MRI: Track 2 Acquisition of Multiscale 3D Imaging and Analytics Platform for Energy and Infrastructure Materials, Environmental Sustainability, and Bioengineering

This Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a cutting-edge 3-beam multiscale 3D imaging and analytics platform at Temple University to advance multidisciplinary research, education, and training in energy, infrastructure, sustainability, and bioengineering. The system, the second of its kind in US academic institutions, integrates scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB), and femtosecond laser technologies, enabling high-resolution imaging, nanofabrication, and tomographic analysis of materials previously inaccessible using conventional techniques. This platform will provide transformative capabilities to address critical challenges in battery materials, sustainable composites, the durability of cementitious materials, and biological structures. It will serve as a regional research hub, engaging academic partners, including Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and a broad network of primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and beyond. The system will enable advanced structural and compositional analysis of complex materials, including polymer-based composites, solid-state battery electrodes, geological samples, and biological tissues, contributing to diverse areas of research from mechanics of materials to bioengineering. The platform will support collaborative, multidisciplinary research by providing high-resolution, multiscale analysis and enabling a better understanding of manufacturing-structure-property relationships and time-resolved degradation phenomena. It will support various applications, including Li-ion battery failure analysis, microstructure optimization in aerospace materials, and bio-interface imaging. The system will be housed in a shared core facility, offering research and training opportunities to students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members across Temple University, Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, the platform will support regional undergraduate institutions through shared governance, workshops, and virtual access modules. By integrating advanced instrumentation with collaborative education, the project will contribute to developing a skilled workforce in energy, infrastructure, and bioengineering. 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.