Equipment: MRI: Track 1: Acquisition of SAXS/WAXS/GISAXS/GIWAXS instrument with versatile, controlled sample environments

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art X-ray instrument for scattering studies of a wide range of polymer, ceramic, and hybrid organic-inorganic materials to meet the research and teaching needs of the Texas A&M University, regional academic institutions in TX, South Central US, and industrial collaborators. The X-ray instrument enables continuous monitoring of materials nanostructure on the scale from 0.1 to 300 nm upon exposure to diverse environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, controlled gaseous environments) and subjected to external stimuli (e.g., mechanical deformation, light).

The capabilities of this advanced instrument provide critical information on the structure-property-function relationships and enable rational design of next generation systems related to self-assembly, conductivity, mechanical adaptivity, and rheological behavior, impacting the areas of healthcare, energy, transportation, nutrition, and consumer products. The instrument is housed in the TAMU Soft Matter Facility (SoMF), a multi-user facility that serves users from academia and industry in TX and other states.

The X-ray instrument enhances research and education at participating minority-serving institutions in TX and South Central US as undergraduate and graduate students use the new instrument and disseminate their results through the user workshops. The knowledge gained through these experiences is incorporated into courses, enriching education across campuses.

The X-ray instrument features high-throughput, large-field-of-view imaging capabilities, the ability to collect wide-angle and small-angle scattering data in transmission and grazing incidence modes, and is equipped with a large sample chamber and a number of in situ stages that allow control of the chamber environment for the investigation of the effects of external stimuli on the sample (mechanical loads, applied fields, sample swelling, or chemical reaction to vapors). The imaging module provides a ten-micron resolution enabling X-ray transmission imaging of the hierarchically structured multicomponent materials and then focusing on selected regions for X-ray scattering measurements to enable measurements of materials’ structural evolution under different environments and stimuli.

The research instrument is essential for the development of next-generation polymers and nanocomposites, organic-inorganic hybrid materials, cementitious sustainable infrastructure materials, as well as inorganic materials for energy storage and optoelectronics.

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.