Access to and use of Research Facilities with multiple specialty equipment spaces allows for well-designed flow through practices to collaborate across complementary techniques. The ability to rely on the expertise of technical staff for sample preparation protocols for multiple techniques results in robust data gathering practices for researchers, especially those innovating their field.
As the Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF) is a multi-disciplinary facility, providing users with a sample preparation guideline to yield them maximum results – from often a minimal sample submission quantity – is essential to their research goals. This workflow needs to be discussed prior to experiments, as often the way treatments are set-up in their experimental design or treated/stored post the experiment is detrimental to a technique they wish to use downstream. This is particularly important for biological-based or mixed biological-materials projects, especially those that require sample preparation methods with reduced chemical usage, or for use with equipment that is hypersensitive to chemical bonding changes (e.g. vibrational spectroscopy, electron microscopy energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EM-EDS)).
Additionally, encouraging a step-down approach to data collection – macro or bulk techniques to fine-scale micro-analytical techniques – allows users to perform accurate cross-technique comparisons with confidence. This includes transitioning from e.g. X-Ray Diffraction, FT-IR/Raman and/or LA-ICPMS to EM/imaging platforms. Doing step-down sample and data processing allows for robust data gathering practices and can readily show where sample problems are present prior to high-end techniques, reducing facility and personal time wastage.
Working with users to perfect this bespoke decision-making process for their samples at the experimental start means less frustration and restrictions downstream, when returning to perform further analysis.
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