Acquisition of a Single-Crystal X-ray Diffractometer for Earth and Planetary Materials Research and Education at Northwestern University

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This Instrumentation and Facilities award through the NSF Division of Earth Sciences will support acquisition of a high-precision, single-crystal X-ray diffractometer to carry out topical geomaterials research and education in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) at Northwestern University. X-ray diffraction allows definitive identification of minerals at the grain-size scale and determination of crystal structures and related physical properties of materials in the crust-mantle system. This instrument will be interfaced with the PI?s unique high-pressure ultrasonic system for basic mineral physics research on thermodynamic equations of state for Earth and planetary materials. The instrument will be installed in the new EPS Integrated Laboratories of Northwestern (EPSILoN), a new interdisciplinary research and graduate training facility with five adjoining laboratories for mineralogy/mineral physics, stable isotope geochemistry, organic geochemistry, and sedimentary and aqueous geochemistry. Basic research in the PI?s laboratory, currently supported by the faculty early career development program (CAREER) seeks to understand the role of water cycling between the crust and mantle from atomic to geophysical scales. New knowledge of the effects of hydration on the structure and elasticity of mantle materials is applied to remote (geophysical) detection of water in the deep mantle. In addition, the instrument will serve broader departmental and regional needs for specialized mineral phase analysis, characterization, and applied laboratory instruction for undergraduate and graduate courses in Earth materials at Northwestern. Research with the proposed diffractometer has broader impacts as the PI engages in technology transfer between high-pressure geosciences and applied materials research.