Skip to main content

Instruments & Resources

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is home to the user facility’s 150 instruments that can be leveraged for biological, environmental, and computing research needs. The instruments and resources are available to researchers who are awarded funding through EMSL’s open call for proposals. The categories below reflect instrument groups for specific research areas. When selected, the instrument group is filtered by the instruments that fall under that category. By reviewing the instrument pages, researchers can learn how the instrumentation can be applied to research. The instrument and resource pages can also be used to identify the instrument owners and Integrated Research Platform area leads to follow up with questions before submitting an abstract to a call for proposal.

Confocal Raman Spectrometry

Confocal Raman spectroscopy resources are available to researchers through the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory's open calls for proposals.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Elemental Analysis

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) offers instrumentation for measuring elements in solid and liquid samples. These resources are available to researchers through the EMSL User Program's open calls for proposals.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory offers fluorescence spectroscopy resources for studying nutrient dynamics, characterizing plant phenotypes, and for investigating chemical compounds as they move and change in the environment.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory's inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer is available to researchers through the EMSL User Program. The spectrometer can be used for all research areas that require the analysis of trace metals within liquid samples at low concentrations.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Ion Chromatography

EMSL’s ion chromatography capability includes an ICS-3000 chromatography system and allows for a fully automated separation and analysis of anions, organic acids, inorganic cations, ammonium, amines,…
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Microscopy

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory offers Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry instrumentation for studying atmospheric chemistry, biological processes, and bioenergy production. This resource is available through the EMSL User Program.
Related Instrument Groups
Aerosol Characterization
Analytical

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory offers access and use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry resources through the EMSL User Program.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Mossbauer Spectroscopy

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) offers a variety of Mössbauer spectroscopy resources for researchers to use through the EMSL User Program.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Portable Photosynthesis System (LI-COR)

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory's Plant Ecosystems Laboratory has two portable Li-COR instruments and four handheld fluorometers, which are available to researchers through the EMSL User Program.
Related Instrument Groups
Plant Growth

Plant Growth Chambers

The Plant Sciences Laboratory at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) has stand-alone growth chambers, which are available to researchers through the EMSL User Program.
Related Instrument Groups
Plant Growth

X-Ray Diffraction

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) offers X-ray diffraction resources to researchers through the EMSL User Program.
Related Instrument Groups
Analytical

Controlled Combustion System

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory's controlled combustion system mimics real-life combustion conditions around aerosols produced and improves understanding of aerosol formation, properties, and the effects on ecosystem.
Related Instrument Groups
Aerosol Characterization
Emerging Capabilities

Size and Time-Resolved Aerosol Collector

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory’s multifunctional size and time-resolved aerosol collector (STAC) is used to investigate how aerosol physicochemical properties evolve.
Related Instrument Groups
Aerosol Characterization
Emerging Capabilities

Graph Identification of Proteins in Tomograms (GRIP-Tomo)

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is developing a capability that will allow scientists to mine data for patterns using the algorithm of graph identification of proteins in tomograms (GRIP-Tomo), which will improve protein identification and faster structure determination.
Related Instrument Groups
Emerging Capabilities

TerraForms

TerraForms is a group of platforms of custom-designed synthetic environments, microfluidics technologies, and in-house instrumentation to simulate soil properties and visualize soil microbial and plant community dynamics.
Related Instrument Groups
TerraForms (Synthetic Habitats)
Emerging Capabilities

TerraForms: Pore-Scale Micromodels

Pore-scale micromodels simulate soil porosity and aggregate size distribution on a microfluidic platform.
Related Instrument Groups
TerraForms (Synthetic Habitats)
Emerging Capabilities

TerraForms: RhizoChip

RhizoChip provides a microscale soil environment that retains the physical structure of natural soils and can be used to map the molecular environment of roots.
Related Instrument Groups
TerraForms (Synthetic Habitats)
Emerging Capabilities

TerraForms: 3D Bioprinted Synthetic Soil Aggregates

EMSL's three-dimensional bioprinted habitat mimics natural soil and provides a chemically defined, translucent alternative for studying microorganisms.
Related Instrument Groups
TerraForms (Synthetic Habitats)
Emerging Capabilities