MRI: Acquisition of a Next Generation Small-Angle X-ray Scattering System for Nanoscale Characterization and Development of Advanced Functional Materials

非技术总结用于高能效工艺、延长生命的生物医学应用的先进功能材料的开发，以及用于先进制造的纳米结构材料的开发，依赖于表征和了解材料结构在许多长度尺度上的精确组织所需的最先进的工具。在这类工具中位居榜首的是小角X射线散射(SAXS)，在这种工具中，穿过材料的X射线传递有关物质在整个化学成分中分布的方式的长度尺度信息。为了满足这一需求，该项目着重于收购下一代(SAXS)系统，该系统将为弗吉尼亚理工大学(VT)的研究人员提供探测燃料电池应用的纳米相分离膜的结构细节的能力，用于能量存储的安全高效的电解液，用于先进光学设备的精确有序的嵌段共聚纳米复合材料，用于靶向给药的有序生物聚合物，用于轻质绝缘的凝胶和气凝胶，以及用于结构性弹性材料的3D可打印水乳胶。有了拟议的仪器，VT作为区域小角X射线散射资源的关键基础设施将得到深刻加强。考虑到我们社会面临的重大挑战，该项目将提供开发成本效益高、容易获得的材料替代品所需的基本结构细节，以满足对能源储存、净水膜、用于清洁能源转换的燃料电池膜、轻质建筑和航空航天材料以及医疗和保健行业的环境友好材料的关键需求。该项目的研究活动具有跨学科性质，从纯粹的化学和物理到材料工程，将为多样化的公民和研究人员提供大量的教育机会，他们渴望为我国确保更健康、更节能的全球社会的领导做出贡献。技术总结本项目的重点是获得具有先进能力的下一代小角X射线散射(SAXS)系统，包括用于薄膜表征的掠入射GISAXS模块；具有广泛样本细胞的大样本室；用于快速数据采集的大面积、超灵敏、无光束SAXS探测器；自动波束对准/优化以适应不同的几何形状，以及用户友好的图形界面，以促进快速培训和教育演示。该项目的目标是使弗吉尼亚理工大学的研究人员能够探测和量化各种长度尺度(从100‘S纳米到几埃级)的燃料电池用纳米相分离膜的结构细节，用于储能的安全高效的高分子电解质，用于血浆超材料的精确有序的嵌段共聚纳米复合材料，用于定向输送生物活性物质的脂质双层结构和螺旋肽纳米线圈，用于建筑和航空航天应用的轻质绝缘的分级凝胶和气凝胶，用于高级制造的还原光聚合法的3D可打印水性乳液，以及各向异性纤维素纳米晶/聚合物复合材料。在该团队的国际公认成就的基础上，该团队通过一系列联邦/工业支持的项目进行了验证，该项目将完成的尖端研究工作将对关键能源解决方案、生物医学应用和先进制造的先进材料的科学和工程产生深远影响。首席调查人员在分散基本原理、方法和分析方面拥有丰富的经验，并准备领导这支多元化的材料创新者团队，朝着满足我们社会最复杂的材料挑战所需的结构-性能理解的新高度前进。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NONTECHNICAL SUMMARYThe development of advanced functional materials for energy efficient processes, life-enhancing biomedical applications, and nanostructured materials for advanced manufacturing depends on state-of-the-art tools required to characterize and understand the precise organization of material structures over many length scales. Top among the list of such tools is small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), where x-rays traveling through the material relay length-scale information about the manner in which matter is distributed throughout the chemical composition. To meet this need, this project is focused on the acquisition of a next-generation (SAXS) system that will offer researchers at Virginia Tech (VT) the ability to probe structural details of nano-phase separated membranes for fuel cell applications, safe and efficient electrolytes for energy storage, precisely ordered block-copolymer nanocomposites for advanced optical devices, ordered biopolymers for targeted drug delivery, gels and aerogels for lightweight insulation, and 3D printable aqueous latexes for structured elastic materials. With the proposed instrument, VT’s critical infrastructure as a regional resource in small-angle x-ray scattering will be profoundly enhanced. With respect to the grand challenges facing our society, this project will provide fundamental structural detail needed to develop cost-effective, readily available materials alternatives needed to meet critical demands for energy storage, water purification membranes, fuel cell membranes for clean energy conversion, lightweight construction and aerospace materials, and environmentally friendly materials for the medical and healthcare industries. The interdisciplinary nature of research activities in this project, ranging from pure chemistry and physics to materials engineering, will provide a plethora of educational opportunities to a diverse community of citizens and researchers eager to contribute to our nation’s leadership in ensuring a healthier, more energy-efficient global society.TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis project is focused on the acquisition of a next-generation small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) system with advanced capabilities including a grazing-incidence GISAXS module for thin film characterization; large sample chamber with a broad range of sample cells; large-area, ultrasensitive, beamstopless SAXS detector for fast data acquisition; an automated beam alignment/refinement to accommodate diverse geometries and a user-friendly graphical interface to facilitate rapid training and educational demonstrations. The goal of this project is to offer researchers at Virginia Tech the ability to probe and quantify structural details over a wide range of length scales (from 100’s of nm to a few Angstroms) of nano-phase separated membranes for fuel cell applications, safe and efficient macromolecular electrolytes for energy storage, precisely ordered block-copolymer nanocomposites for plasmonic metamaterials, lipid bilayer constructs and helical peptide nanocoils for targeted delivery of bioactive agents, hierarchical gels and aerogels for lightweight insulation in construction and aerospace applications, 3D printable aqueous latexes for vat photopolymerization in advanced manufacturing, and anisotropic cellulose nanocrystal/polymer composites. Building upon internationally recognized accomplishments of the team, validated through a broad range of federally/industrially supported projects, the cutting-edge research efforts to be accomplished in this project will have far-reaching impact in the science and engineering of advanced materials for critical energy solutions, biomedical applications, and advanced manufacturing. The Principal Investigators have extensive experience in scattering fundamentals, methods, and analysis, and are poised to lead this diverse team of materials innovators toward new heights of structure-property understandings needed to meet our society’s most complex materials challenges.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.