The objective of this project is to advance research and education in the areas of electronics, sensors, nanomaterials, catalysis, and energy at Wayne State University (WSU) through the acquisition of a state-of-the-art ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS/XPS) instrument. Particularly, the proposed UPS/XPS will be used as an enabling tool for several projects which urgently need the capability of the proposed instrument to characterize the physics and chemistry of material surfaces with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. UPS/XPS will significantly improve the quality and productivity of research at WSU in a broad range of areas. The acquisition of UPS/XPS will permit synergistic opportunities for device, material, biomedical, and energy research at WSU. It will also enhance the quality of research training of undergraduates and graduate students. Together, this proposed UPS/XPS instrument is expected to impact more than 100 users from 20 research groups. For local industry, it will serve as a resource for advanced battery manufacturing critical to the economic growth of southeastern Michigan. Students from underrepresented groups including minorities, women, and students with disabilities will be recruited using existing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs at WSU.
UPS/XPS is a unique and invaluable tool to understand surface chemistry in material synthesis as well as physical and/or chemical treatments. It is an essential tool to study the work function and valence band of new materials and to quantify chemical elements and the bonding of atoms within the top 2 nm to 10 nm of the sample surface. The proposed instrument enables 4 unique capabilities, including (1) sensitive quantification in chemical measurements, (2) scanning XPS microprobe analysis, (3) UV Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and (4) micro area depth profiling. Therefore, the acquisition of UPS/XPS will significantly improve the quality and productivity of on-going research at WSU in a broad range of areas from the development of next-generation electronics (e.g., 2D materials beyond graphene, atomic layer deposition) to biomedical applications (e.g., biosensing, point-of-care devices) and to energy applications (e.g., catalysis, fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, green chemistry, and sustainability). Our long-term goals are to strengthen WSU research facilities in order to support research and education, to offer state-of-the-art characterization equipment to the scientific community of southeastern Michigan, and to enhance research and education/training of graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students in the greater Detroit area by offering hands-on learning experience.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
