MRI: Acquisition of integrated optical spectroscopy system at the Advanced Photon Source

Carnegie Institution Of Washington, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding for the acquisition of a shared-use, state-of-the-art combined Raman and optical spectroscopy system at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (Chicago, IL). This new system will enable study of materials with unique physical and chemical properties, as well as novel technological materials, with advanced state-of-the-art techniques combined in a single instrument. This work has important implications to societal quality-of-life issues such as carbon sequestration, environmental remediation, properties of nanomaterials and earthquake generation. This work will also advance discovery and understanding by students as participants in the proposed research. The availability of a system capable of concomitant in-situ X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy studies of materials at ambient and extreme pressure and temperature conditions (static and dynamic), including high spatial resolution studies of advanced and newly synthesized materials, will greatly enhance research capabilities of APS users. This instrumentation will enhance our understanding of planetary interiors by enabling studies of synthetic samples at the relevant conditions and of naturally-occurring minerals, rocks and their inclusions. Similarly, study of materials under conditions of high pressures and variable temperatures (low to very high) will be revealing for understanding of physical and chemical phenomena in condensed matter under extreme conditions including phase transitions and chemical reactions which provide a basis for synthesis of new materials under extreme conditions. Study of materials with reduced dimensionality, such as nanomaterials, will advance our understanding of their electronic and vibrational properties, crucial information for designing new advanced technology devices.