Equipment Acquisition of a Laser Ablation System and Triple-quadrupole Inductively coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA ICP-MS)

激光烧蚀系统和三重四极杆电感耦合等离子体质谱仪 (LA ICP-MS) 的设备购置

• 批准号: 2223409
• 负责人: Johannes Haemmerli
• 金额: $ 48.15万
• 依托单位: Washington State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2223409&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Equipment; Acquisition; Laser; Ablation; System

Understanding the evolution of the Earth relies heavily on our ability to read, understand and interpret chemical and physical evidence archived in terrestrial material, such as the rock record and organic materials. One cornerstone for almost all research projects focusing on better understanding major geologic events are chemical analyses of rock samples and minerals, as their geochemical inventory can be used to reconstruct processes at different scales, such as ore-genesis, continental-scale events like the eruption of Columbia River Flood Basalts that shaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, or how some of the Earth’s earliest crust has formed. This funding will be used to acquire a state-of-the-art laser-ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry system, replacing our current instruments at the Peter Hooper GeoAnalytical Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU) founded more than four decades ago. The Lab specializes in providing research-quality geochemical data to the national (and international) earth-science community, many projects of which are funded by the NSF. This data is used to advance our understanding of Earth’s history. To continue to fulfill our mission in the future, we need to replace our current instruments that have been in year-round operation for more than a decade, and which are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The latest generation of mass spectrometer allows for the quantification of much lower concentrations of trace elements in whole rock samples and permits the development of new approaches for reading and interpreting geochemical signatures in earth materials. The laser ablation system coupled to the mass spectrometer allows for in-situ analysis at a micrometer-scale in minerals and an almost unlimited range of materials, allowing for use of the Lab by researchers from a wide range of disciplines, such as the earth sciences, material sciences, and biological sciences. The new instrument will be central for faculty and student research at WSU, and for the Lab’s other users. With this state-of-the-art equipment we will be able to develop new analytical approaches and methods, furthering our ability to tackle long-standing questions about Earth’s history on multiple scales. Students will be trained on cutting edge analytical instruments and, therefore, this award will also directly positively impact the highly trained workforce in the field of analytical geochemistry and beyond. The Peter Hooper GeoAnalytical Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU) has analyzed 12,200 bulk samples via solution Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) over the last 5 years (2016-2021), plus more than 2000 hours of Laser Ablation (LA)ICPMS analyses in the last 3 years alone. This proposal requests funds to acquire a new state-of-the-art ICPMS and LA system for continuing and expanding the high quality and reliable services of trace element analyses for the geoscience community for the next decade and beyond. (LA)ICPMS analyses, especially in combination with XRF measurements, are employed in a broad range of Earth science research including applications in geological and environmental studies. Quantifying the composition of Earth materials, which include igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, soils, and archeological artifacts, to name only a few, provides critical information about the samples’ origins and what processes were involved in their formation. Our analytical service employing (LA)ICPMS supplies high-quality research data to a wide range of geoscientists in North America - over 100 different institutions over the last 3 years have benefited from our services. The GeoAnalytical Lab is considered a critical component of academic geoscience research in North America through the research-quality analytical services it provides, most notably but not exclusively for the geochemical research communities. Data produced by the Lab feeds basic research which informs decisions made by scientists and agencies addressing natural hazards, resource exploration, environmental challenges, and human impacts on climate. The GeoAnalytical Lab also plays an important role in training highly skilled geochemists and technicians for the national workforce in the private and public sectors. These skills can only be acquired in an active research environment. The WSU GeoAnalytical Lab contributes to this educational mission in four ways: (1) through formal course instruction and hands-on training of WSU graduate students from a variety of disciplines, (2) through undergraduate research projects that use the instrumentation, (3) through training of visiting students, and (4) through employment of part-time student labor, which introduces students to the skills and responsibility required to successfully perform laboratory procedures.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.

了解地球的演化在很大程度上依赖于我们阅读、理解和解释陆地材料中存档的化学和物理证据的能力，如岩石记录和有机材料。几乎所有研究项目的基石之一是更好地了解重大地质事件的岩石样本和矿物的化学分析，因为它们的地球化学库存可以用于重建不同尺度的过程，例如矿石成因，大陆规模的事件，如形成太平洋西北部景观的哥伦比亚河洪水玄武岩的爆发，或者地球最早的地壳是如何形成的。这笔资金将用于购买最先进的激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱系统，取代我们在华盛顿州立大学（WSU）的彼得胡珀地质分析实验室四十多年前成立的现有仪器。该实验室专门为国家（和国际）地球科学界提供研究质量的地球化学数据，其中许多项目由NSF资助。这些数据被用来促进我们对地球历史的理解。为了在未来继续履行我们的使命，我们需要更换我们现有的仪器，这些仪器已经全年运行了十多年，并且不再得到制造商的支持。最新一代的质谱仪可以量化整个岩石样品中浓度低得多的微量元素，并允许开发新的方法来阅读和解释地球化学特征。激光烧蚀系统耦合到质谱仪允许在矿物和几乎无限范围的材料中进行微米级的原位分析，允许来自地球科学，材料科学和生物科学等广泛学科的研究人员使用实验室。新仪器将成为WSU教师和学生研究以及实验室其他用户的中心。有了这种最先进的设备，我们将能够开发新的分析方法和手段，进一步提高我们在多个尺度上解决地球历史长期问题的能力。学生将接受尖端分析仪器的培训，因此，该奖项也将直接对分析地球化学领域及其他领域训练有素的劳动力产生积极影响。华盛顿州立大学（WSU）的Peter Hooper地质分析实验室在过去5年（2016-2021年）中通过溶液电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICPMS）分析了12，200个散装样品，仅在过去3年中就进行了超过2000小时的激光消融（LA）ICPMS分析。该提案要求提供资金，用于购置一个新的最先进的ICPMS和LA系统，以便在今后十年及以后继续和扩大为地球科学界提供高质量和可靠的微量元素分析服务。（LA）ICPMS分析，特别是与XRF测量相结合，用于广泛的地球科学研究，包括地质和环境研究中的应用。量化地球物质的组成，包括火成岩，变质岩和沉积岩，土壤和考古文物，仅举几例，提供了关于样品起源及其形成过程的关键信息。我们的分析服务采用（LA）ICPMS，为北美的众多地球科学家提供高质量的研究数据-在过去的3年中，有100多个不同的机构从我们的服务中受益。地理分析实验室被认为是北美学术地球科学研究的重要组成部分，通过其提供的研究质量分析服务，最值得注意的是但不限于地球化学研究社区。实验室产生的数据为基础研究提供信息，为科学家和机构解决自然灾害，资源勘探，环境挑战和人类对气候的影响做出决策。地质分析实验室在为私营和公共部门的国家劳动力培训高技能的地球化学家和技术人员方面也发挥着重要作用。这些技能只能在积极的研究环境中获得。WSU地理分析实验室通过四种方式为这一教育使命做出贡献：（1）通过正式的课程教学和实践培训来自不同学科的WSU研究生，（2）通过使用仪器的本科研究项目，（3）通过访问学生的培训，以及（4）通过雇用兼职学生劳动，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。