾色素的结晶研究到凝胶的形成，再到与肾和胆结石形成有关的结晶。 这些仪器的购置也将对乔治敦大学各科学系之间已经相当多的跨学科活动产生重大影响，并为本科生和研究生提供一个机会，发展这一重要分析方法的专门知识。Layman小结：当光照射到小颗粒上时，一部分光会散射到其他方向;这在日常生活中有许多影响，从在一束阳光中看到尘埃颗粒的能力到天空的颜色。光是如何散射的，可以作为一种强大的测量技术来了解它散射的对象。特别是，光散射方法可用于测量太小而无法用光学显微镜观察的物体的尺寸和形状，例如纳米颗粒。乔治城大学的一些科学家正在研究纳米粒子是如何形成的，并正在开发新型纳米材料。该建议是为了获得一套最先进的光散射仪器，使这些材料能够在真实的时间内进行测量，而不会干扰它们的合成。其中一种仪器将用于静态光散射：测量光通过悬浮颗粒时的角扩散。另一种是动态光散射，它使用散射光强度的快速波动来确定颗粒大小。这些仪器将主要由物理和化学系的五名教师以及他们的学生和其他合作者使用，项目范围从疟疾色素的结晶研究到凝胶的形成，再到与肾和胆结石形成有关的结晶。这些仪器的收购也将对乔治敦大学科学系之间已经相当数量的跨学科活动产生重大影响，并为本科生和研究生提供机会，发展这一重要分析方法的专业知识。

0923316Van KeurenGeorgetown U."This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Technical Summary: Static and dynamic light scattering provide real-time, noninvasive characterization of molecular masses and/or particle sizes. They are powerful techniques for characterizing materials such as polymer dispersion, pigments, colloids, etc. This proposal is for the acquisition of a suite of light scattering instruments to be used by researchers in the departments of Chemistry and Physics at Georgetown University. A large amount of the research activities in these two departments involves macromolecular and nanoparticles systems, including studies of macromolecular gels, polymer colloids and molecular aggregation and self-assembly. The main components of this instrument suite will be a multi-angle static light scattering apparatus, a dynamic light scattering attachment, and a differential refractometer, all from Wyatt Technology Corporation (Santa Barbara, CA). With these, we will be able to measure particle sizes in the range of several nanometers to several microns and more importantly, look at the time dependence of the assembly of molecules to form gels, crystals or nanoparticles. The instruments will be used primarily by five faculty members in the Physics and Chemistry departments, as well as their students and other collaborators, on projects ranging from studies of the crystallization of malaria pigment to the formation of gels to crystallization related to kidney and bile stone formation. The acquisition of these instruments will also have a significant effect on the already considerable amount of interdisciplinary activities among the science departments at Georgetown and provide an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to develop expertise in this important analytical method.Layman Summary: When light strikes small particles, part of it is scattered in other directions; this has many effects experienced in daily life, from the ability to see dust particles in a beam of sunlight to the color of the sky. How light is scattered can be used as a powerful measurement technique for learning about the objects from which it scatters. In particular, light scattering methods are useful for measuring sizes and shapes of objects too small to observe with optical microscopes, such as nanoparticles. A number of scientists at Georgetown University are involved in studying how nanoparticles form and are developing new types of nanomaterials. This proposal is for acquiring a set of state of the art light scattering instruments that will enable these materials to be measured in real time and without disturbing their syntheses. One instrument will be for static light scattering: measuring the angular spread of light as it passes through a suspension of particles. The other will be for dynamic light scattering, which uses the rapid fluctuations in the intensity of the scattered light to determine particle sizes. The instruments will be used primarily by five faculty members in the Physics and Chemistry departments, as well as their students and other collaborators, on projects ranging from studies of the crystallization of malaria pigment to the formation of gels to crystallization related to kidney and bile stone formation. The acquisition of these instruments will also have a significant effect on the already considerable amount of interdisciplinary activities among the science departments at Georgetown and provide an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to develop expertise in this important analytical method.