ABSTRACT

This grant supports the acquisition of a high-resolution confocal Raman microscope with capabilities to perform liquid and solid experiments. Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive analytical technique, that can provide detailed information about chemical structure, composition, crystallinity, and molecular interactions in solids and liquids, thus finding broad applications in geologic, life and material sciences. The strategic mission of this funded Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) project is to build a collaborative Raman spectroscopy laboratory with experimental capabilities, which aims to: 1) strengthen multi- and interdisciplinary research at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT), 2) foster external collaborations, and 3) promote the education mission of NMT. Research from this new Raman facility will support four early career faculty and will allow solving problems directly relevant to society through research in economic geology and petroleum sciences as well as material, environmental, human health, and life sciences. The instrument and its software are easy to use and provide full control over data acquisition, analysis and display, enabling visualization of otherwise complex concepts such as characterizing synthetic vs. natural gemstones, fluid and melt inclusions, biomolecules, and fossil organic matter in Earth?s oldest rocks and aerosols present in the environment. This new facility will have a significant inter- and multidisciplinary impact fostering collaborations across campus and with other NM universities and national laboratories. The new facility will also be available to undergraduate and graduate students, the Master of Science for Teachers program and other new education programs that involve K-12 and senior high-school students (e.g., Water Resources Education Program, Fluids and Minerals Summer School) broadening participation and training including exposure to cutting-edge analytical techniques. In collaboration with the Mineral Museums XRD laboratory, we will provide access to the Raman instrument for mineral characterization to interact with the New Mexico mineral enthusiast community and to promote outreach activities.

The Horiba LabRAM HR Evolution high-resolution confocal Raman microscope is equipped with a 266 nm UV laser and a 532 nm VIS laser (green light) and has a focal length of 800 mm. This instrument greatly improves spectral resolution, which permits carrying out research on microscopic fluid, gas and melt inclusions in mineral samples, biomolecules, aerosol particles and it also allows working with water immersed samples. The 266 nm UV laser improves fluorescence suppression from organic molecules and UV excitation increases Raman scattering efficiency and signal sensitivity. Another advantage of UV excitation is resonance enhancement of specific complexes promoting the development of new Raman methods for investigating chemical and physical properties of materials and fluids. The motorized XY stage, four microscope objectives and a 40x UVB objective provide versatility for different applications and are compatible with many types of experimental cells (i.e., heating/cooling stage for fluid/melting inclusions, capillary fluid cell and/or hydrothermal diamond anvil cell for aqueous speciation experiments, a flow system for aerosols, etc.). The new 3D-mapping technology (Horiba SWIFT and Duoscan) provides improved mapping capabilities with spatial resolution of 0.5-1 µm. This will allow characterization of fluid-mineral interaction at the micron-scale, determination of phase proportions in fluid and melt inclusions and will have other new applications in rock mechanics and environmental sciences. The research activities enabled through the acquisition of this Raman instrument will permit integrating experimental laboratories across New Mexico Tech campus and provide a strong basis for interdisciplinary collaborations. The research areas that our team will cover include: i) fluids in the crust through the study of oil and fluid inclusions in geologic materials in fossil and active geothermal and hydrothermal-sedimentary systems, ii) fluid-mineral interface reactions and properties of critical minerals in ore deposits, iii) minerals in the deep crust, which inform geodynamic models, iv) biogenic features in microfossils and microbial deposits in modern and ancient near Earth surface environments, including Martian analogues, and v) discovering hidden reaction pathways and mechanisms in environmental processes to better understand their impact on global climate, ecosystems, and human health. This award was funded by the Instrumentation and Facilities program in the Earth Science Division.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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