MRI: Acquisition of a Low-Voltage Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) to Enable Chemistry Research and Training at Central Pennsylvania Undergraduate Institutions

Franklin And Marshall College, Lancaster PA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation (CRIF) Programs. With it, Professor Katherine Plass from Franklin & Marshall College and colleagues Claude Yoder and Jennifer Morford acquire a transmission electron microscope (TEM). A TEM sends a beam of electrons through a thin layer of material. The electron beam interacts with the substance to produce a visual image, similar to a microscope. These images are important for research on the chemical properties of materials. They reveal details of the structure, such as size and shape of a nanoparticle or a protein. This information helps researchers understand the material's properties and improve them. The acquisition enhances the training of undergraduates in research. The instrument is used at four primarily undergraduate institutions, Franklin and Marshall College, Albright College, Ursinus College and Millersville University. The acquisition of this electron microscope is aimed at enhancing research, especially in areas such as: (a) the synthesis of nanomaterials for the study of the properties of nanoparticles interfacing with molecules or cells, (b) plasmonic semiconducting nanoparticles used to modulate cation exchange, (c) studies of molybdenum accumulation in marine sediments by synthesizing iron-molybdenum-sulfide nanoparticles, (d) ion substitution in apatite materials, (e) metal nanoparticles as catalysts for carbon nanofiber growth, (f) carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide as vectors for transporting tetracycline antibiotics, (g) plasmonic metal nanoparticles and (h) modular proteins and how they move within cells.