Aquisition of a Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope for Multiple Use in Research and Education

Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX

Investigators

Abstract

EAR-0240251 Jacobs This multidisciplinary project will fund a new scanning electron microscope (SEM), sputter coater, and critical point dryer. The SEM will enable scientists and engineers to see the surfaces of objects at magnifications ranging from 400X to >10,000X. The model slated for purchase will be a vast improvement over SMU's out-dated 20-year-old equipment, which either no longer operates at maximum efficiency or uses antiquated methods for documenting images. Critical improvements over the old equipment include (1) the ability to image specimens without first coating them with a metallic substance, (2) a sample stage that tilts and rotates, (3) a large sample chamber, (4) a sputter coater (better than the current evaporative coater) for use when metallic coating is necessary, and (5) an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), which allows elemental analysis of samples. The ability to image without applying a metallic coating is essential for study of paleontological and archaeological specimens that are rare or on loan from nations that do not permit any alteration of fossils or artifacts. Products of chemical research that require scanning without compromising the sample's surface also require imaging without coating. We anticipate imaging fossil flowers, fruit, seeds, leaves, teeth, bones, stone tools, and experimental polymers and metals. Paleontological research at SMU addresses vegetation change, floral evolutionary history, and small mammal evolution in tropical Africa, evolutionary history of some Cretaceous conifers, the dietary implications of tooth micro-wear on dinosaur teeth, and the evolutionary history of crocodiles and their relatives. Research in archaeology will make use of the new EDS to analyze the glaze on ceramic artifacts from the American Southwest, which can help determine source area and delimit trade routes among various Puebloan groups during the 13th and 14th centuries. Chemists will be able to evaluate tests on polymer films that have the potential to affect development in areas from microelectronics to fuel cell technology. Mechanical engineering projects require testing of material deposition systems that will is significantly impact manufacturing technology by changing the process of going from computer design to reality. The digital images produced by this research will be used in ongoing public outreach. The paleontological research group is already consulting on a major NSF-supported exhibit currently under construction at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Engineering and chemical technologies will transfer to the public via established ties with the business community. ***