MRI-R2: Acquisition of an Imaging Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer

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。根据主要研究和仪器（MRI）项目的这份合同，Peter Williams、Ariel D. Anbar、James R. Anderson、Richard L. Hervig和Willem F. Vermaas将获得一台成像二次离子质谱仪（SIMS）仪器。这种新颖而强大的仪器将用于支持一个扩展的研究小组，研究涉及软（生物）材料和硬（矿物）材料以及两者之间的界面（生物传感器，抗生素粘土，纳米颗粒毒性）的不同主题。这些项目的共同点是需要化学分析，特别是同位素分析，其长度尺度低于传统SIMS仪器。该研究将广泛影响基础研究和支撑应用研究。它将在许多领域产生见解，包括地球生命早期阶段的研究，光合生物代谢的基础研究和脂质形成的生物合成途径。将研究如何在回收发电站的废弃二氧化碳的过程中提高生物燃料生产效率。将进行气溶胶的化学和起源，从而有助于了解大气化学和全球变暖。对火山岩浆的研究可以获得喷发前数小时和数天内岩浆状况的时间分辨信息，有助于预测这些灾难性事件。成像二次离子质谱仪探测表面和薄膜的化学成分。表面被离子源中制备的离子轰击。这将物质从表面移出，由质谱仪分析。离子束也将扫描材料，给出表面图像。这使得研究人员能够在纳米尺度上将化学成分与硬材料（如矿物质）和软材料（如细胞）的特性联系起来。使用该仪器进行的跨学科研究将对材料研究、化学、生物学、地质学和大气科学产生影响。将在他们的研究项目中使用这些设备的本科生和研究生将接受成像科学方面的培训，并使用最先进的仪器。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).With this award from the Major Research and Instrumentation (MRI) program, Peter Williams, Ariel D. Anbar, James R. Anderson, Richard L. Hervig and Willem F. Vermaas will acquire an imaging secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) instrument. This novel and powerful instrument will be used to support an extended group of researchers working on diverse topics involving both soft (biological) materials and hard materials (minerals), and at the interface between the two (biosensors, antibiotic clays, nanoparticle toxicity). The projects have in common the need for chemical, and in particular isotopic, analysis at length scales below conventional SIMS instrumentation. The research will impact fundamental research and underpin applied research widely. It will yield insights in a number of areas including studies of the early stages of life on earth, and fundamental studies of metabolism in photosynthetic organisms and biosynthetic pathways for lipid formation. Studies to improve the efficiency for biofuel production in a process that recycles waste carbon dioxide from power stations will be investigated. The chemistry and origins of aerosols will be undertaken and thus contribute to the understanding of atmospheric chemistry and global warming. The study of volcanic magma may yield time-resolved information about magma conditions in the hours and days before eruption, aiding prediction of these cataclysmic events.An Imaging Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer probes the chemical composition of surfaces and thin films. A surface is bombarded with ions prepared in an ion source. This dislodges material from the surface which is analyzed by the mass spectrometer. The ion beam will also scan over the material giving an image of the surface. This allows researchers to correlate the chemical composition with the properties of hard materials (e.g. minerals) and soft (e.g. cells) at the nano scale level. The interdisciplinary studies that will be carried out using this instrument will have an impact in materials research, chemistry, biology, geology and atmospheric science. The undergraduate and graduate students who will use the equipment in their research projects will be trained in imaging science with state of the art instrumentation.