NDSU’S Electron Microscopy Center has been awarded a $566,997 grant from the National Science Foundation for a high-resolution analytical scanning electron microscope with a thermal Schottky field-emission gun (FE-SEM).
The major research instrumentation grant is under the direction of Kalpana Katti, NDSU distinguished professor of civil engineering; Jayma Moore, laboratory manager of the Electron Microscopy Center; and Scott Payne, assistant director of the Electron Microscopy Center. The equipment will allow researchers to see materials at the nanoscale level.
The high-resolution scanning electron microscope supplies faculty and students with an important research tool, providing ultrahigh-resolution imaging and magnification up to one million times. The new scanning electron microscope will help prepare NDSU students for professional careers in high-tech fields, and advance research opportunities in the region. NDSU offers an interdisciplinary program leading to a doctoral degree in materials and nanotechnology.
“This grant is an important step forward in maintaining a 21st century research infrastructure for science and engineering at the nanoscale,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president of research, creative activities and technology transfer at NDSU.
Installation of the scanning electron microscope is expected by spring 2010. Anticipated users of the new instrumentation include researchers from NDSU and partners from government and industry. Eleven NDSU researchers contributed project descriptions to the FE-SEM grant proposal.
Also funded were a high-resolution coater and an ion-beam cross-sectional polisher. The high-resolution coater deposits extremely thin layers of small-grain-size metals such as nickel, osmium, or chromium to create a conductive coating invisible even to the FE-SEM. The ion-beam cross-sectional polisher uses argon to prepare the specimen surface for FE-SEM viewing and spectroscopic characterization. It can produce cross sections of hard materials, soft materials or composites.
The new FE-SEM system will support comprehensive imaging and analysis services along with the high-resolution analytical transmission electronic microscope obtained through National Science Foundation funding in 2008.
“Only a small percentage of these types of proposals are federally funded in any given year,” said Scott Payne, assistant director of the Electron Microscopy Center. “Receiving funding from the National Science Foundation for two major research instrumentation proposals in two years is rare. We were able to relate a clear message about the high quality of research scientists at NDSU and their need for high-resolution microscopy to perform their work.”
“State-of-the-art imaging and analysis also helps support future grant requests by other NDSU scientists,” Moore said.
“The acquisition of these high energy and spatial resolution analytical characterization tools is a needed step toward excellence in engineering and sciences,” noted Katti.
