Critical Replacement of Departmental X-ray Diffractometer Instrumentation

地球和岩石行星的历史都写在岩石上。但是，关于地球和行星如何以及为什么在几千年里形成和变化的许多方面仍然是一个谜，因为书写这些秘密的语言还没有被很好地理解。矿物学使我们能够通过更好地了解岩石的形成和转化来解开这些谜团。因此，我们需要最先进的设备来研究地球的矿物学和行星物质，以了解地球的秘密。NSERC RTI迫切需要资金购买一台现代台式粉末X射线衍射仪（pXRD），以取代地球科学系的两台30年历史的仪器。这些仪器远远超出其正常预期寿命，几乎无法操作，并且缺乏现代pxrd的分辨率、速度、样品处理和数据收集能力。所要求的Bruker D2 PHASER仪器是一种新型的多功能台式pXRD仪器，它装载了易于使用的软件，允许研究人员和学生进行测量和分析。LYNXEYE XE-T探测器检测x射线的速度要快450倍，强度增加，分辨率高，灵敏度高，数据质量高。与检测器一起，其最小的功耗（650 W），超紧凑的角度计，不需要冷却水或PC外围设备，使其成为一种用户友好的便携式台式仪器，具有高分析性能和功能。我们将把新的pXRD整合到一个集中的核心设施中，以鼓励个人研究人员和研究小组之间的最佳共享，包括经过适当训练的本科生和研究生，以培养部门的协作环境。通过这种方式，购买变得具有成本效益，不仅有利于主要申请人，而且有利于25名全职教师，20名活跃的兼职研究教授，来自西方，加拿大和国际的合作者，以及超过200名多样化和包容性的HQP。以前只有“专家”才能使用分析仪器，这将为HQP提供实践经验，并有机会与合作者和行业合作伙伴并肩工作，这对地球科学家的成功发展至关重要。新仪器将支持一系列地球科学研究项目，它们都需要矿物学来理解和解释自然世界。高质量的pXRD数据不仅可以进行相识别，还可以进行Rietveld晶体结构细化和定量矿物模态分析。利用新的pXRD仪器获得的结果将影响从太阳系和其他行星体到地球的各种地球和行星材料的训练和研究，从其表面过程、环境和资源到地幔和地核。没有新的pXRD，我们的持续创新研究是不可能的！

The history of the Earth and the rocky planets is written in rocks. But many aspects of how and why the Earth and planets formed and have been transformed over the millennia remain a mystery because the language in which these secrets are written is not well understood. Mineralogy allows us to unlock these mysteries by better understanding how rocks form and are transformed. So we require state- of- the art equipment to study the mineralogy of Earth and planetary materials to learn Earth's secrets. Funds are urgently requested from NSERC RTI to purchase a modern benchtop powder X--ray diffractometer (pXRD) to replace two 30 -year -old instruments in the Department of Earth Sciences. These instruments are well beyond their normal life expectancy, barely operational, and lack the resolution, speed, sample handling and data collection capabilities of modern pXRDs. The Bruker D2 PHASER instrument requested is a novel all-in-one benchtop pXRD that comes loaded with easy-to-use software that allows measurement and analysis by researchers and students alike. The LYNXEYE XE-T Detector detects X-rays ~450 times faster, with increased intensity, and high resolution providing high sensitivity and data quality. Along with the detector, its minimal electrical power consumption (650 W), ultra-compact goniometer, and no need for cooling water or PC peripherals make it a user-friendly, portable, benchtop instrument with high analytical performance and function. We will integrate the new pXRD into a centralized core facility to encourage optimal sharing among individual investigators and research groups, including properly trained undergraduate and graduate students, to foster a collaborative environment in the department. In this way, the purchase becomes cost-efficient, and beneficial to not only the primary applicants, but also the 25 full-time faculty, >20 active adjunct research professors, collaborators from across Western, Canada, and internationally, and a group of over >200 diverse and inclusive HQP. Access to analytical instrumentation previously limited to “experts” will provide HQP with hands-on experience and the opportunity to work side-by-side with collaborators and industry partners which is crucial for successful development as geoscientists. The new instrument will support a diverse set of Earth Sciences research programs with a common thread they all need mineralogy to understand and interpret the natural world. High- quality pXRD data will enable not only phase identification, but also Rietveld crystal structure refinement and quantitative mineral modal analysis. The results obtained with a new pXRD instrument will impact the training and research of a diverse array of Earth and planetary materials from the far reaches of the solar system and other planetary bodies to Earth from its surface processes, environment, and resources, to its mantle and core. Our continued innovative research will not be possible without a new pXRD!