MRI: Acquisition of a Confocal Raman Microscope System for Nano-Bio-Chemical-Thermal Research

医疗保健、电子和能源生产等行业中的生物、化学和物理过程需要受控环境，有时还需要极端条件。例如，器官移植需要在超低温下储存。用于发电的燃料电池通常在非常高的温度下工作，并有专门的气体。许多行业的先进材料和系统的设计需要更好地理解所涉及的生物和化学过程。这就要求测试环境非常接近模拟真实的过程条件，这是一个巨大的挑战。获得具有复杂环境控制的共聚焦拉曼显微镜将能够在宽温度范围和不同气体/液体环境下进行体内化学绘图。该仪器将促进四个研究领域的前沿研究和教育项目-纳米材料，生物工程，热学和化学工程，以及三个机构-维拉诺瓦大学，布林莫尔学院和卡布里尼大学之间的合作。此外，该仪器将支持一系列综合研究和教育项目，并为来自不同背景的研究生和本科生提供机会。该设施还将纳入三个K-12外展活动，预计将招收500多名代表性不足的学生。共聚焦拉曼显微镜的工作温度范围为-196°C至约1000°C，可控制气体/液体环境，可提供材料和化学品的高分辨率和实时结构和化学指纹。拉曼光谱与水或高温具有独特的兼容性，特别适合于生物和高温表征。将在三个机构启用七个项目。它们包括固体氧化物燃料电池的研究，为燃料反应机理提供了重要的见解；二维材料促进了新的合成方法，并在极端条件下理解了它们的结构-性能关系；高性能储能系统的储能材料；多铁氧化物中的自旋声子耦合，为多铁性机制提供了前所未有的证据；低温损伤的分子机制为细胞保存技术的发展，完整果蝇心脏的分子特性为生理衰老提供见解。通过解决所有这些需求，该仪器将极大地推进知识和促进纳米材料、热化学工程和生物工程/生物学的跨学科研究。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。

Biological, chemical, and physical processes in industries such as healthcare, electronics, and energy production require controlled environments, sometimes with extreme conditions. For example, organ transplants need to be stored at ultralow temperatures. Fuel cells used for power generation often operate at very high temperatures, with specialized gases. The design of advanced materials and systems across many industries requires a better understanding of the biological and chemical processes involved. This demands testing environments that closely mimic real process conditions, which is an enormous challenge. The acquisition of a confocal Raman microscope with sophisticated environmental control will enable in vivo chemical mapping under a wide temperature range and different gas/liquid environments. This instrument will facilitate cutting-edge research and education projects across four research areas-nanomaterials, bioengineering, thermal and chemical engineering, and collaboration among three institutions-Villanova University, Bryn Mawr College, and Cabrini University. Moreover, the instrument will support a range of integrated research and education projects and provide opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. This facility will also be integrated into three K-12 outreach activities with an expected enrollment of over 500 under-represented students. With a temperature range of -196 to about 1000°C and controlled gas/liquid environments, the confocal Raman microscope can provide high resolution and real-time structural and chemical fingerprints of materials and chemicals. Raman spectroscopy has a unique compatibility with aqueous or high temperature, particularly suited for biological and high temperature characterizations. Seven projects will be enabled at three institutions. They include investigations on solid oxide fuel cells to provide important insight into fuel reaction mechanisms, two dimensional materials to promote new synthetic methods and understanding of their structure-property relations under extreme conditions, energy storage materials for high-performance energy storage systems, spin-phonon coupling in multiferroic oxides to provide unprecedented evidence for the mechanism of multiferroicity, molecular mechanisms of cryo-injury for developing cell preservation technologies, molecular properties of intact drosophila hearts to provide insights on physiological aging. By addressing all these needs, the proposed instrument will greatly advance knowledge and promote interdisciplinary research in nanomaterials, thermal and chemical engineering, and bioengineering/biology.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.