Equipment: MRI: Track 1: Acquisition of SAXS/WAXS/GISAXS/GIWAXS instrument with versatile, controlled sample environments

该主要研究仪器（MRI）奖支持购买最先进的x射线仪器，用于广泛的聚合物，陶瓷和混合有机-无机材料的散射研究，以满足德克萨斯农工大学，德克萨斯州地区学术机构，美国中南部和工业合作者的研究和教学需求。x射线仪器能够在暴露于不同环境条件（例如，温度，湿度，受控气体环境）和外部刺激（例如，机械变形，光）下连续监测0.1至300 nm尺度的材料纳米结构。这种先进仪器的功能提供了关于结构-性能-功能关系的关键信息，并能够合理设计与自组装、电导率、机械适应性和流变行为相关的下一代系统，影响医疗保健、能源、交通、营养和消费品领域。该仪器被安置在TAMU软物质设施（SoMF）中，这是一个多用户设施，为德克萨斯州和其他州的学术界和工业界用户提供服务。x射线仪器加强了德克萨斯州和美国中南部少数民族服务机构的研究和教育，因为本科生和研究生使用新仪器并通过用户研讨会传播他们的结果。通过这些经历获得的知识被纳入课程，丰富了整个校园的教育。x射线仪器具有高通量，大视场成像能力，能够在传输和掠射模式下收集广角和小角度散射数据，并配备了一个大样品室和许多原位级，允许控制腔室环境，以调查外部刺激对样品的影响（机械载荷，应用领域，样品膨胀或化学反应）。成像模块提供10微米的分辨率，能够对分层结构的多组分材料进行x射线透射成像，然后聚焦于选定的区域进行x射线散射测量，从而能够测量材料在不同环境和刺激下的结构演变。该研究仪器对于下一代聚合物和纳米复合材料、有机-无机杂化材料、胶凝可持续基础设施材料以及用于储能和光电子的无机材料的开发至关重要。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 Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art X-ray instrument for scattering studies of a wide range of polymer, ceramic, and hybrid organic-inorganic materials to meet the research and teaching needs of the Texas A&M University, regional academic institutions in TX, South Central US, and industrial collaborators. The X-ray instrument enables continuous monitoring of materials nanostructure on the scale from 0.1 to 300 nm upon exposure to diverse environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, controlled gaseous environments) and subjected to external stimuli (e.g., mechanical deformation, light). The capabilities of this advanced instrument provide critical information on the structure-property-function relationships and enable rational design of next generation systems related to self-assembly, conductivity, mechanical adaptivity, and rheological behavior, impacting the areas of healthcare, energy, transportation, nutrition, and consumer products. The instrument is housed in the TAMU Soft Matter Facility (SoMF), a multi-user facility that serves users from academia and industry in TX and other states. The X-ray instrument enhances research and education at participating minority-serving institutions in TX and South Central US as undergraduate and graduate students use the new instrument and disseminate their results through the user workshops. The knowledge gained through these experiences is incorporated into courses, enriching education across campuses. The X-ray instrument features high-throughput, large-field-of-view imaging capabilities, the ability to collect wide-angle and small-angle scattering data in transmission and grazing incidence modes, and is equipped with a large sample chamber and a number of in situ stages that allow control of the chamber environment for the investigation of the effects of external stimuli on the sample (mechanical loads, applied fields, sample swelling, or chemical reaction to vapors). The imaging module provides a ten-micron resolution enabling X-ray transmission imaging of the hierarchically structured multicomponent materials and then focusing on selected regions for X-ray scattering measurements to enable measurements of materials’ structural evolution under different environments and stimuli. The research instrument is essential for the development of next-generation polymers and nanocomposites, organic-inorganic hybrid materials, cementitious sustainable infrastructure materials, as well as inorganic materials for energy storage and optoelectronics.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.