MRI: Acquisition of a Tabletop High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope

该主要研究仪器项目支持在纽约城市大学约克学院（York College/CUNY）购置一台桌面高分辨率扫描电子显微镜。所获得的扫描电子显微镜广泛应用于化学、地质、环境科学和制药科学等领域；使本科生和硕士生掌握扫描电子显微镜的基本原理，并通过提供先进的技能和课程内容，加强职前教师的课程活动。桌面扫描电子显微镜也是约克学院新硕士项目实质性增长计划的一部分，也是扩展和改进研究和培训活动的关键工具，这些活动对约克学院理科学生非常有益。桌面高分辨率扫描电子显微镜能够对金属，纳米颗粒，制药材料和生物材料进行成分和地形分析。它被用于多学科研究项目，如1)阐明材料的结晶过程，2)研究含水层中的金属污染，3)阐明突变肽淀粉样蛋白形成的分子机制，以及4)研究纳米颗粒在与生物系统相互作用中的抗炎和促炎作用。仪器可在1 ~ 30kv加速电压范围内工作；它配备了后向散射和二次电子探测器，一个能量色散x射线光谱仪，以及一个可变孔径，可以提供与一些全尺寸系统相似的分辨率。低成本的维护，适度的基础设施要求，以及出色的易用性使该仪器成为约克学院教职员工和其他研究人员方便和通用的分析工具，他们主要依靠本科生进行他们的研究项目。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-Technical DescriptionThis Major Research Instrumentation project supports the acquisition of a tabletop high-resolution scanning electron microscope at York College of the City University of New York (York College/CUNY). The acquired scanning electron microscope is used in a wide range of fields including chemistry, geology, environmental science, and pharmaceutical science; it enables the training of undergraduate and master's students in the fundamental principles of scanning electron microscopy, and enhances the curriculum activities for pre-service teachers by providing them with advanced skills and curriculum content. The tabletop scanning electron microscope is also part of a substantial growth plan for a new Master's program at York College and a key instrument for expanding and improving research and training activities that are highly beneficial for York College students in the science disciplines. Technical DescriptionThe tabletop high-resolution scanning electron microscope enables compositional and topographical analysis of metals, nanoparticles, pharmaceutical materials, and biomaterials. It is used in multidisciplinary research projects such as 1) elucidation of the crystallization processes of materials, 2) investigation of metal contamination in aquifers, 3) elucidation of molecular mechanisms of amyloid formation from mutant peptides, and 4) study of the anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory effects of nanoparticles in their interactions with biological systems. The instrument can perform at a 1-30 kV accelerating voltage range; it is equipped with backscatter and secondary electron detectors, an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, and a variable aperture that can provide a similar resolution to some full-size systems. The low costs of maintenance, the modest infrastructural requirements, and the excellent ease-of-use make the instrument a convenient and versatile analytical tool for York College faculty members and other researchers, who mostly rely on undergraduate students for their research projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.