Research Facilities in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science,
Miami University

Use of National Synchrotron Facilities

The National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLSII), Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York. Professor John Rakovan is part of the development team of a Tender-Energy Microspectroscopy and Imaging user facility for Earth Sciences at the NSLS-II, Beamline 8-BM.

 

In January 2016 the Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science moved into the newly renovated and expanded Shideler Hall. The building houses state of the art laboratory spaces and many of the analytical and experimental instruments shown below.

 

NEW Instrument

Bruker D8 Advance Eco powder X-ray diffractometer with the Lynxeye XE-T high energy-resolution detector and Cu radiation. Equipped with a 10 position auto-sample changer.

Transmission Electron Microscopy

JEOL JEM-2100 LaB6 Transmission Electron Microscope with digital imaging, elemental X-ray microanalysis (XEDS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), dark-filed imaging, and micro-beam electron diffraction capabilities. Housed in the The Miami University Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging (CAMI)

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Zeiss Supra35 variable pressure SEM with a field emission source, an EDAX X-ray fluorescence detector, and an HKL electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detector. Housed in the The Miami University Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging (CAMI)

Scanning Probe Microscopy

 

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) laboratory with a Digital Instruments NanoScope MultiMode scanning probe microscope with STM and AFM (tapping mode, Phase Imaging, MFM, etc.). Housed in Hughes Hall the SPM laboratory is shared with the Department of Chemistry.

Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction

 

 

Bruker Quest

 Bruker APEX

Single crystal X-Ray diffraction laboratories (1) Bruker D8 Quest fixed Chi single crystal X-ray diffractometer with both Mo microfocus (IµS) Ka radiation and a PHOTON 100 CMOS detector. Also equiped with an Oxford cryostream 800 Plus liquid nitrogen cryo-cooling system. Housed in Hughes Hall and shared with the Department of Chemistry. Installed 3/20/2016. (2) Bruker APEX single crystal diffractometer with a 4K CCD detector.

Mineral Synthesis Laboratory

 

 

Mineral Synthesis Laboratory

Chemostat

The lab is equipped with facilities for the synthesis of ambient to high temperature and ambient to moderate pressure minerals; equipment includes five programmable ovens (ambient to 300 C) and furnaces (ambient to 1400 C), numerous Teflon-lined Parr bombs, and sample preparation equipment. We have also built a chemostat for constant addition (steady state) aqueous crystal growth experiments.

HPLC and ICP OES Chemical Analysis

 
 

We have several wet chemical laboratories which house instruments including a Dionex HPLC/Ionchromatograph and a Agilent 700 Series ICP Optical Emission Spectrometer.


Cathodoluminescence and Optical Microscopy

Several optical mineralogy and petrology laboratories with research petrographic microscopes, a Nuclide Cathodoluminoscope with a cooled CCD digital camera, and reflected light Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy.

 

Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Isotope geochemistry laboratories with a Triton multicollector thermal ionization mass spectrometer, clean lab facilities, etc..

 

Others Facilities

· Sample preparation labs with sawing, thin sectioning, rock pulverizing, polishing, and size separation equipment.

· The Miami University Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging (CAMI) also houses several other TEMs, SEMs, optical microscopes and sample preparation facilities.

 

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