Multi-Mode Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for Morphological and Micro-structural Analysis of Advanced Materials

随着制造技术和先进材料的快速发展，对材料表征的需求也在不断增加。分析增材制造（AM）金属和金属基纳米复合材料、陶瓷、复合材料、半导体和聚合物等先进材料的微观结构和形态特征，可以深入了解它们的性质、特征和控制其使用寿命期间行为的机制。在这方面，拥有最新设备的实验室是研究人员库存中的必要工具。 本申请旨在获得资金，以获得能够分析导电/非导电涂层/未涂层样品（环境SEM或ESEM）的多模式扫描电子显微镜（SEM），这是安大略理工大学工程与应用科学学院先进制造研究集群（AMRC）的6名教师迫切需要的研究。AMRC是一个协作的跨学科研究环境，在先进材料和制造方面具有协同作用。我们的研究需要对先进材料进行多尺度表征，例如具有广泛工业应用的增材制造（AM）金属，陶瓷，复合材料，聚合物和半导体。环境扫描电镜允许准确的形态和微观结构表征，使我们能够研究的现象，如工具磨损模式和进展模式，以及对上述类别的材料的微观结构和机械性能的工艺参数的影响。ESEM的收购将高度支持申请人的研究，所有属于安大略技术的战略研究计划的“21世纪创新的先进制造”主题领域。由所请求的设备支持的研究活动将加强加拿大的制造业，作为加拿大经济的一个重要贡献因素，并使加拿大制造商能够在快速增长的全球市场上提供更先进但更有竞争力的产品。 除了获得特定于其研究领域的基础理论和实验知识外，将使用所需设备进行培训的高素质人员（HQP）将在样品制备和材料表征方面具有高度技能，这将最终为他们未来的职业生涯做好准备，无论是在学术界还是工业界。

As manufacturing technology and advanced materials evolve rapidly, so does the need for material characterization. Analyzing microstructure and morphological features of advanced materials such as additive manufactured (AM) metals and metal-based nanocomposites, ceramics, composites, semiconductors, and polymers offers insight to their properties, characteristics, and mechanisms that govern their behavior during service life. In this context, laboratories with up-to-date equipment are necessary tools in researchers' inventory. This application seeks funding to acquire a Multi-Mode Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) capable of analyzing conductive/nonconductive coated/uncoated samples (Environmental SEM or ESEM) that is imminently needed for the research of 6 Faculty members of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Cluster (AMRC) in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Ontario Tech University. AMRC is a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment with synergies on advanced materials and manufacturing. Our research requires multiscale characterization of advanced materials such as additive manufactured (AM) metals, ceramics, composites, polymers, and semiconductors with extensive industrial applications. ESEM allows for accurate morphological and micro-structural characterization and enables us to study phenomena such as tool wear modes and progression pattern as well as the effect of process parameters on micro-structures and mechanical properties of the aforementioned classes of materials. The acquisition of the ESEM will highly support the applicants research that all fall within the "Advanced Manufacturing for 21st-Century Innovation" thematic area of Ontario Tech's Strategic Research Plan. The research activities supported by the requested equipment will enhance Canada's manufacturing sector, as a large contributing element to Canada's economy and allow Canadian manufacturers to offer more advanced yet competitive products in the fast-growing global market. In addition to gaining fundamental theoretical and experimental knowledge specific to their field of research, the highly qualified personnel (HQPs) who will be trained using the requested equipment will become highly skilled in sample preparation and material characterization, which will ultimately prepare them for their future career, whether that be in academia or industry.