MRI: Acquisition of a Physical Properties Measurement System With 9 Tesla Magnetometer (Dynacool) for Research and Teaching at VCU

这一重大研究仪器奖将有助于在弗吉尼亚联邦大学(VCU)获得具有自动旋转、辅助电气测量和低、高温功能的物理特性测量系统(PPMS)，以及振动样品磁强计(VSM)。此外，无制冷剂的PPMS/VSM将能够进行坚固的低温测量，而不需要液氦进行极其灵敏的磁性测量。这些设备将有助于加强VCU和附近大学的研究和教学工作，包括与智能材料、固体电子理论、固体物理和实验技术以及纳米科学基础相关的研究和教学工作。VCU改进的设施将影响传授给普通和兼职学生的高科技技能，最终将帮助位于美国东北部的行业。这一主要仪器将帮助支持VCU的研究人员，他们开发了利用磁性材料的基本性质来设计新应用的研究项目。这些材料正在不同的长度尺度上进行研究，应用范围包括磁致伸缩声纳换能器、自感磁电致动器、自旋电子器件、非易失性存储器、磁性纳米颗粒催化剂、用于生物医学应用的磁性纳米颗粒，如用于肿瘤治疗的磁热疗法和纳米级传感器。其基础科学贡献包括了解磁性和磁致伸缩材料沿不同晶向的各向异性行为、多功能磁致伸缩-压电复合材料在多个长度尺度上的磁电行为、通过选择性化学或物理电沉积在氧化铝薄膜纳米孔上制备的磁性纳米线和量子点的自组装有序阵列的实验理解，以及对铁氧体和格拉基材料的纳米制造纳米颗粒的磁学研究。这些活动需要一个物理特性测量系统(PPMS)和辅助的振动样品磁强计(VSM)，能够在低温和高温和磁场下测量磁电、磁热和磁光测量。此外，使用无液氦的PPMS将能够进行可靠的低温测量。这将使运行成本保持在非常低的水平，同时允许进行敏感的磁测量(优于10-6emu)和观察在高温下难以观察到的相干自旋输运现象。

This Major Research Instrumentation award will help acquire a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) with autorotation, supplementary electrical measurements and low and high temperature capabilities coupled with a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Additionally, the cryogen-free PPMS/VSM would enable making robust low temperature measurements without requiring liquid helium to extremely sensitive magnetic measurements. The equipment will help enhance research and teaching efforts at VCU and nearby universities including those related to Smart Materials, Electron Theory of Solids, Solid State Physics and Experimental techniques and Foundations of Nanoscience. Improved facilities at VCU will impact high tech skills imparted to both regular and part time students which eventually will help industries located in northeast USA.This major instrumentation will help support researchers at VCU who have developed research programs in which fundamental properties of magnetic materials are used in devising novel applications. These materials are being studied at different length scales for applications ranging from magnetostrictive sonar transducers, self-sensing magnetoelectric actuators, spintronic devices, non-volatile memory, magnetic nanoparticular catalysts, magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications such as magnetic hyperthermia for oncological treatment and nanoscale sensors. The fundamental scientific contributions include understanding anisotropic behavior of magnetic and magnetostrictive materials along different crystallographic orientations, magnetoelectric behavior of multifunctional magnetostrictive-piezoelectric composites at multiple length scales, experimental understanding of self-assembled ordered arrays of magnetic nanowires and quantum dots produced by selective chemical or physical electrodeposition on nm-sized pores of an alumina film and magnetic study of nano-manufactured nanoparticles of ferrites and gadolinium based materials. These activities require a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) with supplementary Vibration Sample Magnetometer (VSM) capable of measuring magneto-electric, mangetocaloric and magneto-optic measurements at both low and high temperature and fields. Additionally, the use of a liquid helium-free PPMS would enable robust low temperature measurements. This will keep the operating cost very low while allowing sensitive magnetic measurements (better than 10-6 emu) and observation of coherent spin transport phenomena which are difficult to observe at elevated temperatures.