MRI: Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscopy-Infrared Spectroscopy (AFM-IR) System for Multidisciplinary Research and Education

非技术描述：原子力显微镜-红外光谱(AFM-IR)系统使研究人员能够以纳米精度成像样品，同时收集化学、光学、机械和表面形态信息。这为多学科分析打开了令人兴奋的新可能性，并允许研究人员将他们的研究扩展到新的科学方向，并在纳米尺度上回答高级基础科学和工程问题。仪器的多功能性、非破坏性以及在受控条件下(如温度、水合作用等)运行的能力。使其适合广泛用于从微妙的生物系统到刚性和工程材料的各种材料。AFM-IR代表了一种新兴的技术。在印第安纳大学-普渡大学印第安纳波利斯分校(IUPUI)，该仪器通过提供跨学科科学发现、劳动力培训以及在教学和K-12推广工作中使用的能力，为来自四所学校(科学、工程与技术、医学和牙科)的教职员工和学生提供支持。重要的是，将其放置在IUPUI的综合纳米系统开发研究所的共享纳米级表征设施中，使AFM-IR成为外部和行业用户促进整个地区的创新和合作的资源。技术说明：通过在单一平台上结合原子力显微镜、纳米级红外光谱和散射型扫描近场光学显微镜，获得的AFM-IR系统实现了形态和机械特性以及化学和光学特性的超快成像和纳米级映射。后者是红外光束聚焦到AFM针尖上的结果，材料的耗散(通过光热膨胀引起的悬臂偏转)或后向散射信号被检测到，以产生纳米级的光谱数据。在软的和/或生物样品中很容易引起偏转，而较硬的样品可以散射足够量的光。总而言之，这创造了一个强大的工具来表征从软到硬的样品，并能够执行高光谱成像(在每个像素上以10 nm的空间分辨率获得完整的红外光谱)或不同波数的吸收图，同时保留系统所围绕的全功能原子力显微镜的能力。因此，AFM-IR为一支研究团队提供服务，目前的研究涵盖新型生物传感器、纳米载体和用于能源应用的纳米材料的设计/表征，从配体损伤、骨负载和伤口愈合的基础生物学，到工业流程开发。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 Description:An Atomic Force Microscopy-Infrared Spectroscopy (AFM-IR) system enables researchers to image samples with nanometer precision while collecting chemical, optical, mechanical and surface morphology information at the same time. This opens exciting new possibilities for multidisciplinary analysis and allows investigators to extend their research into new scientific directions and answer advanced fundamental science and engineering questions at the nanoscale. The instrument's versatility, non-destructive nature, and ability to operate under controlled conditions (e.g., temperature, hydration, etc.) make it suitable for widespread use with materials that range from delicate biological systems to rigid and engineered materials. AFM-IR represents a new and emerging technology. At Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the instrument supports faculty and students from four schools (Science, Engineering & Technology, Medicine, and Dentistry) by providing capabilities for interdisciplinary scientific discovery, workforce training, and use in teaching and K-12 outreach efforts. Importantly, its placement within the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute's shared nanoscale characterization facility at IUPUI allows the AFM-IR to serve as a resource for external and industry users to boost innovation and collaboration throughout the region. Technical Description:By combining atomic force microscopy, nanoscale infrared spectroscopy, and scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy in a single platform, the acquired AFM-IR system enables ultrafast imaging and nanoscale mapping of morphological and mechanical characteristics, as well as chemical and optical properties. The latter are the result of an IR beam being focused onto an AFM tip, and either the dissipation of the material (via cantilever deflection caused by photothermal expansion) or the backscattered signal is detected to yield nanoscale spectroscopic data. Deflection is easily induced in soft and/or biological samples, whereas harder samples can scatter a sufficient amount of light. Together, this creates a powerful tool for characterizing samples that span soft to rigid, and enables the ability to perform hyperspectral imaging (where a complete infrared spectrum is obtained at every pixel, at a spatial resolution of 10nm) or absorption maps at different wavenumbers, all while retaining the capabilities of the full-featured atomic force microscope that the system is built around. As a result, the AFM-IR serves a team of investigators with current research spanning the design/characterization of novel bionanosensors, nanocarriers, and nanomaterials for energy applications, to the fundamental biology of ligand damage, bone loading, and wound healing, to industrial process development.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.