Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope to Enhance Advanced Materials Research and Training in the State of Mississippi

About This Grant

Nontechnical Description: This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of an advanced scanning electron microscope (SEM) at Mississippi State University, significantly enhancing the capacity for advanced materials research and training across Mississippi. This instrument allows researchers across a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, chemistry, and biology, to examine a wide range of materials essential for discovery and advancements in health, energy, and manufacturing sectors. The microscope enables non-destructive evaluation of materials over multiple length scales. Housed in an open-access imaging facility, the instrument facilitates and broadens access from researchers in academia and industry from Mississippi and surrounding states, offering both on-site and remote access. This award enables the expansion of workforce training and economic development, boosting innovation and economic growth in Mississippi and beyond. Technical Description: A fully integrated SEM equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector, all controlled through a unified software platform, enables nanoscale, multimodal chemical and structural analysis. The SEM is designed to operate under low vacuum, low acceleration voltage, and beam deceleration conditions, allowing for the detailed examination of beam-sensitive and nonconductive materials without the need for conductive coatings. EDS enables precise elemental mapping and composition analysis, while EBSD offers spatially resolved crystallographic information, including grain orientation and phase identification. The STEM detector enables high-contrast imaging of internal nanostructures, including core-shell particles, voids, and inclusions in metals. These combined capabilities are critical for understanding complex material systems. The instrument supports a wide range of research activities, including the development of additively manufactured metals, optoelectronic nanomaterials, soft materials, nanocomposites, energy-efficient membranes, biomedical scaffolds, and structural components for aerospace applications. Remote access and data sharing tools extend the system's utility to institutions across the state and neighboring areas, expanding interdisciplinary collaboration and enabling broader access from researchers in both research-intensive and emerging research institutions. This project is jointly funded by the NSF's Division of Materials Research (DMR) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.