MRI: Development of a Scanning Probe Microscope for Resolving Fast Local Dynamics in Nanostructured Materials

技术描述：该主要研究仪器奖支持一种扫描探针显微镜的开发，该显微镜能够以~100纳秒的时间分辨率跟踪电荷密度、离子运动、极化和分子合作现象的动态局部变化。该仪器将允许在光学、电或热激发下测量这些瞬态现象，同时在受控大气和不同温度下以纳米尺度的空间分辨率探测系统响应。该仪器将提供的功能包括：(1)能够通过分析瞬态激励后的动态悬臂运动来测量在~ 100ns时间尺度上发生的事件；(2)用与悬臂运动同步的光脉冲激发样品的能力，并使用强大的商用AFM尖端以高分辨率检测由此产生的瞬态电、热和介电弛豫过程；(3)进行基于高带宽非接触式调频的介电测量的能力，并将其与宽频率范围内的接触模式介电光谱进行比较。通过允许在高带宽和高空间分辨率下进行这些动态测量，该仪器将通过直接将性能与特定结构特征联系起来，即使是在实际技术材料和应用中经常遇到的异质薄膜中，也将允许未来材料的进步。*******非技术描述：华盛顿大学的研究人员将建造并委托使用一种独特的扫描探针显微镜，该显微镜能够跟踪电子、离子和分子性质的动态局部变化。该显微镜将能够捕捉到小于200亿分之一米（比头发小2万倍）的特征在1000亿分之一秒内发生的变化。一旦完成，该显微镜将作为现有共享用户设施的一部分提供，为华盛顿大学内外的研究人员提供研究新材料的能力，以推进经济和环境重要技术的应用，如用于产生低成本能源的新型太阳能光伏电池，用于消费电子和运输应用的锂离子电池。用于废热回收和热管理的热电材料，用于柔性电子和传感器的新型铁电材料，以及用于工业和环境重要分离的膜。该设备将支持该大学先进材料能源和分子工程与科学研究所正在进行的培训和推广工作。该项目将支持学生和博士后学者在下一代仪器的建设和使用方面的培训，通过鼓励与工业界的联系，不仅可以为他们提供丰富的教育，还可以支持未来商业化和广泛采用已开发仪器的可能性。

Technical Description: This Major Research Instrumentation award supports development of a scanning probe microscope capable of following dynamic local changes in charge density, ionic motion, polarization, and molecular cooperative phenomena with ~100 nanosecond temporal resolution. The instrument will allow these transient phenomena to be measured following optical, electrical, or thermal excitation while probing the system response with nanometer-scale spatial resolution in a controlled atmosphere and at varying temperatures. The instrument will offer capabilities including: (1) the ability to measure events taking place on ~100 ns timescales by analysis of the dynamic cantilever motion following a transient excitation; (2) the ability to excite the sample with optical pulses synchronized to the cantilever motion and to detect the resulting transient electrical, thermal, and dielectric relaxation processes with high resolution using robust, commercial AFM tips, and; (3) the ability to perform high-bandwidth non-contact frequency-modulation based dielectric measurements, and compare them with contact mode dielectric spectroscopy over a wide frequency range. By permitting these dynamic measurements to be performed at high bandwidth and high spatial resolution, the instrument will allow for future materials advances by directly connecting performance with specific structural features, even in heterogeneous films as are often encountered in real technological materials and applications.*******Non-Technical Description:The investigators at the University of Washington will build, and commission a unique scanning probe microscope capable of following dynamic local changes in electronic, ionic, and molecular properties. The microscope will be able to capture changes happening faster than 100 billionths of a second in features smaller than 20 billionths of a meter (20,000 times smaller than a hair) in size. Once completed, the microscope will be made available as part of an existing shared user facility, providing researchers within and beyond the University of Washington with capabilities to study new materials for applications that advance economically and environmentally important technologies such as new solar photovoltaics for generating low cost energy, Li-ion batteries for consumer electronics and transportation applications, thermoelectric materials for waste heat recovery and thermal management, novel ferroelectrics for use in flexible electronics and sensors, and membranes for industrially and environmentally important separations. The equipment will support the ongoing training and outreach efforts of the Advanced Materials for Energy and Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institutes at the University. The program will support training of student and postdoctoral scholars in the construction and use of next generation of instrumentation, and by encouraging ties with industry will not only provide them with educational enrichment but also support future possibilities for commercialization and widespread adoption of the developed instrumentation.