Urgent upgrade and repair of a multi-purpose surface analysis system

仪器和研究计划说明。我们在皇后大学和特伦特大学的实验室进行的界面电化学、表面和材料科学、胶体科学、燃料电池、微流控器件以及纳米科学和纳米技术的研究需要一个全面运行的表面分析系统，包括XPS、AES、SAM和SEM。它用于研究(I)表面结构，(Ii)表面化学组成，以及(Iii)金属、半导体、胶体材料以及纳米线和纳米点的电子性质。所要求的升级和维修将使我们(I)使过时的数据采集和分析系统现代化，(Ii)对真空计进行紧急维修。改进后的系统将用于研究：(A)几种过渡金属(铂、钯、金、镍、钛、锆)上形成的氧化层的表面化学组成；(B)S、砷、铋、硒和碲在金属电极上的吸附行为；(C)半导体上自组装的介观和纳米结构；(D)有机太阳能电池和电致发光二极管；(E)手性界面；(F)聚合物微流控体系的表面化学修饰；(G)阴离子和含氧物种在铂和金电极上的竞争吸附；和(H)高比表面积材料的表面组成和氧化状态。该设备包括几个使现有表面分析系统全面运行所急需的部件。升级后的仪器将被女王大学和特伦特大学的几个小组使用，这两所大学追求高度创新的研究方向。约四十(40)名研究生和本科生以及博士后研究员将获得现代实验方法的实践经验，从而增强他们对现代表面科学和材料科学技术的知识。从本申请中描述的研究项目中获得的结果将有助于更好地理解发生在各种系统中的化学和物理界面现象，这些系统从电化学形成的薄层到纳米点和纳米线，再到多孔碳材料和微观分析设备。

INSTRUMENT & RESEARCH PROGRAM DESCRIPTION. Research in interfacial electrochemistry, surface and materials science, colloid science, fuel cells, micro-fluidic devices, and nano-science and nano-technology conducted in our laboratories at Queen's and Trent University requires a fully operational surface analysis system comprising XPS, AES, SAM, and SEM. It is used to study (i) surface structure, (ii) surface chemical composition, and (iii) electronic properties of metals, semiconductors, colloidal materials, and nano-wires and nano-dots. The requested upgrade and repair will allow us (i) to modernize the obsolete data acquisition and analysis system, and (ii) to perform an urgent repair of a vacuum gauge. The upgraded system will be used to study: (a) surface-chemical composition of oxide layers formed on several transition metals (Pt, Pd, Au, Ni Ti, Zr); (b) adsorption behavior of S, As, Bi, Se and Te on metallic electrodes; (c) self-assembled meso- and nano-structures on semiconductors; (d) organic solar cells and electroluminescent diodes; (e) chiral interfaces; (f) surface-chemical modification of polymeric micro-fluidic systems; (g) competitive adsorption of anionic and oxygen-containing species on Pt and Au electrodes; and (h) surface compositions and oxidation states of high specific surface area materials. The equipment comprises several components urgently needed to make fully operational an existing surface analysis system.SIGNIFICANCE. The upgraded instrument will be used by several groups at Queen's and Trent Universities, which pursue highly innovative research directions. Some forty (40) graduate and undergraduate students as well as post-doctoral fellows will gain hands-on experience in modern experimental methodologies, thus enhancing their knowledge of modern surface-science and materials science techniques. The results gained from the research projects described in this application will contribute to a better comprehension of chemical and physical interfacial phenomena occurring in a variety of system that span from electrochemically formed thin layers, to nano-dots and nano-wires, to porous carbon materials and to microscopic analytical devices.