MRI: Acquisition of an Advanced X-Ray Diffraction System to Support Interdisciplinary Research and Education

非技术性：NSF-重大研究仪器奖授予先进的X射线衍射(XRD)系统，该系统具有精确到原子尺度的材料结构和尺寸分析能力，满足了印第安纳大学-普渡大学印第安纳波利斯分校(IUPUI)的关键研究和教育需求。该系统增强了IUPUI的共享仪器形象，并通过为一系列跨学科的科学发现和劳动力培训提供能力，为许多学校和院系的教职员工提供支持。这种仪器极大地扩展了研究人员表征固体材料，特别是纳米尺度材料特性的能力，用于基础研究项目，这些项目为地球科学(矿石和能源储量、水质和矿物对人类健康的影响)、纳米技术(能源、工业和生物医学应用的新材料开发)和生物物理研究(氨基酸、洗涤剂和制药等生物材料中的生物膜功能)的应用奠定了基础。该仪器支持美国21世纪科学和工程劳动力的发展，被用于多个学科的关键课程，并是印第安纳州和美国各地K-12学生和教师教育推广计划的核心。先进的X射线衍射(XRD)系统通过提供高分辨率和高通量的衍射数据，能够在受控的温度和大气室中获取样品的数据，以及收集固体和薄膜的小角X射线散射信息，支持许多领域日益增长的研究工作。这些进展使许多纳米材料性质的量化成为可能，支持了22个正在进行的主要项目，并为IUPUI至少20名教员及其相关研究小组开辟了跨学科研究的新途径。目前，院系的研究领域包括：地球科学，了解与人类健康有关的矿物分布和反应，并表征对水质、矿石和能源材料至关重要的矿物转化；地球和生命随时间的演变，以及在一系列温度、压力和大气条件下的结构地质学；储能和光伏技术，用于先进能源应用；纳米材料，用于工业和生物材料应用(如植入物和陶瓷材料)；生物物理学，研究蛋白质和脂类在生物膜内的分子排列。该系统支持科学活动，包括对来自环境和地质环境的样品进行详细分析，以及能够表征不同温度和大气条件下的矿物组合，以探测矿物的反应性。通过高分辨率X射线衍射和小角X射线散射对纳米材料的表征大大增强，增加了确定孔大小、结晶度和结构变化的能力，这是开发新材料的关键。还可以通过X射线衍射仪和小角X射线散射能力来评估类脂膜的基本性质，这些能力可以在小范围内测量分子相关性，以解决结构域形成问题，这是一种被认为与生物膜功能相关的结构特征。除了对研究的影响外，该系统还加强了国际理工学院各学科的教育提供和学生培训。该仪器驻留在共享研究设施中，这将用户基础扩大到其他学术研究人员和当地行业。

Non-technical: This NSF-Major Research Instrumentation award for an advanced X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) system, with materials structure and size analysis capabilities down to atomic scale, fulfills critical research and educational needs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The XRD system enhances IUPUI's shared instrumentation profile, and supports faculty and students across many schools and departments by providing capabilities for a range of interdisciplinary scientific discovery and workforce training. This instrumentation significantly broadens investigator ability to characterize the properties of solid materials, especially of nanoscale-size, for fundamental research projects that provide the basis for applications in Earth Sciences (ore and energy deposits, water quality, and minerals impacts on human health), Nanotechnology (new materials development for energy, industry, and biomedical applications), and Biophysical research (biological membrane function in biomaterials including amino acids, detergents, and pharmaceuticals). Supporting the development of the nation's 21st century science and engineering workforce, this instrumentation is used in both key coursework across several disciplines and is central to educational outreach programs for K-12 students and teachers across Indiana and the U.S. Technical: Characterization of solid state material structure and size is a critical research need for an array of IUPUI researchers. The advanced X-ray diffraction (XRD) system supports growing research efforts in many fields by providing high resolution and high throughput diffraction data, the ability to acquire data on samples contained in a controlled temperature and atmospheric chamber, and the capability of gathering small angle X-ray scattering information for both solids and thin films. These advances make quantification of many nanoscale material properties possible, support 22 major ongoing projects and open new avenues of interdisciplinary research for at least 20 faculty and their associated research groups at IUPUI. Current faculty research areas include: Earth Sciences, understanding mineral distribution and reactivity linked to human health and characterizing mineral transformations key to water quality, ore and energy materials, evolution of earth and life through time, and structural geology in a range of temperature, pressure, and atmospheric conditions; Energy Storage and Photovoltaic Technologies, for advanced energy applications; Nanomaterials, for industrial and biomaterials applications (e.g., implants and ceramic materials); and Biophysics, investigating the molecular arrangement of proteins and lipids within biological membranes. The system enables scientific activities including detailed analysis of samples from environmental and geologic settings coupled with the ability to characterize mineral assemblages at varying temperature and atmospheric conditions to probe mineral reactivity. Nanomaterials characterization via both high resolution XRD and small-angle X-ray scattering is greatly enhanced, with added ability to determine pore size, crystallinity, and structural variations key to development of new materials. Assessing the fundamental properties of lipid membranes is also made possible through XRD and small-angle X-ray scattering capabilities that can measure molecular correlations at small length scales to address domain formation, a structural feature considered relevant to functions of biomembranes. In addition to its impact on research, the system enhances educational offerings and student training across disciplines at IUPUI. The instrumentation resides in shared research facility, which expands the user base to other academic investigators and local industry.