Research Infrastructure: MRI: Track #1 Acquisition of a Next-Generation X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer for Materials Research, Education, and Outreach

Non-Technical Summary

The surface of a solid material controls the interactions of the material with its environment, for example in absorbing pollutants, making chemicals, or storing electrical energy in battery electrodes. The molecules and atoms at the surface, and how they are connected through bonds, determine much about how these materials function. Understanding these surface molecules and atoms allows materials to be improved for various applications.

With support form the Division of Materials Research, this Major Research Instrumentation project will enable the acquisition of an X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) as a shared instrument at the University of Oregon (UO). It will be used by student researchers, research faculty from UO and other regional universities, and outside partners including regional industry, to study important materials for energy, the environment, biomedicine, and next-generation electronics.

For example, the instrument will be used to understand how to create more efficient catalysts for producing hydrogen fuel from water and to create plastic materials that interact with biological cells in controlled ways. The instrument is integrated into multiple graduate and undergraduate-level courses that prepare students for rewarding careers in the high-technology industry.

It is managed by expert UO staff, who provide instruction in data collection and analysis, and acquire data for users who need data only occasionally. Technical Summary

This project supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS). The instrument includes a high-energy X-ray source (Ag), traditional soft X-ray sources, a combined atomic/cluster argon ion sputtering source, integrated Raman spectroscopy, and a variable-temperature measurement stage. The instrument is housed in a multi-user facility (CAMCOR – Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon) that is staffed by experts who ensure that the tools are utilized to their fullest extent and maintained properly.

CAMCOR is actively used by diverse researchers at the University of Oregon (UO), across the Pacific Northwest, and nationwide. At the UO and at Oregon State University, the tool accelerates work in chemical catalysis, quantum 2D materials, biomaterials, battery science, and self-assembling solid-state heterostructures. Specific science projects include the following: A new photoelectrochemical mapping method will be developed that uses spatially sensitive shifts in the elemental binding energy of catalyst materials to directly sense changes in electric potential on photoactive semiconductor absorbers, thereby driving the fundamental understanding of photochemical reactions.

Degradation modes of alkaline ionomers used in advanced alkaline membrane electrolyzers will be analyzed. Mechanisms in water electrolysis catalysts will be studied with quasi-in-situ coupled XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The influence of surface chemistry on dissipation in 2D nanoelectromechanical systems for mechanical memory storage and all-mechanical light detection will be measured.

Responsive linear polymers and crosslinked hydrogel networks that incorporate biochemical and chemical functionalities to tune cell-material interactions or drug delivery profiles will be developed and measured. The interfacial chemistry of electrodes associated with metal electrowinning for decarbonizing steel production will be analyzed. The chemical properties of flash-frozen solid-electrolyte layers in advanced beyond-Li batteries will be characterized.

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.