This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The work outlined in this proposal aims to create a multiple user facility for a four-circle x-ray diffractometer. The diffractometer is highly automated, as required for a multi-user facility, particularly when most of the users are undergraduates. The instrument is capable of small angle x-ray scattering for studying composites and reciprocal space mapping for investigating film epitaxy, and it has a scanning stage for completing combinatorial thin-film studies. The instrument will allow the advancement of several important research projects including the use of combinatorial techniques to investigate the fundamental chemical/structural/property relationships in MAX phases, an interesting set of compounds with unusual refractory and tribological properties, the determination of the mechanism leading to the degradation of magnetorheological elastomers through repeated use, the optimization of multifunctional oxides by cationic substitutions as well as the functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles for targeted delivery of cancer medications. These projects, from a wide array of fields, all have potential for significant technological impact. Additionally the instrumentation also has the potential to enhance the economy of southern New Jersey as it can be used for interfacing with start-ups at the new South Jersey Innovation Center located on the Rowan University campus.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The work outlined in this proposal aims to create a multiple user facility for an x-ray diffractometer. X-rays have a wavelength near atomic dimensions, allowing one to probe the structure of matter and thus a diffractometer is an indispensable tool in materials research. With the proposed instrument, one can identify new compounds and their structures, study the morphology and size of nanoparticles, and investigate the surfaces of multilayered films, even if the film is buried. The facility will enhance existing research and educational programs investigating novel materials as well as promote the creation of new interdisciplinary programs, particularly with advent of the newly announced Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Support of this acquisition will lead to the development of new materials for various applications such as drug therapies, protective coatings, energy storage, and vibration control. In addition, this instrument will improve our ability to impact businesses in the region through interactions with companies at the on-campus South Jersey Innovation Center.
The x-ray diffractometer purchased from this award is used to investigate the properties of materials The instrument is used by researchers and students throughout Rowan University, including the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, and Mechanical Engineering in addition to collaborators at Drexel University and partners from Japan and Russia. The instrument has been used as an integral part of classwork, allowing students to identify new compounds, characterize the quality and thickness of thin films, and measure the size of nanopartciles. Over two dozen undergraduates have been trained on the instrument within the past year in addition to about 5 or 6 masters students. The instrument has a two-dimensional x-ray camera that allows one to take data more than 100 times faster than conventional diffractometers, allowing access to so many users and has allowed us to make measurements not previously possible. For instance, we have developed a fixture to measure the crystal structure of compounds which are being compressed and have an applied voltage. We have found that in a particular compound (see Figure) its structure and size can change relatively dramatically with only small compression and small voltage and can do so repeatedly without damage, creating new possible transduction devices without moving parts. Other ongoing projects include nanomaterials used for the creation of biofuels, new magnetic materials that can change shape, and thin films designed for energy or hydrogen storage.
