Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope to Facilitate Nanoscience Research and Training

Ball State University, Muncie IN

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Supported by the Division of Materials Research at the National Science Foundation, the acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) will advance nanoscience research and teaching at Ball State University (BSU). This state-of-the-art electron microscope will enable faculty and students from the departments of Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Astronomy, and Environment, Geology, and Natural Resources to conduct interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research in nanotechnology. The FE-SEM is a pivotal instrument for outfitting the Imaging Suite in BSU’s new state-of-the-art Foundational Sciences Building, serving as a regional nanomaterials characterization facility and promoting collaboration among primarily undergraduate institutions throughout Indiana. This award will provide training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students from BSU's STEM departments and other regional higher education institutions. A primary focus of all training opportunities will be on equipping students with essential skills in nanoscale material characterization, enhancing their understanding and productivity in research projects, and increasing their employability and interest in scientific fields. The FE-SEM will create numerous educational opportunities for graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 students in cutting-edge research related to nanotechnology and material science, encouraging interest in careers in scientific research and education. The principal investigators (PIs) will use the FE-SEM to raise awareness of multidisciplinary nanotechnology for high school students in the region through outreach presentations and site field trips, thereby expanding BSU's ability to attract and retain academically qualified students, especially those from underrepresented minorities, and increasing diversity in the STEM workforce. TECHNICAL SUMMARY This FE-SEM runs at variable pressure and is equipped with secondary electron, backscatter, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy detectors to enable structural, morphological, and compositional characterization of multicomponent metal/metal oxide nanomaterials, organic nanoparticles, soft matter micro and nanostructures, micropaleontology fossils, and biological samples in student-mentored research projects in more than dozen laboratories across BSU and higher education institutions in East Central Indiana and beyond. These research projects include (1) designing heterostructured metal oxide photocatalysts for hydrogen generation and degradation of persistent organic pollutants; (2) developing photoreactive membranes for the sustainable remediation of halogenated organic compounds; (3) engineering shape-specific nanomaterials and nanoassemblies for photocatalysis; (4) developing nickel tungstate-based nanomaterials toward environmentally benign energy conversion; (5) preparing functionalized-human serum albumin nanoparticles for therapeutic and diagnostic applications; (6) developing functionalized carbon nanotubes coatings for thermionic cooling; and (7) studying benthonic and planktonic foraminifera to obtain biostratigraphic, paleoecologic, and paleoceanographic information. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.