The PI will acquire an atomic force microscope coupled to a biological optical microscope to support a varied program of research involving faculty and students in the Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) at Western Washington University, and will be an integral part of a university- wide initiative promoting cross-disciplinary research and education in materials science. The instrumentation is necessary to support research in five academic departments (Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Biology, and Psychology) and would be used in about nine undergraduate science and engineering courses. The instrumentation will therefore impact not only the specific research programs described, but also help to catalyze and promote a broader, College-wide initiative in materials research and education. WWU is a predominately undergraduate institution, and a considerable component of the project is aimed at training students in the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation in laboratory coursework and involving undergraduates in meaningful, cutting-edge research. Specific research projects that will directly benefit from the instrumentation include measurement of charge transport and trapping in hybrid conjugated polymer/metal nanoparticle films for organic electronics, understanding morphology of films formed via organic vapor-liquid-solid deposition as well as liquid crystal imprinting, coupled magnetic force and optical measurements of newly developed magnetic surface-enhanced Raman active nanoparticles, imaging the self-assembling of protein nanowires, and understanding neural mechanisms of learning and memory through combined imaging and scanning probe measurements of neural responses.
Layman Summary: The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a tool that allows researchers to characterize a variety of properties of materials and surfaces (including surface structure, mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties) at size scales on the order of nanometers, even small enough to image individual molecules in some cases. The PI will acquire an AFM for the interdisciplinary Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) at Western Washington University, a predominately undergraduate institution that has a strong emphasis on engaging undergraduate students in meaningful, cutting-edge research. This instrumentation will be used to teach students about properties of materials and processes that occur on length scales inaccessible by traditional instrumentation in an undergraduate laboratory. It will also support research in five academic departments (Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Biology, and Psychology) in projects ranging from the study of brain function, to the magnetic properties of thin films, to understanding the optical and electrical properties of nanomaterials, materials that show promise in advancing technologies related to medicine, electronics, and communications. This project has a broad impact in bridging the gap between classroom and research lab. Acquisition of the proposed instrumentation will open new avenues for collaboration and cross-disciplinary research.
The instrumentation acquired through this MRI is the Bruker Bioscope Catalyst Atomic Force Microscope. AFM is invaluable as a characterization technique for nanostructured samples. To date, approximately 100 students have used the instrumentation for two different courses, Instrumental Analysis and Materials Science. In addition, the instrumentation has been in use extensively for research (50% use since installation completed). Approximately 16 undergraduate research students have used the instrument since installation. Most of those students (representing 5 separate research groups) independently operate the equipment and use it as an integral and long-term part of their research projects. The acquired AFM builds on the suite of instrumentation acquired through the NSF MRI DMR-0420377 "MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for a Materials Research and Education Center at Western Washington University to establish a new materials characterization laboratory at WWU." This instrumentation established in large part the WWU Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (AMSEC) shared instrumentation facility. AMSEC has been instrumental in catalyzing a number of successful interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects, both on campus and in collaboration with industry. The addition of the Bioscope Catalyst adds a host of new characterization capabilities to the center and will be used extensively as a teaching tool in the coming years. The acquisition of this instrumentation also helped to catalyze an award from the Murdock Foundation to build a microscopy center that will house the AFM along with additional optical and electron microscopy instrumentation. This AFM has been used for the following major studies: Au Nanoparticle Catalysts for Organic Transformations Templated-Nanoparticle-Based Optical Sensors Block-Copolymer Template Directed Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles Protein Folding Studies Liquid Crystal Inks Morphology of Thin Metal Films Morphology of Organic Deposited Films
