EA: Acquisition of a Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging Microscope

FTIR imaging microscopes provide a way for chemists to do rapid, non-destructive, chemical analyses of a wide variety of minerals, glasses and materials, with resolution down to one-quarter the width of a human hair. FTIR stands for Fourier Transform Infrared — the microscopes work their magic by exploiting the vibrational absorptions of chemical compounds in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The materials being studied in this project include volcanic glasses, to better understand Earth’s cycling of carbon dioxide and water, and micro-plastics, to identify pollution sources, sinks, and pathways. The proposed instrument is the LUMOS-II imaging microscope, a state-of-the-art instrument from Brüker that won the GOLD Award for the best new scientific instrument at Pittcon 2020, an annual conference showcasing advances in analytical research and scientific instrumentation. The new instrumentation will enable a wide range of applications, including 1) distribution of volatiles in mantle sources and their fluxes in mid-ocean ridge, ocean island, and subduction environments, 2) origin and evolution of volatiles in tephra and melt inclusions with emphasis on eruption dynamics, and 3) studies of environmental microplastics in Tampa Bay and beyond, contributing to a comprehensive study of pollutants in the region’s water, sediments, and biota. The FTIR imaging microscope is a remarkably robust instrument that will allow students to rapidly obtain high-resolution datasets. Funding is included to enable undergraduate students to travel to, or virtual participation in, annual conferences of professional societies. 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.