Instruments:

1. Scanning Electron Microscope + Energy Dispersive Spectrometer(SEM + EDS)

SEM employs a focused beam of high-energy electrons to scan sample specimens and generate graphics of the surface structures. The electron-beam signals produced from electron-sample interactions reveal sample information about external morphology, elemental distribution, and crystalline structures. EDS is an auxiliary sensor for the SEM to identify and quantify different elements with the characteristic wavelength of X-rays.

SEM (Apero, Thermofisher) with EDS (Aztec XMax50, Oxford) is installed in our lab and widely applied to the scientific research of geochemistry, materials science, and biology.

2. Photo-induced Force Microscope (PiFM)

PiFM employs pulsed illumination and noncontact force microscopy resulting in unprecedented spatial and high spectral resolution. The near-field-enhanced light absorption in the materials leads to thermal expansion affecting the distance-dependent weak van der Waals (VdW) force acting between the tip and the sample. PiFM models the non-linear impact of material characteristics and surface shape on the tip-sample interaction, and the heat generation from the presence of a photo-induced electric field, the associated thermal expansion under different illumination conditions including light polarization and the feedback to the dynamic tip motion due to the expansion. PiFM can image both organic and inorganic materials at a resolution of less than 10 nm. This technique is widely applied in materials science, nanotechnology, and biology, enabling the study of molecular adsorption, chemical reactions, thin-film properties, and nanoscale structures, making it a powerful tool for exploring complex materials and systems.

3. Gas Chromatography (GC)

GC employs gas as the mobile-phase to separate, identify, and quantify different components in chemical mixtures. The GC is based on the distribution coefficients of different substances between the gas-phase and stationary-phase, and sample components are separated by the interactions with the stationary-phase and the mobile gas-phase, and the separated components are then detected by a detector, which converts the component information into electrical signals. GC is widely applied in various fields such as chemistry, biology, environmental science, and food analysis. A GC (Trace1310, Thermofisher) is installed with three different detectors (Flame Ionized Detector FID, Flame Photometric Detector FPD, Pulse Discharged Detector PDD), and sample components are separated and identified into different permanent gases and hydrocarbon gases.

4. Ion Chromatography (IC)

IC employs ion liquids as the mobile-phase to separate, identify, and quantify different components in water samples. The IC is based on the distribution coefficients of different substances between the liquid-phase and stationary-phase, and the ions are separated by the interactions with the stationary-phase and the mobile liquid-phase, and are detected then by a electronic-conductivity detector. A tiny IC (ICS-900, Thermofisher) is installed in the Lab of Geology & Geochemistry, and is applied to the analysis of anions and cations.

In-situ Environmental Detectors

1. Trace Metals Voltammetric Analyzer (TMVA)

The TMVA is employed by the Lab of Marine Environmental Sensors for the scientific research of marine environment, which could analyze trace metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu) in-situ. The TMVA is employed on the squared-wave anionic stripping voltammetry (SQSV) with a three-electrode (Working Electrode WE, Reference Electrode RE, Count Electrode CE) unit, and is applied for a depth less than 4500 m in the marine environment. A nova microelectrode array is developed as the working electrode for the adaptation of in-situ analysis. The TMVA is applied for the transformation and conversation of trace metals in the marine environment.

2. Bottom Biochemical Experimental System (BBES)