Equipment: MRI: Track #1 Acquisition of a Differential Scanning Calorimeter to Support Modern Materials Research and Teaching at Western Washington University

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY This major research instrumentation project funds the acquisition of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) at Western Washington University. DSC is a technique for analysis of thermal transitions in materials based on changes in heat into and out of samples as a function of time and temperature. The data can be readily translated into fundamental properties of materials, and thus it is a vital tool for materials research. The DSC and other advanced instruments are maintained within the WWU instrumentation cluster managed by the Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) which provides core resources for investigators in a wide range of fields, including polymer synthesis, polymer and composites engineering, materials chemistry, biochemistry, biomaterial science, and environmental science. The DSC will also find widespread use in the undergraduate STEM curriculum and to support hands-on undergraduate research. This instrument will serve as a critical resource at WWU, enabling thermal characterization in support of more than 10 research programs, as well as becoming an integral part of a diverse educational environment. The DSC also supports applied research with industrial partners that promotes international competitiveness for manufacturers and speeds development of materials in critical areas such as energy and sustainability. TECHNICAL SUMMARY Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a fundamental characterization method used to measure thermal transitions such as glass transitions, crystallization, melting, material thermal stability, reaction and phase-change kinetics, and oxidative/thermal stability of a wide spectrum of materials. Compared to older instruments, the new DSC delivers more reproducible data, with improved signal-to-noise ratio and fidelity, with enhanced resolution and sensitivity, and with increased sample throughput of up to a factor of three. In terms of usage, the greatest demand comes from the following fields of research: polymer science and engineering, materials characterization, nanomaterial and chemical synthesis, and environmental science. Specific research projects that will immediately use the DSC include vitrimer and covalent adaptive network materials development, chemical synthesis of novel polymers and resins, aerospace composites characterization (both thermoplastic and thermoset materials), materials recycling and sustainability efforts, biomedical materials applications, semiconductor materials with nanocomposites development, materials development for additive manufacturing, and environmental fate and disposition of micro-plastics. This award reinforces the mission of the NSF by supporting fundamental materials research as well as applied industrial research in the national interest, and it provides hands-on research training for researchers and for undergraduates in lab classes. 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.