"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a very important instrument for research in Materials Science and related fields. Nanotechnology efforts at Wayne State University (WSU), a nationally ranked Research University, includes emphasis in the following areas: (i) nanoparticle synthesis and assembly; (ii) direct self-assembly of nano-crystalline and thin films; (iii) sensors and nano-devices, biosensors; (iv) drug delivery; and (v) energy materials such as solar energy materials and catalysts for fuel cell technology. The proposed (Field Emission) FE SEM is required to achieve the required resolution (1.4 nM), as well as imaging of conductive and non-conductive materials and biological samples in all these areas. These capabilities are not possible with the existing 20+ year old technologically-out-of-date instrument. The instrument will be located in the WSU Laboratory of Analytical Electron Microscopy (LAEM) that is one of several core facilities administrated by the Central Instrument Facility (CIF). The instrument will be available to the entire WSU campus, other local universities, and local industries. This instrument will impact more than 100 users from 25 research groups across the WSU campus, 3 groups from University of Toledo, and several local companies. This instrument will also affect the education quality for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biological Science. This instrument will explicitly be used by a large number of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows as part of their on-going research experience and maturation.
Layman Summary: A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a very important instrument for research in Materials Science and related fields. It is used not only for imaging the surface of samples as a magnifier with higher resolution than possible with optical microscopes, but also for obtaining information about the local chemical composition and crystal structure by using various specialty detectors. Nanotechnology efforts at Wayne State University (WSU), a nationally ranked Research University, includes an emphasis in several area including: nanoparticles, thin films for semiconductors, biosensors for disease detection; drug delivery for medical patients, solar energy materials, and fuel cell technology materials. The proposed (?Field Emission?) FE SEM is a state-of-the-art instrument that is required to achieve maximum magnification on conducting and non-conducting materials and biological samples. None of this is possible with the existing 20+ year old technologically out-of-date instrument. The instrument will be located in the Laboratory of Analytical Electron Microscopy (LAEM) at WSU that is one of several core facilities administrated by the Central Instrument Facility (CIF). The instrument will be available to the entire WSU campus, other local universities, and local industries. This instrument will impact more than 100 users from 25 research groups across the WSU campus, 3 groups from University of Toledo, and several local companies. This instrument will also affect the education quality for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biological science. This instrument will explicitly be used by a large number of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows as part of their on-going research experience and maturation.
