| NSF Org: |
DMR Division Of Materials Research |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 31, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 31, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1428620 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Leonard Spinu
lspinu@nsf.gov (703)292-2665 DMR Division Of Materials Research MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2014 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2017 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $584,229.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $584,229.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1600 HAMPTON ST COLUMBIA SC US 29208-3403 (803)777-7093 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
541 Main Street Columbia SC US 29208-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Major Research Instrumentation, EPSCoR Co-Funding |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
Non-technical: Nanoscience is a major research focus across South Carolina. The state has three research-intensive universities including the University of South Carolina (USC), Clemson University, and the Medical University of South Carolina, in addition to numerous research-active teaching-colleges. The proposed small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) instrument fills a regional need for nanoscale characterization capabilities and has written commitments from more than 20 faculty members across 6 universities to put the tool to immediate use. The SAXS instrument establishes an open regional facility called the South Carolina SAXS Center (SCSC) that is centrally located to support affordable access from HBCUs and PUIs. The instrument enables emerging research programs from recently hired faculty and broadly supports numerous federally funded programs on soft-matter physics, engineering, biological sciences, and nanomaterials chemistry. SCSC supports the education of nearly two hundred undergraduate and graduate students. The SAXS capabilities are being incorporated into existing educational programs as well as into new USC undergraduate and graduate courses on nanoscale characterization. A new summer program at USC introduces SAXS to students of HBCUs, including South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and Benedict College. In addition, industrial research partners use the SAXS instrument to accelerate their research that enhances the local economy, promotes close academic-industry collaboration, and increases the hiring of South Carolina graduates.
Technical: Establishing the South Carolina SAXS Center transforms statewide nanoscale research capabilities, especially regarding block copolymers, conductive polymers, nanocomposites, nanoparticles, bioparticles, protein solutions/interfaces, mesoporous materials, and nanomaterials for energy devices. The scientific problems to be studied all require nanoscale structural information such as the long-range order of nanocomposites or the shape and size of nanoparticles. The previous lack of local access to a SAXS instrument had significantly slowed the scientific research of numerous federally funded projects. This SAXS acquisition includes several sample stages and multiple configurable detectors to support a diverse range of measurement methods from small- to wide-angle scattering in both transmission and reflection modes from solids, pastes, and liquids. The temperature controlled environmental chamber, flow cell, and capillary stage enable the diverse experimental needs of the broad user base. SCSC supports 24/7 cyber-access for remote instrument use and will promote the dissemination of results with online data hosting. The user-friendly software packages guide trained undergraduates, graduates, and senior scientists in SAXS analysis. SCSC enhances ongoing fundamental studies and supports diverse applications such as photovoltaics from anisotropic nanoparticles, high-performance membranes for fuel cells, sustainable thermoplastic elastomers, and drug delivery from dynamic nanocapsules. Accelerated results from the South Carolina SAXS Center transform advanced research programs on polymers, nanocomposites, energy materials, biological sciences, and physical sciences.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project established the first public small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) facility in the state of South Carolina. This acquisition established the South Carolina SAXS Collaborative (SCSC) in the Horizon building at the University of South Carolina main campus. The facility is centrally located within South Carolina to serve numerous neighboring institutions.
Intellectual Merit:
The new experimental SAXS capabilities have transformed statewide nanoscale research capabilities and enhance ongoing funded research. The SCSC has led to 17 peer reviewed publications, including 3 articles that received prestigious journal covers, including Advanced Functional Materials, Nanoscale, and the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. There is a large demand for SAXS access where a total of 107 users have been trained to date. Of these users, 36 were PhD or postdoctoral researchers, 39 were undergraduate students (15 of which were PUI students), and 26 were high school students. Many of our users previously had to send samples to offsite locations for SAXS analysis that introduced significant delays and additional costs.
Broader Impacts:
The SCSC facility has expanded educational opportunities at several levels and enhanced the scattering-science community within South Carolina. A new class was created, CHEM 739 titled "Nanoscale behavior and characterization of block copolymers." One third of the course is dedicated to SAXS and the it also includes a hands-on laboratory module for students to measure and analyze polymer samples.
The SCSC hosts an annual summer SAXS outreach program that has served 58 students in total during the project period. The SCSC outreach program serves numerous local PUI, HBCU, and R1 universities as well as high-school research programs. These outreach students visited from Allen University (HBCU, PUI), Furman University (PUI), the College of Charleston (PUI), and Clemson University (R1), as well as students from numerous summer research programs, including ACS Project SEED, the Governors High School for Science and Mathematics, and the South Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation. The outreach programs are activity based where a short introduction sets the stage for X-ray scattering investigations into the surprising nanoscale features of different everyday objects. The SCSC outreach program uses real-world examples to help students contextualize the concepts and improve student learning outcomes. The production of an inspirational and entertaining experience will support long-term student retention and the national needs for more trained STEM professionals.
The SCSC has promoted the local scientific community by organizing a scattering-themed symposia to promote regional collaborations and disseminate SCSC data. The symposia was titled "Scattering Measurements of Polymers and Nanomaterials” and was part of the October 2016 South East Regional ACS meeting (SERMACS) in Columbia, SC.
Last Modified: 08/24/2017
Modified by: Morgan Stefik
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