NSF Award
1828144
High quality powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data is required to fully characterize the crystalline structure of materials, and has wide ranging applicability in the sciences and engineering. Research activities at Union College that require PXRD span the departments of mechanical engineering, physics and astronomy, chemistry and geology, and the interdisciplinary programs of nanoscience and environmental science, policy and engineering. The major fundamental scientific questions under investigation include: (1) How can the photo-efficiencies of thin film solar materials be improved? (2) How can new nanomaterials be used in applications such as protective coatings and nanoelectronics? (3) What role do interfacial molecules play in the phase transitions of nanomaterials? (4) How can better aerogel materials be created to reduce automotive pollution? (5) How can unwanted phase changes occurring in the production and storage of chocolate be minimized? (6) How old is the solar system and what is the composition of the deep Earth? (7) How do hydrothermal systems record volcanic activity? The research and research training to be enabled will further strengthen Union's longstanding commitment to incorporate research as an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum and to develop innovative, multidisciplinary research and teaching opportunities through state-of-the-art instrumentation. The instrument will be used in at least eight regularly offered courses serving approximately 180-200 students annually, nearly 10% of the student population. The instrument will fundamentally improve the way diffraction can be taught, allowing students to better engage with the concept of three-dimensional crystal structures and visualization. This new instrumentation will also serve as a bridge to link classroom and research experiences. The instrument will be used in over thirty undergraduate research projects annually, including many students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The mentoring students receive through their projects and courses will prepare students well to move on to either graduate school or productive careers in STEM fields.<br/><br/>This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports Union College to acquire a new powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) system with low angle and variable temperature capabilities that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of ongoing research efforts by increasing instrument sensitivity, reducing collection times, adding a 2D detector and controlled sample environments, and providing a modern, more user friendly operating interface. The new PXRD platform affords versatile powder diffraction applications including phase identification, quantitative analysis, percent crystallinity, crystallite size and lattice strain analyses, particle size, precise lattice parameter determination, pole figures, and Rietveld refinement. A key advantage of the system is its high-speed detector, which is relatively maintenance free and requires no cooling, no detector gas, and no wire replacements. This diffractometer has automatic alignment, an advanced software system, and cross beam optics capability, that combine to create a flexible, intelligence-based data collection platform. In addition to supporting current research projects, this new instrument will allow the PI's to continue to develop new and innovative research programs that have potential to be transformative in areas of applied science related to sustainability and clean energy as well as in several subfields of fundamental science including condensed matter physics, materials chemistry, planetary science, and geochemistry. PXRD data will be published in peer-reviewed journals and undergraduate theses and presented at professional society conferences (e.g. the American Chemical Society, the Materials Research Society, the American Institute of Physics, the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, the Meteoritical Society, and the American Physical Society). Access will be provided to collaborators and outside researchers who might benefit from accessing archives of primary data to support their own research initiatives.<br/><br/>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.
