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CHE Research Facilities and Institutes

The U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry (CHE) supports multiple facilities and institutes housing advanced chemical research instrumentation and capabilities.

These shared-use national resources provide the high-tech tools and multidisciplinary environments required for tackling complex scientific challenges. They also provide early-career researchers and students with specialized training and experience.

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NSF Chemistry and Materials Center for Advanced Radiation Sources (NSF ChemMatCARS)

NSF ChemMatCARS is a national user facility with unique capabilities for a broad range of research activities such as the development of new energy sources, biomolecular materials, environmental remediation processes and new materials and catalysts important for a wide range of industries.

The facility utilizes high-energy X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and provides access to instrumentation and experimental stations including advanced small-molecule crystallography, liquid surface and interface scattering, and small to wide-angle scattering.

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NSF Ion Cyclotron Resonance facility (NSF ICR)

The NSF ICR facility at the NSF National High Magnetic Field Laboratory houses four Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers that enable fast and high-resolution analysis of complex chemical mixtures, including biological and petroleum samples.

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NSF National Extreme Ultrafast Science (NSF NeXUS)

Through the NSF-wide Mid-scale Research Infrastructure programs, CHE supports the NeXUS facility, which provides researchers with access to a high-speed pulse laser that enables the investigation of phenomena such as the ultrafast motion inside molecules.

Interdisciplinary research institutes

The Division of Chemistry supports two research institutes:

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NSF Molecular Sciences Software Institute (NSF MolSSI)

NSF MolSSI is a multi-university institute focused on software development and education for computational molecular science, including quantum chemistry, computational materials science and biomolecular simulation with the goal of creating breakthroughs in chemistry, physics and biophysics.

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NSF Molecule Maker Lab Institute (NSF MMLI)

NSF MMLI promotes artificial intelligence-enabled discovery, synthesis and manufacturing of complex organic molecules. It includes experts in AI and organic synthesis collaborating to create new AI-based tools that can accelerate chemical synthesis planning and discover new catalysts and molecules. The institute is part of the NSF-led National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program.