9704089 Avci An award is provided for the acquisition of a Scanning Force Microscope (SFM) and a Cryopreparation System, the latter as an accessory for an existing scanning electron microscope (SEM), in the Image and Chemical Analysis (ICAL) of Montana State University (MSU). These instruments will complement existing imaging and analytical equipment used to characterize the morphology, atomic structure, composition and chemistry of solid state materials, and will also expand the capability of ICAL to undertake similar studies involving in situ characterization of biological specimens in their natural state. ICAL is a central, multi- and interdisciplinary user facility. It was established in order to serve research-needs and promote collaboration in research, education, and industrial technical applications in the physical and life sciences, as well as engineering disciplines. ICAL provides critically needed analytical facilities based on microscopy and spectroscopy for bulk and surface analysis of materials. At present, the laboratory is home to an SEM with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDS), cathodoluminescence spectrometer (CL), and backscattered-electron (BSE) microanalysis capabilities; a scanning Auger microprobe (SAM); a small-spot X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS); a time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) with the ability to do ion microscopy; and an automated X- ray powder diffractomer (XRD). A high resolution SFM will augment and extend the range of these capabilities to provide in situ, nanometer-scale characterization of the morphology and variations in composition, adhesion, friction, and viscoelasticity on the surfaces of natural and synthetic solid materials as well as biological samples. The SFM can operate under fluid environments, and thus, can be used to monitor materials that have undergone sorption, catalytic, and dissolution/precipitation processes. A high-resolution SFM in tapping or contac t mode of operation in liquid or air makes complex biological structures as well as complex macromolecules accessible to study in their natural environment, a capability outqide the scope of traditional electron microscopy. The cryo-preparation stage for the SEM will allow high- resolution imaging of biological samples in their natural state, without the risk of introducing artifacts associated with standard sample preparation procedures. With the crucial advantage of cryo- fixation allowing the specimen to be preserved in a state closest to its natural living state, added to the imaging and spectroscopic compatibility of the electron microscope, study of living organisms preserved in their hydrated environments become possible. The cryo- state will also enhance the CL signal in studies of trace element distribution in synthetic and natural materials. The ICAL facility serves researchers in all fields of science and engineering at MSU and also supports research in the private sector and government agencies. The existing items of equipment support many but not all the research needs of many groups. For example, the researchers from the NSF-supported Center for Biofilm Engineering who study biofilm formation on surfaces can currently obtain chemical mapping over the region of interest, but are unable to obtain simple high resolution images of bacteria in their natural surrounding, since the existing equipment is not equipped to carry out such research. The proposed equipment will augment in a very essential way the instrumentation available to these researchers. Other projects are proposed to characterize the distribution and geochemical pathways of organic and heavy metal contaminants in natural systems. Related projects are proposed by life scientists in Microbiology and Plant Pathology as well as materials scientists in Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Plant and Soil Sciences.
