This Major Research Instrumentation program (MRI) award will support the acquisition of a bench-top powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD) system at Denison University. This instrument will be used in the research of at least five faculty members at Denison. The breadth of the research includes development of new types of liquid crystals for use in organic electronics and solar cells, novel bio-sensors for disease detection, new catalysts for the generation of solar fuels, and understanding water transport in waxy layers related to hydration control in plants. Denison University is a primarily undergraduate institution, meaning that the research supported by the the new instrument is carried out exclusively with undergraduate researchers mentored directly by faculty. Undergraduate students will be trained as independent users of powder XRD, gaining significant hands-on experience and enhanced research training. In addition, the instrument will be incorporated into several classes in the science curriculum, including classes in general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, and geoscience. The use of cutting edge equipment across Denison's curriculum promotes an increased student awareness of the critical role fundamental science plays in technological innovation and in finding solutions for many of the critical issues facing the Nation.
With a compact bench top design and advanced capabilities such as incorporation of the ALTK-450 variable temperature (VT) stage, the ADX-8000 powder XRD system will have significant and immediate impact on multiple ongoing research areas in the department in diverse areas of functional materials research. These include (1) research in novel columnar liquid crystalline materials with potential to serve as components in a range of organic electronic applications, including low-cost photovoltaics; (2) research on low-cost solar energy conversion, with the development of mixed metal-oxide nanomaterials; (3) research in well-ordered organo-silicate materials with the potential to serve as biochemically active materials and sensors; (4) research on the complex phase behavior of wax layers mimicking natural boundary layers.
