This award is funded by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and Chemical Instrumentation programs. Professor Ngee-Sing Chong from Middle Tennessee State University and colleagues Beng Guat Ooi, Charles Chusuei and Joe Collins are acquiring a confocal Raman microscope. A Raman microscope uses a laser to scan the surface of a sample. The laser wavelengths probe the surface and produce a spectrum which identifies chemical components in the material. This gives useful information on the properties of the material. The instrument is used, for example, to study the chemical pretreatment of cellulose because of the increasing need for the utilization of plant biomass for bioethanol production. By incorporating this instrument in coursework both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, students are trained for post-graduate studies, employment in industry, academia and national laboratories. Research activities via industry-university collaborations also benefits from the availability to use the instrument.
The Raman microscope is a powerful analytical tool for identifying chemical composition qualitatively and semi-quantitatively of various materials. It is being used in a number of important research areas. The chemical modification of carbon nanotubes important for chemical and biological sensors is being studied. How chemical and physical treatment conditions of lignocellulose in plant tissue influences its biodegradation is investigated. The study of reaction mechanisms of interfacial phenomena as a function of temperature is a current project. DNA adduct formation of aromatic amines in cell organelles is another study underway. Investigations of how yeasts and fungi metabolize sugars, cellulosic biomass, and organic contaminants as well as pathways for facile biofuel synthesis are under progress. Another project is carrying out archaeological studies of shells and shell-tempered pottery as a proxy for provenance studies. Other archeological-related research focuses on analyzing fragile, perishable, ancient materials (residues in pots) at small spatial resolutions using the microscope because it is sensitive, and non-destructive in nature.
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.
