The

at The Ames Laboratory

Cutting-Edge Technology

2013

Issue 2

Science & Technology at the Ames Laboratory
Contents

P A6G E

Copyright 2013 by the Ames Laboratory. All rights 

reserved. For additional information about the Ames 

Laboratory or topics covered in this publication, 

please contact: 

ENERGY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF Office of

Science

Inquiry is published biannually by the Ames 

Laboratory Office of Public Affairs. Iowa 

State University operates the Laboratory 

for the U.S. Department of Energy under 

contract DE AC02 07CH11358. 

Editor, Inquiry

Ames Laboratory

111 TASF

Ames, Iowa 50011-3020

515-294-9557

www.ameslab.gov

The Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory seeking solutions to energy-related 

problems through the exploration of chemical, engineering, materials and mathematical sciences, and physics. 

Established in the 1940s with the successful development of the most efficient process to produce high-purity 

uranium metal for atomic energy, Ames Lab now pursues much broader priorities than the materials research that 

has given the Lab international credibility. Responding to issues of national concern, Ames Laboratory scientists 

are actively involved in innovative research, science education programs, the development of applied technologies 

and the quick transfer of such technologies to industry. Uniquely integrated within a university environment, the 

Lab stimulates creative thought and encourages scientific discovery, providing solutions to complex problems and 

educating and training tomorrow’s scientific talent.

Steve Karsjen: Public Affairs Director

Kerry Gibson: Editor

Breehan Gerleman Lucchesi: Contributing Editor

Laura Millsaps: Contributing Editor

Grant Luhmann: Art Director

A New Era

Critical Materials Institute

4 Awards

in Research with the

8 S e n siti v e In st rum e n t Fa ci l it y

16NMRtechnology

12 Under Pressure Growing Single Crystals ... 

14Defects in Diamond

18 EDUCATION

5 East meets Midwest
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 3

From the Director

aterials characterization has always been a 

hallmark of the Ames Laboratory. Determining 

a material’s specific properties – its crystal 

structure, electrical and magnetic properties, 

how it moves through various phases – gives scientists a better 

understanding of why it performs or behaves in a certain way 

and allows them to predict how other materials may behave 

in similar or different manners.

Obviously, the better we’re able 

to measure those characteristics, the 

more accurate and predictive our 

theoretical descriptions can be. And 

while Ames Lab scientists have excelled 

at characterizing new materials and 

developing new techniques, the Lab is on 

the verge of taking a giant step forward in 

its characterization capabilities.

One cutting-edge advancement will 

be the construction of the new Sensitive 

Instrument Facility. Scheduled to be built beginning the 

spring of 2014, the SIF will be a state-of-the-art building 

designed specifically to provide an isolated environment 

for atomic-scale electron microscopes so sensitive that the 

breathing or heartbeat of the operator can distort the image 

of the specimen under study. You can read about this unique 

facility on page 8 of this issue.

Ruslan Prozorov is spearheading an effort to enhance 

our capabilities for studying the magnetic properties of 

nanoscale materials. As you might imagine, as the sample size 

diminishes, greater sensitivity is required of the equipment 

used to characterize its properties. Prozorov is developing a 

new piece of equipment that utilizes a defect in the crystal 

structure of diamond to create a highly sensitive probe for 

measuring the magnetic field of nano-particles down to the 

level of a single electron. Find out more about this work on 

page 14.

Similarly, Marek Pruski is leading an effort to enhance the 

Lab’s nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with the addition 

of a dynamic nuclear polarization-NMR spectrometer. 

DNP-NMR uses microwaves to polarize electrons, and then 

transfers that polarization from the electrons to the nuclei 

of the sample being analyzed, an enhancement of anywhere 

from eight to 30 times in signal sensitivity. Results that used 

to take a week to obtain will now take hours or minutes. 

Turn to page 16 to find out more about this effort.

The Lab has also excelled at producing some of the best 

single crystals, in part because the Materials Preparation Center 

provides the best raw materials. But the recent acquisition of 

a new crystal-growth furnace now allows us to grow crystals at 

elevated pressure, letting us incorporate materials that were 

too volatile for traditional methods. 

Take a closer look on page 12.

Finally, we hosted the ribboncutting ceremony for the Critical 

Materials Institute in September. 

As one of DOE’s Energy Innovation 

Hubs, the CMI marks a major effort to reduce or eliminate 

material criticality for our nation. By establishing a team 

comprised of top researchers from national labs, research 

universities and industry, the CMI hopes to focus the 

combined resources to quickly and efficiently solve the 

problem of potential shortages of the materials vital to hightech, clean-energy technologies. We hope that our efforts 

will soon bear fruit as we strive to quickly move solutions 

from the lab bench to the marketplace.

Tom Lograsso, Interim Director

M

Materials Characterization

The Sensitive Instrument Facility will be a 

state-of-the-art building designed specifically to 

provide an isolated environment for 

atomic-scale electron microscopes 

so sensitive that the breathing or 

heartbeat of the operator can 

distort the image of the 

specimen under study.
4 Inquiry Issue 2 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 | 2013 

Award for Mid-Career 

Achievement in Research

The award recognizes a faculty 

member who has demonstrated 

exemplary research performance 

or scholarship accomplishments 

as documented by peers and 

experts in the field. A $1,500 

award is granted.

Award for Outstanding 

Achievement in Research

The award recognizes a faculty 

member who has a national 

or international reputation for 

contributions in research, and 

who has influenced the research 

activities of students. A $1,500 

award is granted.

Canfield receives APS David Adler Lectureship Award

Paul Canfield, Ames Laboratory scientist, has been 

selected by the American Physical Society for the 2014 

David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials 

Physics.

The award recognizes outstanding materials 

physicists who have made noted contributions through 

their research, review articles and lecturing.

Paul Canfield

2014 Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award to Gschneidner

Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., senior metallurgist at the Ames Laboratory, has been 

named the winner of the 2014 Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award. The 

award honors scientists who have made a major positive impact on society through A

materials science.

wards

Professional and Scientific 

Research Award

The award recognizes 

excellence in research in a 

professional and scientific 

staff member who has been 

at Iowa State for at least five 

years. A $1,500 award is 

granted.

Louis Thompson Distinguished 

Undergraduate Teaching Award

Established by the late Louis 

Thompson, emeritus associate dean 

of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 

the award recognizes an outstanding 

teacher who is dedicated to helping 

undergraduate students. A $1,500 

award is granted.

Karl A. Gschneidner Jr.

Ames Lab scientists receive Iowa State University honors

Ames Laboratory staff received the following awards during Iowa State University’s fall convocation.

Ruslan Prozorov Mei Hong

Marek Pruski

Alan Russell Pat Thiel
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 5

mes Laboratory and New Energy and Industrial 

Technology Development Organization (NEDO), 

a Japanese energy and industrial technology 

R&D organization, signed a memorandum of 

understanding on Sept. 10 to promote cooperation between 

the two agencies in rare-earth and critical-materials research.

The memorandum establishes a framework for Ames 

Laboratory and NEDO to collaborate on rare-earth scientific 

efforts and to exchange information and scientists.

“I’m very excited about the memorandum of 

understanding. This MOU will provide the foundation for the 

Ames Laboratory and NEDO to explore common interests 

in and share information on rare-earth research and other 

critical materials. The MOU will help both organizations 

with the global perspective on these materials,” says Deb 

Covey, Ames Laboratory’s director of technology transfer and 

commercialization.

Ames Laboratory and NEDO signed the MOU as part 

of inaugural events for the Critical Materials Institute, 

which is led by the Ames Laboratory. The NEDO delegation 

members were special guests at the CMI opening ceremony 

and attended the CMI overview presentations.

“I’m very happy to have this MOU event because this 

MOU will pave the way for reinforcement in the field of 

critical materials, such as rare earths, in the pivotal bilateral 

relationship between the United States and Japan,” says 

Tohru Nakamura, NEDO’s director of electronic, materials 

technology and nanotechnology department.

East meets Midwest

Ames Lab to collaborate 

with Japanese energy R&D organization

by B reehan G erleman L ucchesi

A

A celebratory handshake after Fumio Ueda (left), executive director of NEDO, and Thomas Lograsso (right), interim director 

of the Ames Laboratory, signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on rare-earth scientific efforts and to exchange 

information and scientists.

Scan to watch a 

video of the signing 

ceremony.
6 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

t was a past-meets-future moment when Karl

“Mr. Rare Earth” Gschneidner Jr. cut the ribbon at 

opening ceremonies for the U.S. Department of Energy’s 

Critical Materials Institute in September.

Gschneidner, a rare-earths materials expert and scientist 

at the Ames Laboratory since 1952, was the natural choice to 

grace the Critical Materials Institute’s official launch.

“The Ames Laboratory has been laying the groundwork 

for this moment ever since the Lab first opened,” said CMI 

director Alex King. “It seemed particularly appropriate for Karl 

to cut the ribbon, since he built so much of the foundation 

that made this possible.”

It is that research heritage that makes the Ames 

Laboratory such a good fit with the mission of the new 

institute, said interim director Tom Lograsso during 

speeches made that day. 

“Drawing from our historical strength in rare-earth 

chemistry, metallurgical expertise, and analytical capabilities, 

the Critical Materials Institute will carry on the research 

tradition that has been the hallmark of the Ames Laboratory,” 

he said.

The opening event also included remarks from King, 

Iowa State University President Steven Leath, and David 

Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy.

With the Critical Materials Institute, its fifth Energy 

Innovation Hub, the DOE launched a concentrated effort 

to develop solutions to domestic shortages of rare-earth 

metals and other materials vital to U.S. energy security. 

These materials are essential in many modern clean-energy 

technologies – such as wind turbines, solar panels, electric 

vehicles, and energy-efficient lighting.

Ames Laboratory begins new era in 

research with Critical Materials Institute

I

BY L aura M illsaps

E

U.S

David Danielson Tom Lograsso Alex King Steven Leath
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 7

“A robust and innovative clean-energy sector creates new 

jobs, helps strengthen our economy, and ensures a cleaner 

and safer planet for our children,” said Danielson. “The global 

clean-energy race is not something we can afford to lose. 

America must continue to make significant investments in 

clean-energy technologies and the Department of Energy is 

leaving no stone unturned in our all-of-the-above approach to 

solving the nation’s energy challenges.”

 Leath said the university and federal partnership has 

historically led to “incredible advancements” in fuels, new 

materials, and environmental sustainability, and would 

continue to do so.

“We’re extremely proud that the Ames Laboratory and 

Iowa State University were selected by the Department 

of Energy to lead its newest hub here,” said Leath. “We’re 

ready to tackle the challenges in ensuring that this nation, its 

industries and government, have a safe, stable and reliable 

supply of critical materials.”

DOE announced in January that the Ames Laboratory had 

been selected to lead the Critical Materials Institute with 

federal funding of up to $120 million over five years. The hub 

is a collaboration of leading researchers from universities, 

four DOE national laboratories, and members of industry. 

Energy Innovation Hubs are major integrated research 

centers with researchers from many different institutions 

and technical backgrounds, combining basic and applied 

research with engineering to accelerate scientific discovery 

in critical energy areas. 

On the same day as the ribbon-cutting, scientists and 

representatives from partner institutions convened at the 

new research hub to chart a path for future research.

“We began building this team in 2010,” said King. 

“Opening the Institute is really just a milestone on our way to 

meeting the real goal—innovative solutions to avoid critical 

material shortages.”

Ames Laboratory senior metallurgist Karl Gschneidner Jr. receives applause 

after cutting the ribbon to mark the opening of the Critical Materials Institute.

“A robust and innovative clean-energy sector creates new jobs, 

 helps strengthen our economy, and ensures a cleaner 

 and safer planet for our children...”
8 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

S e n siti v e In st rum e n t Fa ci l it y
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 9

lans are being finalized for construction of a 

new Ames Laboratory research facility that will house 

current and next-generation sensitive instruments, 

such as electron and scanning probe microscopes. 

These instruments allow for detailed description of materials 

at the atomic level to aid in the discovery and design of novel 

materials. The nearly $10 million project is being funded 

through the DOE’s Office of Science.

“This state-of-the-art facility will greatly enhance our 

capability to study and characterize materials at the atomic 

scale and in turn improve how we are able to support the 

DOE’s mission,” says Interim Ames Laboratory Director 

Tom Lograsso. “The quality and impact of Ames Laboratory 

scientific research has increased our visibility within the 

DOE and around the world. We see support for this facility 

as recognition of that hard work.”

Planning for the Sensitive Instrument Facility (SIF) 

has been in the works for about three years and included 

an in-depth site survey of five possible locations. The SIF 

will be built at the Applied Science Complex northwest of 

the main Iowa State University campus because this site 

offers “the lowest site vibration levels ever measured” by 

the consulting firm reviewing the sites. According to Ames 

Laboratory facilities engineer Steve Carter, the plans should 

be finalized this fall, which will allow the project to be bid in 

early winter with construction tentatively slated to begin in 

April or May 2014. Construction is expected to take 12-15 

months to complete.

The 13,300 square-foot facility will be a straight-forward, 

rectangular-shaped building, but its rather plain exterior 

P

New facility to shelter delicate instruments 

BY kerry gibson

S e n siti v e In st rum e n t Fa ci l it y

from outside interference

An architect’s view of the Sensitive Instrument Facility.
10 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

design belies the complexity of creating interior space isolated 

from vibration or electrical interference. It will have six bays 

to house sensitive instruments, such as electron microscopes 

used to reveal atoms and atomic structures. Working at such 

a small scale, even the slightest disturbance from vibration or 

electro-magnetic interference will blur the image.

“Isolation is key and we’ve tried to design it to accommodate 

the next generation of instruments,” Carter says. “We’re 

talking about instruments so sensitive that the operator will 

work from a separate control room because the beating of 

their heart or breathing will cause excess vibration. It’s a very 

unique and complex building.”

For example, the concrete floors will be approximately 

two feet thick with vibration dampening layers built in. 

Similarly, the walls and ceilings will be thick concrete and 

the instrument bays will be lined with quarter-inch-thick 

aluminum plate to help create an electro-magnetic barrier. 

Reinforcing bars in the concrete must be fiberglass, not steel. 

Likewise, the electrical conduit and even the fasteners used 

must be non-magnetic (non-ferrous). And the heating and 

ventilation system must keep the temperature and humidity 

constant without creating vibration or interference.

“There’s been good input from a lot of players, including 

the Lab’s microscopy group and ISU Facilities Planning 

and Management staff,” Carter says. “And (facilities 

manager) Mark Grootveld deserves a lot of credit for 

guiding the overall project.”

The Sensitive Instrument Facility is the first new research 

facility to be built by the Ames Laboratory in more than 50 

years. The last new construction was the Lab’s Technical 

and Administrative Services Facility, which was completed 

in 1993.

S e n siti v e In st rum e n t Fa ci l it y

Access corridors along the outside of the building will help minimize the impact of foot traffic on the sensitive instruments that will 

be housed in isolated instrument bays. The building will have its own wet and dry labs for sample preparation. It will be located in 

relatively close proximity to the existing Applied Science 2 building (center).

We’re talking about instruments so sensitive that the operator will 

work from a separate control room because the beating of 

their heart or breathing will cause excess vibration. 

It’s a very unique and complex building.”

“
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 11

An inside look at the SIF

The Sensitive Instrument Facility grew from Ames Laboratory’s historic 

role in characterizing materials and the need for ever-more sophisticated and 

sensitive equipment required to carry out that investigative work.

“We planned this facility in particular to take advantage of the next 

generation of electron microscopes,” says Matt Kramer, interim Materials 

Science and Engineering division director and leader of the Lab’s microscopy 

group. “The equipment has gotten so much better there’s been an increase 

in resolution of roughly a magnitude factor of 4 ... we’ve gone from about 2 

angstroms down to 0.6 angstroms, or less than the diameter of an atom in the 

past decade.”

While the existing Tecnai transmission electron microscope, now located 

in Willhelm Hall, will be moving to the new facility, the Lab is pulling together 

a list of new equipment to enhance and expand the Lab’s characterization 

capabilities. The list includes a field emission scanning electron microscope 

($555,000); a focused ion beam microscope ($1.2 million) and an aberrationcorrected scanning transmission electron microscope ($4.2 million).

“The field emission SEM would replace two existing microscopes,” 

Kramer says, “which are becoming obsolete. The focused ion beam (FIB) 

microscope will bring a whole new capability sorely needed at the lab. While 

it can be used as a microscope in its own right, the FIB provides a new tool 

for sample preparation.” 

Acquiring the aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron 

microscope will be a more daunting task. 

“Due to its cost, the scanning transmission microscope may take a few 

years to acquire because DOE requires that capital equipment expenditures 

over $2 million must be a line item in the federal budget, and as you might 

imagine, that process is very involved.”

For now, Ames Lab researchers have been using new-generation equipment 

at other DOE user facilities, but the situation is less than ideal. Besides having 

to travel and schedule limited availability on the equipment, preparation of the 

samples is also problematic. Some materials being studied degrade rapidly so 

they need to be prepared on site.

That will be one other advantage of the new facility. It features both dry and 

wet labs for material preparation. The dry lab will handle the cutting, grinding 

and polishing of metallographic materials. The wet lab will allow preparation 

of bio-inspired materials, such as those being studied by Ames Lab scientist 

Tanya Prozorov.

The location of the facility near the Applied Science Complex about two 

miles northwest of the ISU campus will present a minor challenge.

“We’ll need to get our user base used to traveling,” Kramer says, “because 

unfortunately, none of the sites in closer proximity to our existing buildings 

were suitable. However, the sophistication of the equipment will allow some 

activity to be viewed remotely on line, saving physical travel.”

While computerized controls will allow many users to get up to speed 

quickly, it will require extensive training to get the most out of the equipment. 

That is particularly true for some types of sample preparation.

“There will be a fairly steep learning curve on some aspects,” Kramer says, 

“but it’s what we’ll need to do in order to get the most out of the equipment. 

But we’re excited about the possibilities and it will be worth the investment.” 

Resolution of the current equipment

Resolution of proposed equipment

Matt Kramer
12 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

he Materials Preparation Center has long 

had the reputation for producing some of 

the highest quality and largest single-crystal 

materials available. But with the addition of 

a new piece of equipment, those capabilities have 

increased dramatically.

A new Cyberstar crystal-growth furnace, installed about 

a year ago gives Ames Lab’s crystal-growth experts Tom 

Lograsso and Deborah Schlagel capabilities to grow both 

larger crystals using the Bridgman technique as well as the 

ability to work with a wider variety of materials, including 

those too volatile to tackle with the existing equipment.

“We’re able to greatly increase the pressure within the 

furnace so that we can work with and grow crystals from 

volatile materials,” Schlagel says. “The new furnace is capable 

of 15 bar, which is just over two times more pressure than 

our previous equipment allowed. The increased pressure 

will allow us to better suppress the evolution of vapors from 

volatile alloy components.

“For example, if we have an alloy of manganese and iron, 

we worry about manganese volatilizing off, which will change 

the composition of the remaining liquid, resulting in the first 

part of the ingot to solidify being richer in manganese than 

the last part to solidify,” Schlagel explains. “Ideally we want 

the grown crystal to be the same composition as the material 

we started with and homogenous along its entire length.

Also the vapors can make a mess of the chamber walls.”

This feature has already paid dividends by allowing 

Schlagel to produce a sample of galfenol, a magnetostrictive 

— it changes shape in response to a magnetic field — alloy 

of iron and gallium, that for the first time also contains zinc. 

Over the past 15 years, Schlagel has tried unsuccessfully to 

introduce zinc into the alloy, but the volatile metal flashes off 

before the crystal forms.

“We’ve produced a polycrystalline sample for the Naval 

Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock division that 

appears to contain eight atomic percent,” Schlagel says. “The 

composition will vary along the length of the crystal but that’s 

the highest percentage we’ve been able to achieve so far.” 

The equipment also allows MPC staff to grow much 

larger crystals. The furnace, which stands well above 

normal ceiling height, also extends below floor level. This 

provides added travel length for the crucible on which the 

crystals form.

“It gives us the ability to grow samples up to 2.5 times 

bigger in diameter and 5.25 times longer than our previous 

capabilities,” Schlagel says. That gives researchers more 

latitude in the types and range of characterization that can 

Grow i n g S i n g l e Cry st a l s . . . by K erry G ibson

T

Under Pressure
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 13

be done with a specific sample.”

The other benefit of the new equipment is that it uses 

induction heating as opposed to resistance heating in the 

existing furnace. Think of it in terms of the new style of stove 

top that uses magnetic field induction coils to heat the pan 

instead of the glowing red heating elements.

“Induction heating allows us to produce steeper 

temperature gradients, which are more ideal for crystal 

growth,” Schlagel says, adding that the new furnace’s 

maximum temperature is 2000 C, which is slightly lower 

than the existing Bridgman equipment.

“The higher temperature gradients allow faster growth 

which further minimizes evaporation and reactions with 

crucibles,” says Lograsso, who is also the Lab’s interim 

director. “This gives us a capability of working with 

reactive materials like the rare earths where crucible 

choices are limited.”

The French-made Cyberstar furnace was supported 

with funds from the Department of Energy’s Basic Energy 

Sciences Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

“This equipment vastly improves our previous 

capabilities,” Schlagel says, “but the fact that we can develop 

techniques to work with volatile and reactive materials will 

help set us apart from other labs.”

 ... but the fact that we can 

develop techniques to work 

with volatile and reactive 

materials will help set us 

apart from other labs.”

“

(opposite page) Testing the resistance of a sample. (above) This single crystal of copper, 

approximately an inch in diameter and 11 inches long, shows off the capabilities of 

the furnace; (right) Deborah Schlagel with the crystal- growth furnace; (below) The 

induction coils in the furnace used to heat the furnace during crystal growth.
14 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

iamonds have the reputation as flawless, 

sparkling gems. In scientific applications, their 

hardness is used to test the highest pressure levels. 

But researchers at the Ames Laboratory plan to 

exploit defects in diamond’s crystal structure, known as 

nitrogen vacancy centers, to build a device that will give 

them the ability to visualize magnetic fields produced by 

magnetic nanostructures.

While the technology is relatively new, the physics behind 

the phenomena is fairly well-established. In fact, some major 

contributions in this area have come from Ames Lab theorist, 

Viatcheslav Dobrovitski and his colleagues. 

“The nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond are quite 

unique, combining long quantum spin lifetimes with 

unusual coupling between spin state and the optical 

properties of the center,” Dobrovitski says. “This opens the 

way to using them as very sensitive and efficient detectors 

of classical magnetic field and surrounding 

quantum spins, as well as detectors for electric 

field, temperature, etc. Nowadays, many groups 

are pursuing the possible application of the NV 

centers for nanoscale magnetometry.”

According to Dobrovitski, researchers at several 

institutions, such as Harvard, Berkeley, and Delft, 

have this technology, but are taking different 

approaches. Ames Lab’s Ruslan Prozorov, an 

experimentalist and leader of Ames Lab’s nanoscale 

efforts, plans to create another group here by 

building a magnetic nanoscope to study magnetic 

materials at the nanoscale.

 “The fundamental physics is the same, but 

there’s no single recipe for how to do it,” Prozorov 

says. “So it comes down to an actual task at hand and the 

scientific goals. Most groups are interested in pushing the 

technology to the limit for the sake of engineering progress.”

“Our goal is different – we need a versatile instrument 

to study various magnetic nano- and meso-structures 

produced at the Ames Lab and by our collaborators 

elsewhere,” Prozorov explains. “In particular, we plan to 

Using Defects in Diamond to Probe

D In simple terms, if you shine a 

laser light on a NV center defect, 

it will induce photoluminescence 

whose intensity depends on the 

magnetic field at the location of 

the defect.

Measuring the magnetic field of nanoparticles produced by 

magnetotatic bacteria (left) and dysprosium nanoislands (right) 

are just two potential uses for new equipment that Ames Lab 

physicist Ruslan Prozorov plans to build.

Magnetic Properties

by K erry G ibson at the Nanoscale
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 15

study magnetic ‘nanoislands’ that fellow Ames Lab physicist 

Michael Tringides has grown on graphene as well as bioinspired magnetic nanoparticles similar to those grown in 

vivo by magnetotatic bacteria that are being studied and 

grown in vitro by Ames Lab scientist Surya Mallapragada’s 

research group.” 

“In simple terms, if you shine a laser light on a NVcenter defect, it will induce photoluminescence whose 

intensity depends on the magnetic field at the location of 

the defect,” says Prozorov. “The defects are very small – just 

a few angstroms across and are extremely sensitive to the 

magnitude of the magnetic field. It is possible to detect 

signals at the levels of a single electron.”

While other techniques have yielded many important 

results, the sensitivity of the new equipment would provide 

a much better look at what’s taking place. Dobrovitski’s 

theoretical expertise will prove very useful in designing Ames 

Lab’s new equipment.

“During the last few years, I have been working on 

controlling the dynamics of the NV centers, and harnessing 

them for quantum spin detection,” Dobrovitski says. “Some 

of my previous results, and the work planned in the future, 

will be useful for designing different modes of operation 

of the NV microscope. When the microscope is built, this 

theoretical work will provide guidance for Ruslan, and 

supply him with the tools for the planned future work.”

Ultimately, Prozorov hopes to develop a dedicated nanoand meso-scale magnetic imaging research facility that 

combines existing capabilities, such as magneto-optics and 

magnetic-force microscopy with this new state-of-the-art 

nitrogen-vacancy magnetoscope and other techniques, such 

as magnetic-force resonant imaging.

“Ultimately, we want to be able to probe very small 

magnetic fields at the length scales from nanometers to 

millimeters,” Prozorov says. “It won’t happen overnight, 

but our goal is to have first data to show by the next DOE 

(program) review.”

“The critical element will be to find good postdocs to carry 

out the work,” Prozorov concludes. “Currently, we’re looking 

for one experimentalist and one theorist to make it happen 

and Ames Lab has already allocated space and resources to 

build the device.”

Ames Lab physicists Ruslan Prozorov (left) and Viatcheslav Dobrovitski are involved in developing new, sensitive instrumentation 

that will allow the visualization of magnetic fields produced by nano-scale particles. Dobrovitski has been involved in the theoretical 

work behind nitrogen-vacancy centers, a defect in the crystal structure of diamond that Prozorov hopes to be able to use to measure 

minute magnetic fields of nanomaterials.
Ames Laboratory leads with new 

cutting edge

16 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

he Ames Laboratory will take a giant step 

forward in world-class solid-state nuclear 

magnetic resonance capabilities with its new 

equipment acquisition, a Dynamic Nuclear 

Polarization-NMR spectrometer. The instrument will 

be the first of its kind to be focused on materials and 

materials chemistry in the United States.

The acquisition was announced in August, and is funded 

by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. 

Using NMR technology, researchers are able to 

discover physical, chemical, electronic, and structural 

information about materials, based on the way atomic 

nuclei in the sample absorb electromagnetic radiation 

in a strong magnetic field. NMR technology is 

similar to that used for magnetic resonance imaging 

in medicine.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP)-NMR uses 

microwaves to polarize electrons, and then transfer 

that polarization from the electrons to the nuclei of 

the sample being analyzed.

The concept of DNP-NMR was first theorized and 

demonstrated in the 1950s at the University of Illinois, 

but it took decades of progress in microwave and NMR 

technology, mainly at MIT, to make a commercially produced 

instrument possible, only in the last three years.

“It’s essentially a combination of two techniques, 

electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy 

and NMR, which yields an amazing increase in 

sensitivity,” says Cynthia Jenks, assistant director for 

scientific planning at Ames Laboratory and director of 

the Lab’s Chemical and Biological Sciences division. 

“In the types of materials we study, we’ve been able to 

T

BY L aura M illsapsNMR technology
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 17

demonstrate an enhancement of anywhere from eight 

to 30 times in signal sensitivity. Results that used to 

take a week to obtain will now take hours or minutes.”

The increased capabilities of the DNP-NMR 

instrument will be in the hands of the Lab’s six worldleading solid-state NMR scientists, and opens up 

possibilities for research that didn’t previously exist.

“Needless to say, we are all very pleased with 

this acquisition,” says Marek Pruski, the principal 

investigator of the research team. “The Ames 

Laboratory has an elite group of scientists specializing 

in the development and applications of solid-state 

NMR techniques. During the last two years we have 

conducted exploratory studies to demonstrate the 

critical importance of DNP-NMR to our materials 

chemistry research, using the existing instrument in 

Lausanne, Switzerland, and at the Bruker facility in 

Billerica, Massachusetts. All these factors, and the 

critical support from the Ames Laboratory leadership 

made this outcome possible.”

The instrument will be installed next summer in 

Spedding Hall. 

Laboratory scientists expect the instrument to greatly 

expand and accelerate the progress of research efforts 

in many areas, including catalysis, nanocomposites, 

fuel cell membrane materials, soil organic matter, 

carbon electrode materials, plant cell walls, hydrogen 

storage materials, and other complex materials.

“Our acquisition of this instrument is creating 

a buzz in the scientific community. Already we are 

receiving inquiries about potential collaborations from 

researchers worldwide. This adds to the unique set of 

material characterization capabilities available at the 

Ames Laboratory,” says Cynthia Jenks. 

Our acquisition of this instrument 

is creating a buzz in the scientific 

community. Already we are 

receiving inquiries about potential 

collaborations from researchers 

world-wide. This adds to the unique 

set of material characterization 

capabilities available at the 

Ames Laboratory.

“

”

(Opposite) A manufacturer’s image of the new 

DNP NMR equipment that’s headed to Ames. 

(Right) Ames Lab has a reputation for leadership 

in NMR technology, thanks to researchers Klaus 

Schmidt-Rohr (left), Marek Pruski (center) who 

is heavily involved in the DNP NMR project, 

and Yuji Furukawa (right).
18 Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 

 Ames Lab Interns Make Their Research Mark 

Washington

Oregon

Arizona

New Mexico

Texas

O

Ka

Colorado

Utah

Nevada

California

Idaho

Montana North Dako

South Dako

Nebrask

Wyoming

Kevin Yang, Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship – 2008 

B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University – 2011

 

Amazon.com, software development engineer

 

“From my experience at Ames Laboratory, I learned many invaluable skills 

that have helped me a great deal with my research and academic endeavors. 

I feel no hesitation in asserting that SULI is an invaluable program that 

fosters America’s future scientific researchers.”

Program Results

SULI, CCI, VFP

w 76% - Motivated by their Ames Lab experience to pursue an advanced degree

w 84% - Ames Lab experience influenced their career decisions

w 29% - Received or are pursuing a Ph.D.

w 27% - Received or are pursuing a master’s degree

w 34% - Published articles or presentations based on research performed at the 

 Ames Laboratory

w 45% - Conduct research or teach at universities

w 19% - Work in industry

w 11% - Work for the DOE at national laboratories

w 92% - Conducted further research supported by U.S. government funds

Ryan Glamm, Science Undergraduate 

Laboratory Internship –2006

 

Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern 

University – 2011

 

The Boeing Company, metallic materials and process engineer 

 

Serves Boeing’s Research and Technology division developing 

advanced aerospace alloys through applied systems design.

Nikki Wearth, Science 

Undergraduate Laboratory

Internship – 2009

 

M.S., Civil Engineering, Arizona 

State University – 2013

 

Kroger Co., civil engineering 

project management intern

 

Optimizes efficiency to relieve sustainability 

problems that civil engineers may face in 

the future. Specializes in fluid mechanics, 

hydrology and urban water systems design.

 

“I can say I gained more from the SULI 

experience than any single college course. 

In addition to preparing me for a future 

career, the SULI program changed my 

mind about graduate school and allowed 

me to focus on what I really wanted to be 

involved in.”

Ames Laboratory’s internship programs 

include the Science Undergraduate 

Laboratory Internship (SULI), Visiting 

Faculty Program (VFP) and Community 

College Internship (CCI). Since 2005, 

approximately 200 students/faculty 

from over 100 colleges and universities 

nationwide have participated in Ames Lab 

internships, having been mentored by 

approximately 85 scientists and engineers.

Andrew Fidler, Science Undergraduate Laboratory 

Internship – 2007

 

Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, University of Chicago – 2013

Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellow 2010 – 2013

Los Alamos National Laboratory, postdoctoral researcher

 

Studied time resolved spectroscopic studies of energy transfer events in photosynthetic 

antenna complexes.

 

 “I have nothing but good memories of my summer at Ames. The research opportunities continue 

to be of a high caliber and offer a great opportunity for undergraduates to see what a career in 

science is like.”
Inquiry Issue 2 | 2013 19

 in Industry, Academia and at DOE National Labs 

Oklahoma

ansas

ota

ota

ka

Minnesota

Missouri

Arkansas

Mississippi Alabama

Louisiana

Florida

Georgia

Tennessee

Wisconsin

Illinois Indiana Ohio

Michigan

Kentucky

New Jersey

New York

Conn.

R.I.

Mass.

N.H.

Maine

Pennsylvania

Virginia

Virginia

West

Md. Delaware

Vt.

North Carolina

Carolina

South

Lam Nguyen, Community College Internship – 2012 

A.D., Electronics, Lansing Community College – 2012

 

Preparing to begin coursework to complete his bachelor’s degree 

 

“My mentor at Ames Lab taught me interesting ideas that I wouldn’t 

have learned in college classes alone. The internship was a great 

opportunity to become familiar with the working world.”

Javier Grajeda, Science Undergraduate 

Laboratory Internship – 2011

 

B.S., Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso – 2013

 

Villagrán Research Group, research assistant

 

Working with coordinatively unsaturated bimetallic 

systems to model catalytic activation, which 

has applications in energy conversion and 

environmental remediation.

George Scott,Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship – 2007 

M.S., Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth 

University – 2011

 

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., senior consultant

 

Supported the refueling of U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt and U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln aircraft 

carriers as a nuclear engineer with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion program. Currently on the Cost 

Restructuring team in Decision Analytics for a leading security and defense contractor.

Trishelle Copeland-Johnson, Community College 

Internship – 2009, Science Undergraduate Laboratory 

Internship – 2010

 

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering (in progress), University of Delaware, 

graduate student and researcher 

Recipient of a 2013 NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (NSTRF) seeking to improve 

materials that absorb electromagnetic radiation in II-VI thin-film cells.

 

“My experience at Ames National Laboratory helped me develop confidence as both a 

research scientist and an engineer. The technical skills I gained during my appointment 

have, on a number of occasions, distinguished me and provided me with further 

research opportunities.”

Brandon Callis, Visiting Faculty Program – 2010/2011 

B.S., Chemical Engineering (in progress), Prairie View A&M University 

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), research assistant 

Developing various high- and low-temperature ceramic oxide materials for 

multifunctional energy storage applications, such as battery materials, thermoelectric 

materials, and ultra-capacitor materials. 

“The Ames Lab internship is a wonderful program full of great opportunities to network and 

experience research at its finest. It prepares you for a career in science and helps you apply 

what you learn or will learn.”

Joana Cisneros, Visiting Faculty Program – 2010 

B.S., Chemical Engineering (in progress), Prairie View A&M 

University

Summer Medical and Research Training (SMART) Program 

at the Baylor College of Medicine, researcher

 

Studies molecular mechanisms of gene structure, function and regulation in plant 

transformation and regeneration.

Magdalena Furczon-Tylka, 

Science Undergraduate 

Laboratory Internship – 2006 

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Illinois 

Institute of Technology – 2010

Argonne National Laboratory, 

engineering assistant 

Working with pyroprocess development in the Nuclear and 

Environmental Processes department studying and 

developing innovative electrochemical processes for 

nuclear separations.
Ames Laboratory

111 Technical and Administrative Services Facility

Ames, Iowa 50011-3020

515-294-9557

www.ameslab.gov

2013

Issue 2