MRI: Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope

此次NSF MRI收购将协助北达科他大学（UND）获得原子力显微镜（AFM），以支持国家利益的多学科研究。AFM在科学、工程和医学领域的教师中有着广泛的应用。它将用于改进可用于假肢和外科设备的材料，并帮助开发新的可生物降解塑料和路面材料。它将用于发展可再生能源系统，并加强碳的捕获。这次收购直接影响了该提案中8名主要参与者的职业生涯，其中包括两名女性，一名印第安人和一名一年级教员。用户包括来自联合部落技术学院（UTTC）的教师。这项拟议的研究活动将提高STEM学科的入学率，并为学生从事STEM职业做好准备。该工具将支持来自三个独立学院的教职员工以及大约25名研究生和35名本科生，其中包括女性和代表性不足的少数民族学生。Bruker NanoWizard 4XP AFM具有高分辨率成像和定量纳米力学能力，可用于俯视图和倒置光学显微镜，对生命和材料科学项目的合作项目至关重要。基于峰值力敲击（PFT）的图像采集技术可以在pn级控制成像力，从而提高分辨率。消除了破坏性的侧向力，即使在液体中也能对柔软易碎的样品进行高分辨率扫描，使其成为材料研究和生物样品的理想选择。PFT的最小横向力分量使其能够成像基底上松散结合的样品；因此，可以避免使用变性固定剂或复杂的表面化学固定样品。这些特征使研究小组能够研究聚合物结构与其物理性质之间的相关性，检查页岩中的有机物以确定碳氢化合物的排出和储存机制，检查磁性原子的结合如何影响材料的热电性能，并研究特定抗体和表面抗菌涂层之间的物理和化学相互作用。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 NSF MRI acquisition will assist the University of North Dakota (UND) in acquiring an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in support of multi-disciplinary research of national interest. The AFM has wide applications among faculty from the science, engineering and medical fields. It will be used to advance materials that can be used for prosthetics and surgical devices and to help develop new biodegradable plastics and pavement materials. It will be used in the development of renewable energy systems and to enhance the capture of carbon. This acquisition directly impacts the careers of the eight primary participants in this proposal, including two female, one Native American, and one first-year faculty member. Users include faculty from the United Tribes Technical College (UTTC). This proposed research activities will enhance enrollment in STEM disciplines and prepare students for STEM careers. The instrument will support faculty members from three separate colleges and approximately 25 graduate and 35 undergraduate students, including students who are women and underrepresented minorities.The Bruker NanoWizard 4XP AFM to be acquired features high-resolution imaging and quantitative nanomechanic capabilities available for use with both top view and inverted optical microscopy, crucial to the co-PIs with life and materials science projects. PeakForce Tapping (PFT) based image acquisition techniques enable control of imaging forces at the pN-level, increasing resolution. Damaging lateral forces are eliminated, enabling high resolution scanning on soft and fragile samples, even in liquid, making it ideal for both materials research and biological samples. The minimum lateral force component of the PFT makes it capable of imaging loosely bound samples on a substrate; therefore, the use of a denaturing fixative or complicated surface chemistry for sample fixation can be avoided. These features allow the team to study the correlation between a polymer’s structure and its physical properties, examine the organic matter in shale plays to determine the mechanisms of expulsion and storage of hydrocarbons, examine how the incorporation of magnetic atoms affects the thermoelectric properties of materials, and to investigate the physical and chemical interactions between specific antibodies and antimicrobial coatings for surfaces.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.