3. Materials Spectroscopy Laboratory

The scientific activity of the laboratory

  • Infrared spectroscopy enabling the identification of functional groups present in the tested substance, non-destructive testing of the various materials. It becomes possible to analyse changes in human tissues (e.g. eye, breast, lungs, biological fluids, sera, bone marrow) in order to search for lesions, assess the effectiveness of anticancer therapy, identify diagnostic and prognostic markers for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, optimization of histopathological diagnostics and therapy in medulloblastoma and Ewing sarcoma. It is also possible to study superlattice structures.
  • Research on the energy structure of molecules of significant astrophysical, astronomical, physicochemical, technological and medical importance with the use of precise high-resolution spectroscopy techniques in the ultraviolet and visible range.
  • Testing and monitoring of radioactive contamination of food, air, building materials, environmental materials, industrial and municipal waste using dosimetry methods as well as identification and quantitative determination of radioactive isotopes using ionizing radiation spectroscopy.
  • Studies of isolated molecules in supersonic molecular beams using laser spectroscopy.

 

The Laboratory includes the following laboratories:

3.1 Far Infrared Spectroscopy Laboratory.

3.2 Molecular Spectroscopy Laboratory.

3.3 Laboratory of Monitoring and Detection of Radioactive Materials.

3.4 Laboratory of Molecular Physical Chemistry and Molecular Modelling.

 

key equipment

The laboratory has modern equipment for testing with spectroscopy methods, both in low and high resolution, as well as testing the level of radioactivity and identifying and quantitatively determining radioactive isotopes. The key equipment at the disposal of the Materials Spectroscopy Laboratory is:

  • Low-resolution Bruker Vertex 70v Fourier-transform spectrometer with the Hyperion 1000 microscope, reflection and transmission adapter, ATR (attenuated total reflection) adapter, HATR (horizontal attenuated total reflection) adapter, equipment for in-situ measurements during electrochemical reactions, as well as the FEWS (optical fiber evanescent wave spectroscopy) module.
  • System for the low-temperature measurements.
  • Measuring systems for the nano-spectroscopy: NanoIR3 AFM-IR.
  • The highest-class, high-resolution Fourier-transform spectrometer by Bruker IFS-125HR for measuring the emission and absorption spectra of atoms and molecules in the gas phase in the visible and ultraviolet regions.
  • Laser spectroscopy system consisting of a neodymium-YAG laser and a high-resolution dye laser, together with a generator of higher harmonics to obtain tuneable ultraviolet radiation.
  • High vacuum chamber, equipped with a pulsed nozzle for producing supersonic molecular beams, together with a high-power and high-vacuum diffusion pump.
  • Geiger-Miller and scintillation meters, enabling the measurement of the radioactivity level of various types of materials, both industrial and natural.
  • High-resolution spectrometers of alpha, beta and gamma radiation, enabling the quantitative determination and identification of radioactive isotopes that are components of various types of materials, both industrial and natural.

 

Head of the Laboratory

Rafał Hakalla, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor

building A0, wing B1, room 312 or 114

tel. +48 17 851 87 03

email: rhakalla@ur.edu.pl

 

key publications

  1. H.M. Saville, D. Howard, C Ghevaert, S.M. Best, R.E. Cameron, J.M. Oliver, S.L. Waters “A Mathematical Model of a Valve-Controlled Bioreactor for Platelet Production” Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, (2023) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmech.2022.858931/full
  2. Z. Azhari, P. Smith, S. McMahon, W.X. Wang, R.E. Cameron “Modulating Drug Release from Short Poly(ethylene glycol) Block Initiated Poly(L-lactide) Di-block Copolymers” Pharmaceutical Research (2022) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-022-03228-8

 

offers