Acquisition of Surface Analysis Instrumentation for Research and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide a combination x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)/ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS) instrument that will permit state of the art characterization of the surfaces of solid samples. It is the composition of these topmost atomic surface layers of materials such as catalysts and semiconductors that determines how the materials function, and this composition is often quite different from the bulk. The XPS/ISS instrument, with its ability to characterize surfaces on a global scale, is a necessary complement to the ongoing research efforts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The university has developed the infrastructure to manage and maintain this service-mode, multi-user instrumentation in its Research Resources Center. About 100 students each year will be exposed to operation and data analysis for XPS/ISS through this facility. Students' education in surface analysis will come about not only through specific research topics, but also through course offerings such as a chemical engineering course on catalyst characterization, a physics course in solid-state physics, and several chemistry courses in spectroscopy. Catalyst and other materials development and characterization are at the heart of most new developments in the chemical process industry, and so this area of education is extremely valuable to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.