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

该奖项将资助西华盛顿大学(WWU)将现有的但老化的电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(LA-ICP-MS)和相关的213 nm激光器(LA-ICP-MS)升级为具有先进193 nm激光器的显著改进的LA-ICP-MS系统。这一工具将为教师研究、本科生和研究生的论文研究以及一个以本科生为主的机构的基于课程的研究增加令人兴奋的新机会，该机构拥有涉及学生的被广泛引用的出版物的出色记录。在这笔赠款的5名联合首席研究员和2名高级人员中，有5名是在被任命为WWU的头四年内从事职业生涯的早期研究人员，这一工具将显著提高他们的研究效率。新仪器将支持由赠款资助的学生研究，这些研究涵盖广泛的主题，如利用火山玻璃/晶体中的化学特征识别喷发过程、地球深处物质的特征、古代俯冲带过程的时间尺度和速率、环境中塑料纳米颗粒的迁移、生物碳酸盐中作为过去气候记录器的地球化学特征、矿床成因、颗粒物质污染的丰度以及海洋和陆地系统中金属的毒性。LA-ICP-MS将继续用于促进研究和教育伙伴关系，通过接触大学预科学生、附近的社区大学和进入对STEM感兴趣的WWU新生，但这笔赠款专门与附近的Whatcom社区学院(WCC)和WWU地质和环境科学系发展新的合作，为本科生开发基于课程的本科生研究经验和有偿夏季研究经验。ICP-MS和相关的激光升级将改进和扩大目前高质量和广泛的研究范围，包括NSF资助的地质系和学院内进行的项目。更换目前无人支持的仪器对于确保我们设施的不间断运行至关重要，新的安捷伦7900电感耦合等离子体质谱仪将显著提高检测限、计数灵敏度、等离子体稳定性和激光颗粒处理能力。耦合激光，分辨率-SE系统，将为非水样品提供可靠的介绍系统，历史上，非水样品占WWU分析的总样品的一半。具体地说，该系统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，并显著提高精密度、检测限以及样品导航和编程。它还将提供一个额外的LIBS探测器，允许元素周期表质量在重量百分比到百万分之范围内。对于研究纳米颗粒和毒素、半透明固体材料(例如，石英和斜长石等矿物)、微量元素浓度低于10μg/g、小固体样品(直径100μm)、不适合样品室的大固体样品等的研究人员来说，这些对电感耦合等离子体质谱和激光消融系统的升级是必要的。安捷伦7900和RESOLUTION-SE运营计划的直观设计和完美结合也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势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.