The objective of this project is to acquire a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) to support materials related research and training activities at Missouri State University (MSU) and surrounding southwest Missouri institutions. Currently, there is only one 19-year-old SEM and no functioning transmission electron microscope (TEM) on campus, which imposes significant impedance to the success of funded research. The intellectual merit of this project is that the unique capabilities provided by an FEI Quanta 200 FEG FESEM, equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector, will enable researchers, educators, and students to obtain high resolution secondary electron and backscattered electron images of surface topography, spatial elemental distribution (EDS mapping and line-scans), and internal structures (STEM) for conductive or nonconductive samples. In particular, the instrument will be used to explore correlations between morphology, structures, and compositions of various materials and their electrical, optical, magnetic, and biological properties for funded projects. In addition, it will improve the educational curriculum in material characterizations for both graduate and undergraduate students and stimulate collaborations among researchers across different departments and different university campuses. The broader impact reflects the fact that training and skills acquired by undergraduate and graduate students through research projects using the FESEM instrument will serve them well for graduate study and employment in places such as in universities, high-tech industry, and government research laboratories. The new instrument will also contribute greatly toward existing MSU outreach programs to motivate K-12 students, especially female and minority students, to pursue careers in science and engineering.
In recent years, Missouri State University has been acquiring a core of faculty members and an impressive array of physical facilities and equipment to support basic research concerning the physical characterization of electronic, optical, and magnetic materials. However, this group lacks an important analytical instrument in their research arsenal, a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and must depend on an aged conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) to support their fundamental research efforts. A FESEM is a high-resolution microscope designed to reveal surface details of minute objects beyond the reach of a typical light microscope, present the acquired images in three dimensions, and analyze sample surfaces for their elemental composition by obtaining X-rays from those surfaces. Therefore, the acquisition of an FEI Quanta 200 FESEM, equipped with appropriate detectors, will enhance the capabilities for scientific research and education at Missouri State University. In particular, the instrument will be used to examine the morphology and composition of various materials for eight specific research projects concerned with their magnetic, optical, electronic, and biological properties. Selected courses will be revised to incorporate the FESEM as part of the curriculum, and both undergraduate and graduate students will be trained in materials characterization using this instrument. In addition to strengthening the materials science program at MSU, the proposed instrument will engender interdisciplinary cooperation among several science departments on campus and encourage future collaborations with other universities and research centers. Importantly, this instrument will contribute to existing university efforts to recruit a diverse student population and expose students to discovery science and a variety of learning perspectives.
