Non-technical: This NSF-Major Research Instrumentation award for an advanced X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) system, with materials structure and size analysis capabilities down to atomic scale, fulfills critical research and educational needs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The XRD system enhances IUPUI's shared instrumentation profile, and supports faculty and students across many schools and departments by providing capabilities for a range of interdisciplinary scientific discovery and workforce training. This instrumentation significantly broadens investigator ability to characterize the properties of solid materials, especially of nanoscale-size, for fundamental research projects that provide the basis for applications in Earth Sciences (ore and energy deposits, water quality, and minerals impacts on human health), Nanotechnology (new materials development for energy, industry, and biomedical applications), and Biophysical research (biological membrane function in biomaterials including amino acids, detergents, and pharmaceuticals). Supporting the development of the nation's 21st century science and engineering workforce, this instrumentation is used in both key coursework across several disciplines and is central to educational outreach programs for K-12 students and teachers across Indiana and the U.S.
Characterization of solid state material structure and size is a critical research need for an array of IUPUI researchers. The advanced X-ray diffraction (XRD) system supports growing research efforts in many fields by providing high resolution and high throughput diffraction data, the ability to acquire data on samples contained in a controlled temperature and atmospheric chamber, and the capability of gathering small angle X-ray scattering information for both solids and thin films. These advances make quantification of many nanoscale material properties possible, support 22 major ongoing projects and open new avenues of interdisciplinary research for at least 20 faculty and their associated research groups at IUPUI. Current faculty research areas include: Earth Sciences, understanding mineral distribution and reactivity linked to human health and characterizing mineral transformations key to water quality, ore and energy materials, evolution of earth and life through time, and structural geology in a range of temperature, pressure, and atmospheric conditions; Energy Storage and Photovoltaic Technologies, for advanced energy applications; Nanomaterials, for industrial and biomaterials applications (e.g., implants and ceramic materials); and Biophysics, investigating the molecular arrangement of proteins and lipids within biological membranes. The system enables scientific activities including detailed analysis of samples from environmental and geologic settings coupled with the ability to characterize mineral assemblages at varying temperature and atmospheric conditions to probe mineral reactivity. Nanomaterials characterization via both high resolution XRD and small-angle X-ray scattering is greatly enhanced, with added ability to determine pore size, crystallinity, and structural variations key to development of new materials. Assessing the fundamental properties of lipid membranes is also made possible through XRD and small-angle X-ray scattering capabilities that can measure molecular correlations at small length scales to address domain formation, a structural feature considered relevant to functions of biomembranes. In addition to its impact on research, the system enhances educational offerings and student training across disciplines at IUPUI. The instrumentation resides in shared research facility, which expands the user base to other academic investigators and local industry.
