Their novel approach to integrating what many thought were disparate technologies may find applications in such diverse areas as characterizing polymers in aging nuclear weapons, measuring the distribution of elements in alloys, and identifying problematic inorganic compounds in the storage of waste nuclear materials.
The Los Alamos team has successfully integrated micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and electron microscopy, both elemental analysis technologies, with infrared and Raman spectroscopy, molecular analysis technologies. For years researchers have used these four analytical techniques separately to provide insights into elemental and molecular nature.
In micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy researchers expose a material sample to an X-ray beam and capture the resulting fluorescence, or X-ray emission, in the form of spectral lines. The intensity of these spectral lines reveals the concentration of the element in the sample. The principle advantage of MXRF, in addition to the fact that it is a non-destructive analysis method, is that there is little or no sample preparation needed.
In infrared microscopy, a small beam of infrared radiation is directed at a material and the transmitted light is processed to produce a spectrum. Researchers use the resulting spectrum to measure the vibrations, or energies, of specific molecules in specific areas on the sample.
Raman spectroscopy on the microscopic level takes advantage of a phenomenon known as Raman scattering where light changes in phase and frequency as it interacts with a sample. Researchers use the Raman spectrum to determine the molecular structure of different components within a material. Using this approach combined with imaging technology provides the spatial distribution of components.
Mesoscale Chemical Imaging is taking the two researchers in some unexpected directions. Most notable is the technology's potential for supporting the Laboratory's role in the DOE's Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship Program. The analysis technique can detect the physical deterioration of certain metals, polymers and other materials used in nuclear weapons or in stored nuclear materials long before any visible signs of deterioration might appear. While this technology is used primarily for the analysis of inorganic materials, researchers are also studying applications in organic and biological material analysis.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.