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MUSIICS

The MUSIICS platform (MUlti Scale Infrared Imaging platform for Complex Systems) is a vibrational spectroscopy platform dedicated to multi-scale analysis, ranging from centimeters to nanometers, of complex materials—whether organic, inorganic, or hybrid. It primarily utilizes the AFM-IR technique, which was invented and developed within the institute by Prof. Alexandre Dazzi. This technique is based on the coupling of an infrared (IR) laser with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to measure the thermal expansion of samples absorbing the IR radiation. This coupling allows the platform to surpass the diffraction limit and conduct IR measurements with lateral resolutions down to a few nanometers. The platform is spread across two sites:

The main site at the Institute of Physical Chemistry (Building 350) includes the following instruments:

                • FTIR Vertex Spectrometer
                • FTIR Lumos Microscope
                • NanoIR2 AFM-IR System
                                • AFM Modes: contact and tapping
                                • Top-side illumination
                                • QCL IR Lasers: 900 – 1900 cm⁻¹ and 750 – 950 cm⁻¹ (in development)
                • Classic IconIR AFM-IR System
                                • AFM Modes: contact, tapping, peak-force, and force-volume
                                • Top-side illumination
                                • QCL IR Lasers: 900 – 1900 cm⁻¹
                • Environmental IconIR AFM-IR System (in development)
                                • AFM Modes: contact, tapping, peak-force, and force-volume
                                • Top-side illumination
                                • QCL IR Lasers: 900 – 1900 cm⁻¹; 2700 – 3200 cm⁻¹
                                • OPO IR Laser: 2700 – 4000 cm⁻¹
                • OPTIR Mirage System
                                • Method: Optical Photo-thermal Infrared (OPTIR) measurement and Raman spectroscopy
                                • Visible Laser: 532 nm
                                • QCL IR Lasers: 900 – 1900 cm⁻¹ and OPO Laser: 2700 – 4000 cm⁻¹

An annex at the IPANEMA laboratory (located at the SOLEIL synchrotron site) includes the following instruments :

                • NanoIR2s AFM-IR System
                                • AFM Modes: contact and tapping
                                • Top-side illumination
                                • QCL IR Lasers: 1350 – 1900 cm⁻¹
                • Liquid AFM System Coupled with Fluorescence Catalyst
                                • AFM Modes: contact, tapping, and force-volume
                                • Possible coupling with fluorescence
                                • AFM-IR compatibility (in development)

The platform offers privileged access to research teams working on ancient materials, archaeological materials, heritage objects, and astrophysical materials, with access granted through call for projects for time dedicated to these specific themes. For other research areas, the platform is accessible upon direct request.

Example of AFM-IR Results Obtained on the MUSIICS Platform as Part of the Hayabusa 2 Space Mission – Analysis of Ryugu Asteroid Sample A0108-19 - Left: AFM Topography (in gray) and infrared absorption maps at 1460 cm⁻¹ (in blue) for CHx absorption, at 1720 cm⁻¹ (in red) for C=O absorption, and at 1600 cm⁻¹ (in green) for C=C absorption. - Center: RGB composite image derived from infrared absorption maps, highlighting the spatial distribution of various chemical compounds. - Right: Local absorption spectra obtained along the white line in the RGB composite image, showing the presence of two distinct families of chemical compounds within the matrix (spectra S1 and S3) and within a CHx-rich globule (spectra S2) (Figure adapted from [Mathurin2024])