Molina Symposium

On May 12, 2014, Prof. Andrew Ault attended the Molina Symposium in La Jolla, CA to honor Professor Mario Molina. Molina is a celebrated chemist and Nobel Prize recipient; he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1995 along with Paul J. Crutzen and F. Sherwood Rowland for their discovery of the role of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in ozone depletion. This symposium took place at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography UC San Diego since Molina moved to UCSD in 2005 from MIT to research the chemical properties of atmospheric particles and the effect of these particles on clouds and climate. At this symposium, Dr. Ault presented a poster concerning the spectroscopic and microscopic analysis of particles from SOAS.

 

Picture of Dr. Ault showing the work of grad student Amy Bondy on particle analysis from the SOAS campaign.

Michigan Geophysical Union Poster Presentation

Graduate student Hongru Shen presented her work on the analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles from New Delhi, India at the Michigan Geophysical Union Meeting at the University of Michigan on April 7.  Several students from the Pratt lab, as well as students from the Earth and Environmental Sciences and Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences departments, also presented in the poster session.

Welcome to Jessica Axson!

The Ault Lab is welcoming a new member - postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jessica Axson!  Jess received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2012 where she worked in the Vaida group and then spent some time as a postdoctoral fellow in the Prather group at the University of California, San Diego.  We are very excited Jess has decided to leave sunny California and join us here in Ann Arbor!

Congratulations to Amy Bondy!

Congratulations to second-year graduate student Amy Bondy on passing her candidacy exam last week!  She's now officially on her way towards a doctorate!

Raman and Scanning Electron Microscopy Snow Research - March Update

            Exciting renovations are in process at the Ault Lab, which are detailed in the previous February blog post. As Raman instrumentation is sensitive to dust and other particles, it is currently being held in storage. We will be switching focus to scanning electron microscopy for imaging and elemental analysis of snow until renovations are complete.

SEM differs significantly from Raman in relation to our project in two ways: the need for a vacuum and the tradeoffs required for proper imaging. SEM essentially is based around receiving backscatter from an electron beam focused on a sample which cannot be done at ambient pressures. This is particularly problematic for snow samples as they will sublimate at a quick rate in a vacuum. We hope to mitigate the issue through a variable-pressure chamber that will allow usage of only a partial vacuum. Furthermore, a coating such as gold is often required to offset charging of the sample; while coating allows crisp imaging of structures, it masks the sample which prevents elemental analysis. Our plan is to use a black carbon tape to reduce charging and liberal amounts of liquid nitrogen to replace the use of coating.

 Wergin, W.P.

Observations of snow crystals using low-temperature SEM

Journal: Scanning

1995

Along with sublimating, melting is a more significant problem in SEM compared to Raman, we expect to see deformed crystal structures similar to previous SEM snow image research 

We are continuing to read relevant literature on the subject of snow research, with specific emphasis on Dr. Sobron whose interests lie in the potential of Ramman in planetary exploration. In a paper entitled Low-Temperature Raman Spectroscopy of Materials Relevant for Planetary Exploration from the 42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference of 2011, he notes that Raman peaks are affected by temperature. Specifically as temperature decreases, peak widths become narrower, peak positions decrease, and intensities weaken in ice crystals. These changes are due to strengthened hydrogen bonding and weakened O-H bonds. As we will be working at temperatures well below freezing, we will need to account for these findings.

Preceding the renovations, we were able to continue gaining experience on Raman using silicon and quartz standards. The peak strengths were strangely muted in comparison to similar spectrum taken previously in the year. However, we were eventually able to successfully have the quartz background peaks to appear after adjusting the laser to a higher setting. Currently we are in the process of scheduling training on SEM and expect to start within one to two weeks.

In the meantime, we are pondering what additional factors must be considered as we continue creating a protocol for Raman analysis. Further research into the usage of the Linkam cooling stage revealed the maximum cooling rate is 30 degrees Celsius per minute. This suggests roughly 2-3 minutes will elapse from the time of placing the snow sample on the stage to final temperature stability at -30 Celsius. We are assuming the time to reach this maximum rate is short, however, we will confirm the speed of cooling once we are fully prepared to return to Raman. Tentatively, we expect to pre-chill the stage within a freezer in order to minimize the sample’s exposure to melting temperatures.

The University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program will be hosting its annual symposium on April 23rd. We hope to present images and preliminary data from both Raman and SEM assuming no unexpected time constraints.  

Congratulations to Daniel Gardner!

Congratulations to Daniel Gardner who officially passed his candidacy exam at the end of April!

First Field Study - Dexter, Michigan

The Ault lab has just begun its first field study! The site is located north of Dexter, Michigan, which isn't too far away from the main University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, but it is a good start for field work. The site is owned by the university and is currently operated by Dr. Tim Dvonch, a professor in the Environmental Health Sciences department. The site is covered in several feet of snow, but has a wooden deck raised well above the ground to keep the instruments dry. This field study involves taking a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) out to the site and measuring the amount and composition of aerosol particles in the air. The MOUDI is placed inside an electrical box to protect it from the environment and has a hole cut out of the top to allow for the aerosol inlet to stick out.
The MOUDI works by using a pump to suck in air and pass it through a series of stages. The size of the holes from one stage to the next and the air flow rate are designed to have only particles of a particular size collide on the substrates. Anything smaller than selected will travel with the air to the next stage. The stages are also rotating - this allows for a uniform deposit of particles, and prevents large piles from forming directly underneath each orifice. On top of the MOUDI is a Cyclone, a specialized device that prevents anything larger than 10 microns from passing through. This prevents bugs or very large dust particles from clogging up all the tiny orifices. The cyclone is very heavy, and requires support or it will fall over with the MOUDI. By drilling another hole in the electrical box and setting the cyclone in the hole, we can stabilize the weight with the sturdy electrical box. The substrates are replaced twice each day for a day set and an overnight set. The substrates are placed in the fridge to prevent anything from happening between collection and analysis, and will be analyzed via SEM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy.
One of Dr. Dvonch's graduate students - Pearl Nathan - is also doing testing at the site, and provided a great deal of help in setting up the instrument. While it is extremely cold, the snowy site is a beautiful location. The study will run from Saturday, March 1st to Sunday March 9th, giving us plenty of samples to analyze and determine the composition of the air out here in Dexter.

Me (Daniel Gardner) with the MOUDI