MRI: Acquisition of a Multi-Institutional, Multi-Departmental, Modern X-Ray Diffraction System to Anchor a Portland Area Materials Characterization Group

Portland State University, Portland OR

Investigators

Abstract

0923572 Goforth Portland State U. "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." Technical Summary: Laboratory X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques have long been used by researchers in diverse disciplines to reveal structural information, which can be correlated to chemical and physical properties to guide material and device design. However, traditional XRD techniques are limited in their ability to analyze modern systems, which frequently feature micro- and nano-scale thin-film and colloidal components. Such micro- and nano-structured materials are central to our research efforts in frontier areas of science, which include: the development of tailored nanoparticles for applications in medical imaging, art preservation, and electronics, as well as the optimization of battery, solar cell, or water-splitting materials for more efficient energy generation. Techniques such as grazing incidence XRD and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) are now available for the analysis of thin films and nanoparticles, and a modern X-ray diffractometer with both of these capabilities will benefit research and training at both Ph.D.- and B.A.-granting institutions, Portland State University (Ph.D.-granting), and Lewis & Clark and Reed Colleges, respectively. Additionally, the instrument will allow us to develop new X-ray methods, e.g., the determination of nanoparticle concentration from scattering data. The co-PIs at these three institutions have an existing mechanism for sharing instrumentation, resources, and scientific findings. The instrument is also critical for researchers in several academic departments at these institutions (Chemistry, Physics, and Geology), and its shared presence will support focused research efforts under the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), thus strengthening the collaboration amongst government, academic and industrial labs involved in this organization. Layman Summary: Analogous to the use of medical X-rays to assess human structural features and plan medical treatment, analytical laboratory X-rays are vital in determining structural information for solid samples, often leading to the rational development of improved devices and new materials. Because of the broad utility of laboratory X-rays in diverse research disciplines, modern X-ray diffractometers are now designed to allow the measurement of a wider range of sample forms, including the complex materials that are central to academic research efforts in the Portland metropolitan area. These materials, with critical structural features orders of magnitude smaller than the width of a single human hair, are being optimized for use as medical imaging agents, protective coating components, or energy harvesting materials. Using the requested modern X-ray diffraction system, researchers at Ph.D.-granting Portland State University and at B.A.-granting Lewis & Clark and Reed Colleges will employ their knowledge of X-ray methodology to further ongoing research while simultaneously training a diverse population of post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate and high school students. Additionally, taking advantage of the requested instrument?s flexibility, new X-ray methods will be developed. The instrument is also critical for researchers in several academic departments at these institutions (Chemistry, Physics, and Geology), and its shared presence will support focused research efforts under the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, thus strengthening the collaboration of government, academic and industrial labs involved in this organization.