NSF-DFG Lead Agency Activity in Measurements of Interfacial Systems at Scale with In-situ and Operando aNalysis (NSF-DFG MISSION)
Deadline: 31. Oktober 2023
Recognising the importance of international collaboration in promoting scientific discoveries, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on research cooperation. The MoU provides an overarching framework for enhancing opportunities for collaborative activities between U.S. and German research communities and sets out the principles by which jointly-supported activities might be developed. To facilitate the support of collaborative work between U.S. researchers and their German counterparts under this MoU, the Division of Chemistry (CHE) and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) at the NSF and the Divisions of Physics and Chemistry (PC) and Engineering Sciences (ING 1) at the DFG are pleased to announce a Lead Agency Activity in Measurements of Interfacial Systems at Scale with In-situ and Operando aNalysis.
Interfacial processes are inherently complex given the rich mix of reaction, transport phenomena and inter-phase gradients that often characterise such systems. There is a critical need for a new generation of operando and in-situ characterisation systems and tools (e.g. imaging, spectroscopy, scattering and corresponding theoretical methods) to develop a molecular understanding. This call for proposals encourages novel characterisation of processes occurring at interfaces under system-realistic conditions that are relevant to solving problems of our time by developing, for example, climate solutions and sustainable chemical processes. Topics include:
- understanding dynamic reaction and physical/chemical processes at atomic and molecular scales for heterogeneous catalysis, electrode interfacial processes, nanoparticle-fluid or substrate interactions, atomic and molecular separations, biological surface-environment interactions, wetting;
- discovering new reaction pathways for interfacial chemical synthesis and functionalisation;
- understanding atomic and molecular mechanisms of sorption and transport processes in membranes and on nanomaterials;
- understanding surface-templated synthesis or assembly of discrete structures, nucleation in crystallization processes; and
- developing new methodologies for interfacial chemical characterisation, particle production and aerosol behaviour in processes.
Proposals for this lead agency activity will need to have a research focus relevant to the topic areas identified above. Proposals of German applicants are accepted in the subject areas 321–327 and 403, 404 of the DFG’s subject classification (see below under Further Information). US researchers should review the CHE and CBET programme descriptions for research supported through these NSF divisions.
Proposals will be reviewed by either NSF or DFG as the lead agency, depending on where the largest proportion of research lies. Proposals must provide a clear rationale for the need for a US-German collaboration, including the unique expertise and synergy that the collaborating groups will bring to the project.
