Project Details
Projekt
Time-of-Flight - Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS): exploring the sources and distributions of microbial biomarkers at the µm-range
Applicant
Professor Dr. Volker Thiel
Subject Area
Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Term
from 2009 to 2015
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5471545
Time of Flight - Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a technique that detects inorganic and organic molecules on surfaces, without the need to extract the sample in question. Moreover, ToF-SIMS is able to display at the microscopic level the intensities of any ion detected, thus exceeding by far the resolution achievable with the extract-based techniques routinely used in biomarker studies. The objective of the current project is to provide basic research and experimental work to further advance the utility of ToF-SIMS imaging mass spectrometry for geobiological applications. During the first project term, fundamental data have been obtained on standard biomarker compounds and artificial experimental setups. In this renewal proposal, emphasis will be placed on using imaging mass spectrometry on environmental conditioning films, biofilms, and microbial mats sampled from the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory and saline lakes on Kiritimati. In order to enhance the significance of the spectral data obtained, it is planned to link ToF-SIMS with statistical analysis and microscopic techniques, particularly conventional microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Enhanced knowledge about the spatial localization of organic molecules at the microscopic level will enable a better understanding of the mechanisms of biomineralization, the complex ecological interactions in microbial systems, and will allow for a more clear-cut association of lipid biomarkers with their biological source.
DFG Programme
Research Units
