MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Low Voltage Electron Microscope at the College of Charleston

This award is funded by the Major Research Instrumentation Program and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation Program. The College of Charleston is acquiring a low-voltage benchtop electron microscope to support the research of Professor Kate Mullaugh and colleagues Chris Freeman, Yu Gong and Antonio Ruotolo. This instrument has the capability to collect images on the micro- and nanoscales through both scanning and transmission electron microscopy, enhancing the research capabilities of the College of Charleston in materials and life sciences.

On-campus access to this instrument will provide undergraduate students with hands-on experience with electron microscopy in both teaching and research labs across the departments of chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering. This acquisition also fills a regional need for access to electron microscopy and the instrument will be used in outreach activities.

This award is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It will greatly improve access to imaging capabilities related to materials science as electron microscopy is a cornerstone tool for research and innovation at the sub-micron scale. This low-voltage model will provide opportunities to characterize a range of materials and the ability to collect images in both scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) modes greatly increases the range of applications that this instrument will find among its users.

Ongoing research projects in this area include the development of magnetic nanoparticles for water treatment, low dimensional phononic materials that could be used for a new generation of miniaturized devices and hybrid microchips for multispectral photodetection. Additionally, the resolution offered by this tool will be used to study interactions between marine sponges and microbial symbionts and could be used to identify new sponge species.

In addition to the four major research projects described above, additional occasional users will apply this instrument for research on microplastics in the environment, parasitology, and nanotechnology.

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.