MRI: Acquisition of a Raman Spectrometer for Research and Training at the University of Mississippi

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With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program, the University of Mississippi will acquire a Raman spectrometer. Raman spectroscopy has become an integral analytical tool in academic chemistry departments, in industry, and in forensic laboratories for the analysis of materials and for basic and applied research. The instrument uses a laser to interact and scatter light from the material to produce a spectrum. The spectrum provides basic information on the composition and structure of the material in a sample. The instrument will be employed in their research by graduate and undergraduate students. It will be incorporated into undergraduate laboratory classes and a Forensic Science program to train students with modern equipment. Students from at least four Mississippi Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will use this advanced analytical instrumentation. The institution will become a regional resource for researchers in need of the technique. The award is aimed at enhancing research in areas such as (a) elucidating effects of weak noncovalent interactions on biological building blocks; (b) characterizating newly developed nanomaterials including solar cell building blocks, catalysts for carbon dioxide reduction, new organic semiconductor, and gold nanoparticles; (c) developing admicellar polymerization synthetic techniques; (d) studying the effects of carbon dioxide uptake into carbonaceous materials; and (e) studying ionic liquids and their intermolecular interactions.