NSF Award
2320335
This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the acquisition of a Nexsa G2 XPS Surface Analysis System from ThermoFisher Scientific. This unique system will significantly impact the research centers and programs at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology as well as the whole South Dakota region. At the national level, the Nexsa G2 will impact two NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) Sites at Northeastern University and Syracuse University. Acquisition of the Nexsa G2 XPS will advance many different areas of fundamental and applied multi-disciplinary research focused on organic, inorganic, and biomaterials, their advanced manufacturing, and analysis of processes at surfaces and interfaces. This equipment will benefit research and development at the U.S. Ellsworth Airforce Base, involve IUCRC industry partners, and enrich instrumentation capabilities for local fast-growing high-tech companies. The Nexsa G2 XPS system will enhance education and training of graduate and undergraduate students at South Dakota Mines and other South Dakota universities through the incorporation of principles of Nexsa G2 spectroscopic methods in the curriculum. The instrument will also aid the cutting-edge education of students at other universities through direct hands-on or distance-learning experiences. Individuals from the largest minority group of American Indian students from South Dakota Tribal Colleges and Universities will also have the opportunity to engage with the Nexsa G2 XPS system through pre-college orientation, summer bridge programs, research, and education.<br/><br/>The Nexsa G2 XPS system reveals fundamental mechanisms at surfaces and interfaces in inorganic, organic, and biocomposites by using four co-incident spectroscopic techniques to analyze the chemical composition, electronic structure, and phase transformations. Specifically, the system allows further enhanced analysis of coatings, adhesion, wettability, corrosion, and biocompatibility. Interchangeable sample plates for solids, glasses, 2D materials, and biomaterials make this system attractive for multiple users from academia, industry, and national laboratories. Depth profiling has advantages for the analysis of covalent bonds and atomic vibrations at interfaces in multilayer structures and nanocomposites. Collected in-situ, data maps will be used for evaluation of chemical interactions between atoms, mechanical deformations, interfacial bonding, morphology, ionic transport, and crystallinity. Specific topics to be investigated by the Nexsa G2 XPS system include chemical agents, biosensors, metallic glasses, and functional materials deposited by additive manufacturing techniques such as aerosol-jet printing, thermal deposition, or supersonic cold spray. Relevant to energy storage materials, this system provides invaluable information about mass-transport mechanisms at surfaces and interfaces.<br/><br/>This project is jointly funded by the Major Instrumentation Research Program (MRI), the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI).<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.
