uri physics colloquium

The Rhode Island Consortium for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: materials characterization at the nanoscale and beyond

Irene Andreu, PhD, URI

abstract

The Rhode Island Consortium for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (RIN2) is a multi-user materials characterization facility open to all URI, other academic institutions and industrial partners. RIN2 hosts a suite of high-end instrumentation devoted to analyze the morphology, size and composition of materials from the nano- to the macroscale. In this talk, Dr. Andreu will give an overview of the techniques available and some application examples: field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), confocal Raman microscopy and high-throughput confocal fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, Dr. Andreu will introduce two new instruments arriving to RIN2 in the upcoming year thanks to federal and state funds: a scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for compositional analysis with 1 nm resolution, and an X-ray microscope (XRM) for 3D morphology analysis with 500 nm resolution.

Bio: Dr. Irene Andreu obtained her M. Sc. in Physics and Physical Technologies and Ph. D. in Physics at the University of Zaragoza (Spain) working on characterization of magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia. After graduation, Dr. Andreu became a postdoctoral research fellow in the research group of Dr. Byron Gates at Simon Fraser University (Canada) where she coordinated a joint effort between the Gates research group and the research group of Dr. Donald Yapp in the BC Cancer Agency to develop nanoparticle-assisted drug delivery methods. She also participated in multidisciplinary research projects in safety of nanomaterials and electrochemistry, among others. She joined URI as Director of Operations of RIN2 in June 2018 and became adjunct assistant professor in Chemical Engineering shortly after.