PCIGR is continually improving analytical techniques, instrument precision and accuracy, and characterization of standard reference materials that benefit the research community.
The PCIGR team has established a high-precision database of reference materials, together with quality control protocols to monitor analytical accuracy and precision.
The team has also investigated the role of leaching, mineralogy and matrix effects on the precision and accuracy of multicollector ICP-MS for radiogenic and heavy stable isotope analyses.
These efforts have provided the following benefits to the research community:
- New key reference material information.
- Improvement in sample preparation and instrument analysis techniques.
- Improvement in inter-laboratory comparisons.
Click on the Science Snapshot below to see details of an example of PCIGR’s research and development endeavours.
nUBC Facility
PCIGR has been a proud partner with Nu Instruments (UK) since 2012. Nu Instruments uses our 2,200-sq.-ft. nUBC facility, opened in 2013, as a demonstration and testing facility for North America and as an R&D centre for mass spectrometry. nUBC houses four Nu Instruments mass spectrometers (AttoM, Plasma II, Plasma 1700, Nu TIMS for isotope analysis); another two instruments (Nu Plasma, Nu TIMS for geochronology) are housed in our other laboratories. See construction highlights of the nUBC facility here.
The nUBC facility at PCIGR. Photo: D. Weis.
PCIGR gratefully acknowledges the Canada Foundation for Innovation (Leading Edge Fund) and the Government of British Columbia (Knowledge Development Fund). Their $7.5-million investment in the construction of the nUBC facility has substantially expanded and enhanced PCIGR's analytical capacity, which has benefitted the research community and scientific discovery.
Students and researchers are welcome to access nUBC and any of PCIGR's instrumentation for their research projects. Contact us to find out more.