MRI: Acquisition of XRD Attachments for Extending X-Ray Lab Capabilities with Temperature and Atmosphere Control

Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville TN

Investigators

Abstract

0923042 Biernacki Tennessee Technological U. Technical Summary: In situ x-ray studies are becoming increasingly important techniques for the rapid advancement of materials development for energy, environment and infrastructure applications. Researchers at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) have ongoing projects on: (1) fuel cells, batteries, gas turbines and energy transformation; and (2) advanced, high performance materials. Next generation nano-composites made of mineral reinforced polymer matrices for structural automotive and aircraft systems, advanced cementitious systems for infrastructure applications and thin film materials for fuel cell and high performance heat engine development are specific examples of materials and material systems that are represented within the two thrust areas. This project will expand the capabilities of TTU¡¦s growing instrument cluster for focused multi-scale studies of material systems to further enhance research and educational facilities for the broader science, technology, and engineering community in Tennessee. The new instruments, a series of three temperature stages and atmospherically controlled chambers (attachments) for an x-ray diffraction system, will become part of existing synergistic infrastructures consisting of a newly purchased X-ray diffraction system, an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), a closed loop mechanical testing load frame and an optical imaging station, all previously funded by the NSF, and will be accessible to the entire TTU research community, industrial collaborators, the regional K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education community and other university researchers. While the concept of multi-scale interpretation is not new, the TTU team endeavors to engage the concept as a pervasive form of investigation, extending across multiple disciplines. The X-ray instrument attachments represents a synergistic element that, in combination with existing tools, will enable TTU research teams to develop multi-scale experimental datasets for environmental, structural inorganic and organic materials systems with broad reaching 21st Century implications including the hydrogen economy, infrastructure and nano-scale processing. In addition to the new x-ray attachments, the team will also integrate communications, learning and visualization technology to enhance the applicability of these advanced tools in teaching and learning environments. Layman Summary: The behavior of many materials can only be explained by having detailed information about the structure and properties at many length scales. Various tools for exploring materials include mechanical testing machines and microscopes. These instruments reveal both large-scale properties, those affecting the performance on the cm (centimeter) or m (meter) scale and microscopic properties, those one the scale of mm (millimeters) or even ?Ým (micrometers). To reveal information at an even smaller scale, the nanometer scale, scientists and engineers utilize tools such as X-ray diffraction. Diffraction is a way to generate information about the structure of matter on the scale of the distances between the very atoms. This rather strange way of imaging a material can reveal everything from the composition to details of the exact location of every atom in the material. Such information is critical for to understand the material¡¦s properties at the very smallest chemically significant length-scale. Researchers at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) are working on a number of new material systems that they hope will impact the Nation¡¦s energy, environmental and infrastructure future; these include next generation composites made of tiny nano-scale mineral reinforced polymer matrices for structural automotive and aircraft systems, advanced cementitious systems for infrastructure applications and thin films for fuel cell and high performance heat engine development. To rapidly advance this work, the TTU team will be extending their existing X-ray laboratory capabilities to include special chambers that will enable them to study these materials in environments that simulate the way the materials will be used in their applications. For example, films to be used in turbine will be exposed to very high temperatures. It is critical that scientists directly study these materials at those temperatures in what is called real-time, this means ¡§to make direct observations.¡¨ In addition, the TTU team knows that science training for both college students, high school teachers and pre-college age students is crucial to our Nation¡¦s technological and economic future. The TTU team, therefore, has plans to integrate the new tools, into many existing and new courses for their students and to use the same in ongoing teacher training and outreach initiatives to reach as many potential new scientists and engineers as possible through TTU¡¦s extended sphere of influence.