Upgrade of LA-ICP-MS for research and education at Western Washington University

西华盛顿大学 LA-ICP-MS 升级用于研究和教育

• 批准号: 2138789
• 负责人: Susan DeBari
• 金额: $ 46.86万
• 依托单位: Western Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-02-01 至 2024-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2138789&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Upgrade; LA; ICP; MS; research

This award will provide funding to Western Washington University (WWU) to upgrade an existing but aging inductively-coupled-plasma-mass spectrometer and associated 213 nm laser (LA-ICP-MS) to a significantly-improved LA-ICP-MS system with an advanced 193 nm laser. This instrument will add exciting new opportunities for faculty research, thesis research of undergraduate and graduate students, and course-based research at a dominantly undergraduate institution that has an outstanding record of well-cited publications involving students. Of the 5 co-principal investigators and 2 senior personnel on this grant, 5 are early career researchers within the first four years of their appointment at WWU and this instrument will significantly enhance their research productivity. The new instrument will support grant-funded research with students that covers topics as broad-ranging as utilization of chemical signatures in volcanic glasses/crystals to discern eruption processes, characterization of deep-Earth materials, timescales and rates of ancient subduction zone processes, transport of plastic nanoparticles in the environment, geochemical signatures in biogenic carbonates as recorders of past climate, ore deposit genesis, abundances of particulate matter pollution, and toxicity of metals in marine and terrestrial systems. The LA-ICP-MS will continue to be used to promote research and education partnerships via outreach to pre-college students, nearby community colleges and entering WWU freshman with an interest in STEM, but this grant specifically develops new collaborations with nearby Whatcom Community College (WCC) and WWU Geology and Environmental Sciences departments to develop course-based undergraduate research experiences and paid summer research experiences for undergraduates.The ICP-MS and associated laser upgrade will improve and expand the current high quality and broad scope of research, including NSF-funded projects, conducted within the Geology Department and the College. Replacing the current unsupported instrument is essential to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of our facility, and the new Agilent 7900 ICP-MS will provide significantly improved detection limits, count sensitivity, plasma stability, and handling of laser particles. A coupled laser, the RESOlution-SE system, will provide a reliable introductory system for non-aqueous samples, which historically make up half of the total samples analyzed at WWU. Specifically, this system will expand the range of materials that can be analyzed (in terms of both composition and size), minimize fractionation, and significantly enhance precision, detection limits, and sample navigation and programming. It will also provide for an additional LIBS detector permitting periodic table masses at a weight percent to ppm range. These upgrades to the ICP-MS and laser ablation system are necessary for researchers working with nanoparticles and toxins, translucent solid materials (e.g., minerals such as quartz and plagioclase), trace element concentrations below 10 μg/g, small solid samples (100 μm diameter), large solid samples that do not fit in the sample chamber, and more. The intuitive designs and excellent coupling of the Agilent 7900 and RESOlution-SE operational programs will also improve user accessibility and training (dominantly students).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.

该奖项将为西华盛顿大学 (WWU) 提供资金，将现有但老化的电感耦合等离子体质谱仪和相关的 213 nm 激光器 (LA-ICP-MS) 升级为显着改进的 LA-ICP-MS 系统，该系统具有该仪器将为教师研究、本科生和研究生的论文研究以及拥有良好引用记录的占主导地位的本科机构的基于课程的研究增加令人兴奋的新机会。在参与这项资助的 5 名联合首席研究员和 2 名高级人员中，有 5 名是在 WWU 任职的前四年内的早期职业研究人员，该工具将显着提高他们的研究生产力。 -资助学生的研究，涵盖广泛的主题，如利用火山玻璃/晶体中的化学特征来辨别喷发过程、地球深部物质的表征、古代俯冲带过程的时间尺度和速率， LA-ICP-MS 将继续用于环境中塑料纳米粒子的传输、作为过去气候记录器的生物碳酸盐的地球化学特征、矿床成因、颗粒物污染的丰度以及海洋和陆地系统中金属的毒性。通过向大学预科学生、附近的社区学院以及对 STEM 感兴趣的 WWU 新生进行推广，促进研究和教育合作伙伴关系，但这笔特别拨款将与附近的 Whatcom 社区学院开展新的合作(WCC) 和 WWU 地质与环境科学系将开发基于课程的本科生研究经验，并为本科生提供带薪暑期研究经验。ICP-MS 和相关激光升级将改善和扩展当前的高质量和广泛的研究范围，包括 NSF - 地质系和学院内开展的资助项目，更换当前不受支持的仪器对于确保我们设施的不间断运行至关重要，而新的 Agilent 7900 ICP-MS 将显着提高检测限、计数。耦合激光器 RESOlution-SE 系统将为非水样品提供可靠的介绍系统，该系统历史上占 WWU 分析样品总数的一半。将扩大可分析的材料范围（在成分和尺寸方面），最大限度地减少分馏，并显着提高精度、检测限以及样品导航和编程。它还将提供允许元素周期表质量的附加 LIBS 探测器。重量百分比为ICP-MS 和激光烧蚀系统的这些升级对于处理纳米粒子和毒素、半透明固体材料（例如石英和斜长石等矿物）、浓度低于 10 μg/g 的微量元素、小固体样品的研究人员来说是必要的。 （100 µm 直径）、无法放入样品室的大型固体样品等 Agilent 7900 的直观设计和出色的耦合。 RESOlution-SE 运营计划还将改善用户的可访问性和培训（主要是学生）。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。