| 英文摘要: | 1626418
Verduzco, Rafael
All matter is made up of atoms, but determining the precise atomic structure of materials is a fundamental challenge across virtually all fields of scientific research. Knowledge of the atomic structure of materials provides clues to the history of the Earth, the complex chemistry of the environment, the development of technologies for energy storage, and the structure and function of biological systems. This project will provide detailed imaging and compositional analysis of a broad range of materials through the acquisition of a Time-of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). TOF-SIMS is a powerful technique that can detect atoms across the entire periodic table and provide a three dimensional image of materials' atomic composition and structure. The TOF-SIMS instrument will serve a wide range of fields, ranging from the Earth and environmental sciences to the biomedical fields and have a direct impact on the technological innovation and competitiveness of local industry. The projects' intellectual merit crosses fields as diverse as geology, materials for energy storage and conversion, nanomaterials research, bioengineering research, organic and hybrid organic/inorganic thin films, and Earth sciences. The broader impacts include the creation of new educational programs and support of regional research institutions and industry. At present, the Houston area does not have TOF-SIMS capabilities. The instrument will be managed by Rice University's Shared Equipment Authority, making the instrumentation available to both on-campus and off-campus users. The instrument will serve as a venue for a number of educational opportunities either directly by providing training opportunities to students and researchers in the Houston area or indirectly by supporting the educational efforts of related projects. Annual TOF-SIMS user meetings will be organized by the PI and held at Rice University to exchange techniques and results on different samples, bring in new participants, and educate interested researchers. The PI will also establish a graduate-level course focused on TOF-SIMS analysis of materials in materials science, and the course will include a hands-on module for sample analysis and student training.
Quantitative compositional and structural analysis from the nanoscale to the micron-scale is essential for advances in virtually all fields of scientific research. This project will establish a Time-of-Flight Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) at Rice University for elemental, molecular, and isotopic imaging of materials relevant to earth sciences, energy storage and conversion, environmental remediation, and biosciences. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) is a powerful technique that can provide elemental or isotopic mapping at the sub-micron level for a wide range of materials, and the use of a time-of-flight detector (TOF) enables full mass-spectrum analysis, including the capability to separate species that differ in mass by as little as 0.001 amu and for collecting a wide mass range from H to U and beyond. The instrument can image materials with sub-50 nm lateral resolution and perform depth profiling with sub-10 nm resolution, thereby enabling three-dimensional materials analysis. Altogether, a modern TOF-SIMS instrument provides the capabilities required to analyze surfaces, organic films, biological materials, trace metals, and other materials both in-depth and in three dimensions. The projects' intellectual merit crosses fields as diverse as Earth sciences, materials for energy storage and conversion, nanomaterials research, bioengineering research, and organic and hybrid organic/inorganic thin films. In the Earth sciences, TOF-SIMS will be applied to geologically-relevant materials to study pathways and kinetics by which elements are transported in geological processes and trace element partitioning in micro- and nano-phases in hydrothermal systems. In energy-related research, the three-dimensional structure of photovoltaic blends and composite electrodes will be elucidated through TOF-SIMS. TOF-SIMS will be used to quantify the growth and doping of two-dimensional materials. TOF-SIMS will also be critical to the study of nanoparticle transport and toxicity in biological systems, providing simultaneous imaging of trace elements intracellularly, allowing parallel CN, P, and Pb images. Finally, TOF-SIMS will provide nanoscale lateral and through-depth compositional analysis of thin film coatings. The proposed TOF-SIMS instrument will serve these and other research projects of interest to internal and external researchers in the Gulf Coast Region. The projects' broader impacts include fundamental advances in science and engineering research, support of local industry, and the creation of new educational activities. The acquisition represents the only TOF-SIMS instrument in the Gulf Coast region, and the instrument will be made available to regional research institutions and industry through Rice's Shared Equipment Authority. The TOF-SIMS at Rice will serve a wide range of fields, ranging from the Earth and environmental sciences to the biomedical fields and have a direct impact on the technological innovation and competitiveness of local industry. Educational activities include annual TOF-SIMS user meetings, a graduate-level course focused on TOF-SIMS analysis of materials in materials science, and hands-on training for summer students and researchers. |