Scanning electron microscope for research in materials development, energy, and microbiology in extreme environments
Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy is a powerful imaging technique used in materials science, biology, and engineering to examine the microscale and nanoscale structure of samples. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) instrument works by directing a focused beam of electrons onto the surface of a sample, which produces specific signals that are collected and used to create an image. These three-dimensional images of the surfaces of the sample are of nanometer resolution and provide structural information in extraordinary detail. While all Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs) are capable of high-resolution imaging, some can magnify samples up to two million times, making them particularly useful for studying small structures and surfaces, including biological cells, tissues, materials, and electronic devices. The SEM is a foundational tool to investigate microbes, biological sensors, thin films, and microdevices such as nanoelectronics, which are active areas of research and education at the University of Hawai?i at Manoa (UHM). This application seeks to obtain an UltraHigh-Resolution Cold Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (UHR CFE-SEM) to support research and research-related training in the physical, chemical, and biological sciences at UHM. The UHR CFE-SEM will be housed in a multi-user core facility, the Biological Electron Microscope Facility, which provides instrumentation, training, and services for advanced microscopy to engineers, materials scientists, chemists, and biologists throughout the UHM campus. The requested instrument, a Hitachi SU8600, includes advanced software that automates data acquisition and analysis and a Bruker Energy Dispersive System for elemental analysis. The Hitachi SU8600 will enhance the infrastructure of highresolution imaging and microanalysis in support of the DoD and other federally funded research and research training programs of interest to the DoD. The new SEM will support a wide range of research areas in materials and biosciences, such as the development of photovoltaics for flexible substrates, the characterization of animals and microbes in lava tubes, development of new protocols to predict battery life, optimization of fuel cells and hydrogen gas storage, understanding the adaptation of plankton to extreme conditions, and the study of microorganisms interactions in soils, among others. This instrument will also benefit a diverse student body in technology-supported inquiry learning in the environmental sciences, microbiology, and engineering. As a minority-serving, publicly funded institution, UHM aims to serve its students, researchers, and the State of Hawai?i.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 02, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2310322
Entities
People
- Alexander Culley
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Hawaiʻi System