Research activities in the areas of (bio)materials science and engineering are a major focus of various universities and companies across the State of Utah and its surroundings. The proposed instrumentation seeks to provide an integrated laboratory beamline X-ray scattering tool comprising small-angle (SAXS), wide-angle (WAXS), and grazing incidence (GI) capabilities for the characterization of (bio)materials. This instrument is the first-open access facility fitted for in-situ characterization of bio(materials) in the Intermountain West region and it will be used by numerous research programs at large institutions (R1 and R2), undergraduate institutions, as well as in-state and out-of-state companies. The instrument enables research activities by a diverse and large group of faculty and students within Chemistry, Mines & Earth Sciences, Engineering, Pharmacy, and the School of Medicine. Highlighted research activities facilitated by this instrumentation include investigation of materials for sensing and energy harvesting; protein folding; catalysts for synthesis and combustion of advanced fuels; next-generation wireless neural interfaces such as in artificial vision; single-molecular diagnostics; and quantum electronic materials. The instrument will also facilitate the education and training of students and researchers in advanced characterization techniques. Additionally, most research groups and industry efforts have started to shift their research programs into the implementation of in-situ and in-operando approaches to help investigate (bio)materials failure and performance under dynamic conditions which are capabilities that this instrument will enable. More importantly, students and postdocs across many institutions will strongly overlap with scientists at regional companies and government laboratories which will allow them to seek internships and job opportunities.
The SAXS/WAXS tool will meet the critical research, education, and training needs of various research and teaching institutions in the Intermountain West region. The principal use of the instrument will be to characterize the morphology and structure of a broad range of (bio)materials such as, conducting organic thin films, petroleum-based structures, nanocomposites, nanoparticles, organic-inorganic hybrid materials, bioparticles, protein folding/interfaces, biological systems, and mesoporous materials. The proposed SAXS/WAXS tool will include several accessories for in-situ and in-operando measurements and will allow for simultaneous SAXS and WAXS studies of solids, pastes, liquids, and thin films in both transmission and reflection modes which are vitally needed given the broad user base. About 44 faculty members at 7 universities, 1 national laboratory, as well as 7 companies have expressed their strong interest and support for having a SAXS/WAXS system readily available that could help minimize trips to the synchrotron facilities or for screening and optimizing samples prior to a more specialized synchrotron experiment. The location of the SAXS/WAXS instrument within the Nanofabrication, Nanoscale Imaging and Surface Analysis core facility laboratory at the University of Utah will boost the research of regional companies, promote collaborative research, enhance existing laboratory outreach activities to underrepresented students in STEM fields, and expand educational programs. The proposed instrument will also be of great benefit to smaller institutions in the State of Utah and its surroundings that cannot afford out-of-state travel to synchrotron facilities. The Nanofabrication, Nanoscale Imaging and Surface Analysis core facility laboratory at the University of Utah will organize an annual workshop where faculty and students will give oral presentations on research activities enabled by the SAXS/WAXS instrument.
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.
