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Absorption (a.u.) - Na with Ti overlap

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Absorption (a.u.) - Ti-rich region

Award Title: Research And Education - Increasing Student Participation In Research At Internationally Recognized User Facilities PIs: Tabbetha Dobbins, Yuri Lvov, and Amitava Roy Institution: Louisiana Tech University Award Number: DMR0508560

Titanium (III) Chloride dopant spatial distribution in sodium alanate (NaAlH4) has been studied using synchrotron x-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM). XPEEM yields spatial elemental mapping along with elemental x-ray absorption near edge spectra (XANES). In previous EXAFS/XANES studies, absorption spectroscopy collected at the Ti K-edge, revealed the formation of nm-Ti, TiAl3, or TiAl metallic phases after milling and also after dehydrogenation. Here, we elucidate the size and distribution of TiAlx phases which have formed in the system after 25 minutes of high energy milling. XANES spectra extracted at the Al K-edge from regions near Ti-rich region (BLUE) and away from Ti-rich region (RED) confirms that metallic Al0 exists in Ti-rich region (as the absorption edge position is shifted to lower energy relative to Al3+ spectra (RED)). Similarly spectra extracted at the Na K-edge shows shifting of absorption edge position has occurred for spectra collected near (BLUE) and away from (GREEN) Ti-rich region.

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NaAlH4+4 mol % TiCl3 after high energy milled for 25 minutes. XPEEM data were collected at the VLS PGM beamline at the Synchrotron Radiation Center (SRC), Madison, WI.

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Absorption (a.u.) - Al with Ti overlap

Absorption (a.u.) - no Ti overlap

Ti Spectra Na SpectraAl Spectra

Award Title: Research And Education - Increasing Student Participation In Research At Internationally Recognized User Facilities PIs: Tabbetha Dobbins, Yuri Lvov, and Amitava Roy Institution: Louisiana Tech University Award Number: DMR0508560

For NMA workshop info, visit http://www2.latech.edu/~tdobbins/

The Nanoscale Measurement and Analysis (NMA) workshop is an NSF sponsored outreach program targeted towards junior and senior level high school students with the goal of introducing nanoscience and nanotechnology to the students using hands-on laboratory modules.  The workshop was presented at two rural high schools in Northern Louisiana during the Spring of 2006—impacting approximately 50 students in total.  The workshop is performed during the 1 hour 15 minute class periods with a follow-up tour of the IfM taking place at a later date.  The NMA workshop contents include:

‘Surfing in High Surface Area’ Students will learn about the parameter ‘surface area per unit volume’ and will perform its calculation

‘Navigating into the Nanoscale’ Students will be asked to examine the difference between two vials containing either nm-Al2O3 powder and m-

Al2O3 powder.  Students will then be shown Scherrer line broadening and SEM of each powder system

Break-out into 4 Groups--(at the end, High School Students report their findings to eachother after their exploration)

Exploration 1: Layer-by-Layer nanoassemblyExploration 2: Create-your-own Suspensions (Electrostatic stabilization)Exploration 3: Optical Microscopy with Image AnalysisExploration 4: UV-Vis spectrophotometry for chemical identification----Undergraduate and Graduate student facilitators work with each group performing one of the Exploration activities.  These students will extend the high school student knowledge by encouraging the students to further investigate parameters available to them.

‘Navigating out of the Nanoscale: Nanotechnology Time-Line' Activity(1 hour additional time)

One way to introduce many facts about a topic to students is to perform a time-line jigsaw puzzle activity—whereby student groups will each have several pieces of the timeline containing dates and facts.  The timeline piece is to be explained or read to the class and then posted at the appropriate date onto a large timeline located at the front of the room.