Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

This proposal describes research that will be impacted by the acquisition of the proposed scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy capabilities (SEM-EDS). The funds are needed at this time to fill a couple of voids in the department. First, our department is becoming more involved in materials research, which relies heavily on SEM imaging (research in the Serpe group alone could benefit greatly from daily access); the current University facilities do not support the level of research required to characterize our materials. Second, there is no facility on campus that supports the training of graduate students on SEM-EDS techniques. Acquisition of the proposed SEM-EDS will fill these voids, and allow our students to make real progress both in research and training. The specific research that will be supported by this system includes: 1) fundamental and applied colloid and polymer science; 2) nano-micro photonics; 3) fundamental and applied inorganic materials/nanomaterials chemistry; 4) metal nanoparticle development for ultrasensitive biosensing; and 5) solar cell technology development. Acquisition of the proposed SEM-EDS will enable all of these projects by allowing students daily access to the resources they need to characterize their materials, so that the next steps in their research can be planned logically and expeditiously.