MRI: Acquisition of an Xradia Versa 620 to Enable National Capabilities for High-throughput, Multiscale 3D/4D Materials Research

这项重大研究仪器（MRI）奖支持购买先进的X射线显微镜，用于检查各种天然和工程材料。该仪器能够对基本性质和机制进行小规模检查。在轻型航空航天材料中，将研究裂纹的早期阶段，以改进失效和可靠性模型。在地质材料方面，将研究多孔介质中的流体流动，以协助开发新的预测模型，提高能源效率，减少对环境的影响。在生物材料方面，将研究骨的抗断裂性和医疗植入物的有效性。NSF资助的国家科学数据结构（NSDF）将被用来确保有效的数据存储，网络，计算和教育资源。将该工具与国家可持续发展基金相结合，必然会将该工具作为一种资源扩展到为少数群体服务的机构和处境不利的社区。这是为了帮助解决我们科学界的技术差距。在同步加速器光束线设施上实现的高能X射线实验（HEXRE）为广泛的材料的3D/4D微结构敏感研究开辟了新的前沿。然而，使用同步加速器光束线设施的资源进行原位测试和3D/4D成像需要一个应用程序才能获得访问权限并完成简短的研究，这本身就限制了这些令人兴奋的方法的影响。该项目的主要目标是推出Xradia Versa 620，用作光束线资源的民主化实验室规模替代品，以广泛采用微结构敏感的3D/4D实验研究和模型开发，加速材料开发和鉴定。与同步加速器设备相比，Versa 620提高了数据采集的速度，虽然能够以较低的分辨率扫描大型物体（直径为几英寸），但具有高吞吐量，从而使大型扫描能够找到感兴趣的区域，然后可以成为高分辨率测量的焦点。扫描速度的提高和可访问性的增强将使数据量的增加能够推动材料研究中数据科学应用的新前沿。该奖项反映了NSF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而被认为值得支持。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of an advanced x-ray microscope for examination of a broad range of natural and engineered materials. This instrument enables small-scale examinations of fundamental properties and mechanisms. In lightweight aerospace materials, early stages of cracking will be studied to improve failure and reliability models. In geological materials, fluid flow in porous media will be studied to assist in the development of new predictive models to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. In biological materials, resistance to fracture in bone and effectiveness of medical implants will be studied. The NSF-funded National Science Data Fabric (NSDF) will be leveraged to ensure effective data storage, networking, computing, and educational resources. Integration of the instrument with NSDF will inherently extend the instrument as a resource to minority-serving institutions and disadvantaged communities. This is intended to help address the technology gap in our scientific community. High-energy X-ray experiments (HEXRE) enabled at synchrotron beamline facilities have led a new frontier of 3D/4D microstructure-sensitive investigations for a broad range of materials. However, in-situ testing and 3D/4D imaging using resources at a synchrotron beamline facility requires an application process to gain access and complete an abbreviated study, which inherently restricts the impact of these exciting methods. The primary objective of this project is to launch an Xradia Versa 620 to be utilized as a democratized, lab-scale surrogate for beamline resources to enable widespread adoption of microstructure-sensitive 3D/4D experimental studies and model development for the acceleration of materials development and qualification. Compared to synchrotron facilities, the Versa 620 improves speed of data acquisition though the ability to scan large objects (several inches in diameter) at lower resolutions, but with high throughput, thereby enabling large scans to find areas of interest that can then be the focus of high-resolution measurements. The improved scan speeds and increased accessibility will enable increased data quantities to advance this new frontier toward data science applications in materials research.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.