MRI: Acquisition of a near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Apparatus for Research and Education

该奖项由主要研究仪器和化学研究仪器项目支持。中佛罗里达大学正在购买一台具有环境温度能力的x射线光电子能谱仪（XPS），以支持William Kaden教授及其同事Sudipta Seal， Laurene Tetard， xiafeng和Liu Fudong。该光谱仪在接近环境压力下工作，不像传统的XPS在高真空中研究样品。这使得在高达十分之一大气压的压力下，能够表征涉及物质（固体、液体、气体）的所有三个阶段的材料。这种能力极大地扩展了可以研究的材料种类。一个例子是一个项目，以改善氢化反应中使用的催化剂表面，用于将原料转化为更有价值的产品。基本上，XPS光谱是通过用x射线照射样品产生的，x射线具有足够的能量来喷射电子。测量了电子的动能。这提供了电子结合能的信息。这些数据可能与样品中的化学元素及其结合环境的影响有关。这样的实验有助于表征所研究材料的表面，并能导致其性能的改善。该仪器用于本科生和研究生为现代工作场所做准备的研究项目。它被纳入了几个培训和招收代表性不足的学生的项目中。这项研究的目的是在与现场表征相关的环境条件下研究气固、液固和气液界面（在同一地方发生这种现象，而不将其与其他系统隔离或改变测试的原始条件）。XPS用于动态识别多相催化反应中的表面相互作用，因为它们通常被称为operando条件。该仪器用于表征液气界面，以帮助理解湿化学过程对催化性能的影响。此外，它还有助于表征不同条件下的液固界面。该光谱仪还用于研究精细的生物样品，否则如果使用最常见的XPS技术（采用超高真空），这些样品将被破坏。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。

This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. The University of Central Florida is acquiring an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) with ambient temperature capabilities to support Professor William Kaden and colleagues Sudipta Seal, Laurene Tetard, Xiaofeng Feng and Fudong Liu. This spectrometer operates at near ambient pressure unlike a conventional XPS which studies samples in a high vacuum. This enables characterization of materials involving all three phases of matter (solid, liquid, gas) in pressures as high as several tenths of an atmosphere. This capability greatly expands the classes of materials which can be investigated. An example is a project to improve a catalyst surface employed in hydrogenation reactions used to convert a feedstock into a more valuable product. Basically, XPS spectra are produced by irradiating the specimen with X-rays with sufficient energy to eject electrons. The kinetic energy of the electrons is measured. This provides information on the binding energy of the electron. These data can be related to the chemical elements in the sample and effects from their bonding environment. Such experiments assist characterization of the surface of the materials under study and can lead to improvement in their properties. The instrument is employed in research projects undertaken by undergraduate and graduate students preparing them for the modern workplace. It is incorporated into several programs in place to train and recruit underrepresented students.The research enabled is directed at investigating gas-solid, liquid-solid, and gas-liquid interfaces under environmental conditions relevant for characterizations in situ (in the same place the phenomenon is occurring without isolating it from other systems or altering the original conditions of the test). The XPS is employed to dynamically identify surface interactions in heterogeneously catalyzed reactions as they occur commonly referred to as operando conditions. The instrumentation is used to characterize liquid-gas interfaces to help understand wet-chemical processes on resultant catalytic properties. In addition, it aids in the characterization of liquid-solid interfaces under varied conditions. The spectrometer is also utilized to investigate delicate biological samples which otherwise would be destroyed if the most common XPS technique that employs ultrahigh vacuum is used.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.