The Imaging Technology Group (ITG) at the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, is purchasing a Skyscan 1172 microtomography instrument (micro-CT). This instrument will provide 5-micron -resolution 3D datasets of the internal structure of samples between 1 and 20 mm (35 x 60 mm at a reduced resolution). To store the datasets, which can be as large as 270 gigabytes (GB) each, a 24-terabyte (TB) tape storage system will be purchased for data archiving, along with a 3.7-TB RAID system for online access. The micro-CT will be integrated into a successful K-12 outreach project called Bugscope.1 ITG has been running the Bugscope project since 1999, allowing children from more than 150 classrooms across the country to remotely control an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) to image their insect specimens. With the micro-CT, students will not only be able to control an SEM to study their samples, but will also be able to explore images of the internal and external 3D structure of at least one of their specimens during each session. This proposal will benefit at least eleven funded research groups with more than fifty graduate students. The projects of the primary users are focused on the development of self-healing materials through the use of microvascular channels, scaffold structures for artificial bone replacement, microfluidic fibers for optical networks, and the study of bone degradation in micro-gravitational environments. The secondary user projects are varied and include the study of colloidal crystal systems, the microstructure of concrete and masonry materials, the characterization of polymeric and ceramic microscale structures, the condensed matter physics of charged complex fluids, and the archaeology of ancient materials. Micro-CT will be a new technique on campus, and it will provide materials researchers from varying departments with the ability to noninvasively image the internal structure of nearly any sample up to 20 mm in diameter with 5-micron resolution. %%% The Imaging Technology Group (ITG) at the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, is purchasing a microtomography to provide high-resolution three-dimensional cross-sections of the internal structure of. The instrument will be integrated into a successful K-12 outreach project called Bugscope. ITG has been running the Bugscope project since 1999, allowing children from more than 150 classrooms across the country to remotely control an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) to image their insect specimens. S tudents will not only be able to control an scanning electron microscope to study their samples, but will also be able to explore images of the internal and external 3D structure of at least one of their specimens during each session. This proposal will benefit at least eleven funded research groups with more than fifty graduate students. The secondary user projects are varied and include the study of crystal systems, the microstructure of concrete and masonry materials, the characterization of polymeric and ceramic microscale structures, the condensed matter physics of charged complex fluids, and the archaeology of ancient materials. This new technique on campus will provide materials researchers from varying departments with the ability to noninvasively image the internal structure of nearly any sample up to 20 mm in diameter with 5-micron resolution.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Materials Research (DMR)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0414956
Program Officer
Charles E. Bouldin
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2004-08-01
Budget End
2005-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$219,788
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Champaign
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
61820