Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The Raman microscope is used to examine the structure of materials at a molecular level. The four researchers involved are conducting studies on a wide variety of materials, including biological tissue samples, microorganisms in our food supply, fungi (from contaminants in food supply to helpful fungi required for proper root growth), and new materials for biosensing and functionalized conducting polymers.      As with an ordinary microscope,  mirrors and magnifying lenses let the operator see small objects in detail. The difference in the Raman microscope is that the object is illuminated with laser light that is sent through the microscope and onto the sample. The colour of the light that is scattered may be changed, in patterns that depend on the molecular composition of the material. The Raman microscope detection system allows us to record the wavelengths and amounts of light scattered. From this data, we can identify the molecular components in the area illuminated. We will use the motorized platform to scan across the sample, comparing the composition in one region to that elsewhere in the sample.      For the researchers requesting this equipment, this means that we can evaluate the composition and physical properties of materials from polymer coatings to bacteria. Recent technical advances permit identification of minute amounts of material inside a single living cell; the consequences of genetic mutations in fungi can be identified from the changes in their chemical composition. We can study differences in the structure of new materials and design their electronic properties to create biosensors.  We can look for molecular differences in healthy and damaged tissue that will help us to understand the molecular nature of wound healing and test potential therapeutics. This instrument will provide a capability, currently not available at this university, that will contribute to the success of four independent scientists who are working in competitive, cutting-edge, economically and technologically important fields. It will provide training opportunities for scores of young scientists, from undergraduate and graduate students to post-doctoral fellows.