| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 19, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 19, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1625835 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Russell Kelz
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $836,819.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $836,819.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
900 S CROUSE AVE SYRACUSE NY US 13244 (315)443-2807 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
206A Heroy Geology Laboratory Syracuse NY US 13244-1070 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): |
Major Research Instrumentation, Instrumentation & Facilities |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
1625835
Thomas
This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant supports acquisition of a an electron microprobe (EMP) equipped with five wavelength dispersive spectrometers (WDS), an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), a cathodoluminescence (CL) microscope and a LaB6 electron source to permit micron scale compositional mapping of geologic and synthesized materials. A new electron microscope with the analytical capabilities to be included will foster research and research training in the solid Earth sciences, materials science and archaeology. A new EMP facility at Syracuse will serve as a regional facility for microchemcial characterization of solid natural and synthetic materials in central New York State, supporting the needs of many faculty and students at over a dozen academic institutions. This support is congruent with NSFs mission of promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health, prosperity and welfare given the importance of electron microscopy for advancing understanding of the genesis of Earth materials and in this case in particular, supporting investigator studies of the corrosion of metallic medical implants. Thus the research supported with this instrument immediately serves the societal interests of an aging U.S. population. The instrument will also support the training of a next generation scientific workforce with skills in state-of-the-art methods of materials characterization.
Specific research applications that require an electron probe for determining the micron-scale distribution of trace element in minerals and synthesized materials will include studies of chemical equilibrium and diffusion and reaction kinetics in rocks and minerals with applications to the development of new geothermobarometers that promise to advance understanding of the pressure and temperature conditions at which mid and deep crustal mineral assemblages in exhumed metamorphic rocks formed, studies of magmatic processes, trace element investigations of detrital mineral phases to elucidate provenance, applied studies of the corrosion behavior of metallic medical implants, geoforensics, and archaeological investigations of artifact provenance.
***
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Note:
When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external
site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a
charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from
this site.
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.
The grant was used to develop a regional electron microprobe user facility at Syracuse University available to academic and industry for in situ chemical analysis of small volumes of materials (http://electron-microprobe.syr.edu/). We purchased a Cameca SXFive electron microprobe equipped with components to serve a wide range of users and materials so that it will receive widespread usage. The NSF contribution was matched by contributions from the College of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the New York State NYSTAR Program, and collaborations with 35 regional academic and industrial partners. The room renovations were completed in May 2017. A two-month instrument installation, training and component upgrade was completed mid-August 2017.
The facility operates as a non-profit recharge center at Syracuse University. The goal of the facility is to provide advanced materials characterization for a fee to users that is used to offset all operational costs. Because the instrument can conduct non-destructive analyses on micron-sized spots with minimum detection limits in the ~10 to 30 ppm range for many elements in the periodic table, and perform scanning electron microscope imaging, the instrument has already been widely used by students and researchers from many disciplines. During the first 15 months since commissioning the instrument, 29 academic researchers, eight industry scientists and 16 undergraduates have extensively used the instrument. User fees are used for consumables, salary for a full-time technician, and a service contract.
The instrument has been used to analyze many types of samples from a wide range of researchers including experimental specimens produced in high-pressure and high-temperature experiments, natural geologic specimens, industrial steels, and manufactured glass specimens. Analyses of geologic specimens are used primarily to learn how pressure and temperature affect the chemical compositions of rocks and minerals formed in the Earth. Industrial researchers use the instrument to analyze manufactured materials with the goal of making better steels and glasses for products that are used daily by most adults in the USA. Anyone interested in using the instrument can schedule time through the facility website listed above. Results obtained from the electron microprobe were published in two journal articles and seven abstracts were presented at national meetings.
Last Modified: 11/25/2018
Modified by: Jay B Thomas
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
