EMU scientific: acquisition of a NAP-XPS (Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) with multiple resources for morphological-structural analysis of materials and biological systems

• Grant number: 22/11281-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Infrastructure Program - Scientific
• Start date: August 01, 2023
• End date: July 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza
• Grantee: Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Carlos Alberto Montanari ; Daniel Rodrigues Cardoso ; Edson Antonio Ticianelli ; Elisabete Moreira Assaf ; Germano Tremiliosi Filho ; Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque ; Lucia Helena Mascaro Sales ; Maria Del Pilar Taboada Sotomayor ; Renato Falcão Dantas ; Renato Vitalino Gonçalves ; Robson da Silva Rocha ; Valmor Roberto Mastelaro

Abstract

The objective of this project is the acquisition of the NAP-XPS Spectrometer (Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) equipment, model EnviroESCA, from the SPECS brand, to carry out investigations of the electronic structure of the surface of a wide range of materials by researchers from the University of Sao Paulo. The multi-user equipment NAP-XPS (Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) model EnviroESCA from SPECS is a user-friendly, fully automated equipment that differs from the standard spectrometers available in Brazil, by enabling analysis of the surface of materials at pressures far above ultra high vacuum (UHV), operating at pressures up to 50 mbar. The use of equipment such as the NAP-XPS model EnviroESCA will allow the analysis of solid, liquid and residual gas samples, which may include materials such as ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, biological samples, colloidal samples, food, nanostructures, animal and plant cells, among others. . As mentioned, the equipment operates both under UHV conditions and at pressures close to ambient, allowing the use of different atmospheres in the analyses. The equipment will also have an accessory for cooling samples down to -10°C, heating up to close to 1,000°C, an electrochemical cell for in situ analysis (which can even evaluate catalytic, corrosion, degradation reactions, etc.). The EnviroESCA model is recent (manufacturing started about 2 years ago), with only 7 equipment operating in the world. However, more than 80 equipment of the NAP-XPS technique (including other less sophisticated versions of equipment) are in operation worldwide, with only one in Latin America (Medellin - Colombia), which is in the installation phase. Given its unique measurement capabilities, operating under different pressures and temperatures, this equipment will allow researchers in the state of São Paulo to achieve great scientific, technological and innovation advances. In view of the nature of the analyzes carried out, the versatility of the equipment and its unique characteristics, the instrument will also be made available to the scientific community of the State of São Paulo, in addition to Brazilian and foreign researchers, and to meet the demands of governmental and industrial sectors, including enabling the realization of new projects in the areas of medical technology, food science, biotechnology and earth sciences. (AU)