MRI: Acquisition of a High-Resolution Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope and Focused Ion-Beam Milling System

University Of Tulsa, Tulsa OK

Investigators

Abstract

0923461 Teeters University of Tulsa Technical Summary: Modern scientific endeavors rely heavily on the availability of cutting edge research instrumentation. We are requesting an environmental scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam system (ESEM/FIB) to address instrumentation needs for The University of Tulsa and other colleges and universities across the state of Oklahoma The requested instrument will impact all Departments in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at the University of Tulsa. Specifically, the instrument will enable research advances through the proposed projects in microelectronics, self-healing materials, alternative energy sources, semiconductor physics, and catalysis. Finally, the instrument will be utilized in wide variety of teaching labs spanning all departments in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at TU. This instrument will also make cutting edge scientific techniques available to a variety of unique and underserved groups through an aggresive outreach program. The program will include web-based operation of the microscope and teacher training to allow integration with sites ranging from rural elementary schools to small regional colleges, including locations with minorities under-represented in science. In addition to the proposed research projects and outreach, TU recently acquired the directorship of the Gilcrease museum, which houses a large collection of Native American art and artifacts. The ability to utilize this instrument for the scientific study and preservation of cultural heritage is exciting and replicated in only a handful of locations. Layman Summary: Environmental scanning electron microscopes (ESEM) allow the direct inspection of micron and nanometer-sized features on virtually any object; features ranging down to 1/50,000 of a human hair in size. These sophisticated microscopes are the workhorses of modern materials science and biology research. A focused ion beam system (FIB) is basically a molecular-level machining tool that allows material to be either removed or added on the scale of a few nanometers; enabling, for example, the creation of microscopic current collectors for nanobatteries developed at The University of Tulsa. The integration of these two instruments into a single system allows for simultaneous imaging and ion beam operation and makes possible a variety of advanced characterization techniques such as serial sectioning. In this process, thin slices of material are removed with the FIB and the new surface is imaged with the SEM. Repeating the procedure many times yields a series of images that can be used to make a 3-D reconstruction of the internal structure of advanced materials like the unique self- healing plastics or the specialized strains of algae for biofuel production that are subjects of investigation at the University of Tulsa. In addition to supporting the research agenda of the university, the instrument will be an essential tool in many classes and the focus of an aggressive outreach program. Remote operation capabilities for the microscope will allow integration with sites ranging from rural elementary schools to small regional colleges across the state of Oklahoma. The instrument will also become a centerpiece in the development of research and teaching programs associated with the Gilcrease museum, which houses a world renowned collection of Native American art and artifacts.