Research finds microscope useful

Written by Bryan Bastible

Thursday, 18 September 2008 07:25 PM

The university plans to buy a million-dollar microscope that can detect images in crystal matters and a National Science Foundation grant for $340,000 will help pay for it. Stathis Meletis, Materials Science and Engineering Department chair, said the new microscope will increase research capabilities, improve research quality and competitiveness and help attract good faculty and students. He said the High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope uses an electron beam that penetrates a thin foil of material so researchers can study its structure and microstructure. The microscope can magnify atoms more than a million times allowing students to see different parts of an atomic arrangement in crystal matters that is essential for scientific investigation of many engineering materials. Scientists can then understand how it affects the materials’ properties and find a way to design new ones. “Each university is allowed to submit two Major Research Instrumentation proposals to NSF every year,” Meletis said. “Our proposal was selected after an internal competition. The university wants to build the required infrastructure in order to support thrust areas of research such as nano-materials and be competitive on a national level.” Physics associate professor J. Ping Liu said he hopes the university will buy similar microscopes in the future. “This one is far better than what we have now,” he said in an e-mail. “This is a middle-level one as far as I know. UTD and UNT have more and better ones. TCU is also purchasing one.” Choong-Un Kim, professor and Materials Science and Engineering Graduate adviser, said he was excited to learn about the new microscope and said it’s a key instrument for modern science. “This microscope is essential to many areas of advanced research where detailed characterization of material structure is essential,” he said. Kim said they have an older microscope with similar capabilities, but it’s outdated and not in good working condition. “With arrival of this microscope, our research level will get a substantial boost and we will be able to better compete with premiere research universities,” he said. Views: 1049 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 December 2008 02:30 PM )

 

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