CRC ORE
 Program:

Program 1: Define (P1-005)

ORE

 
Jillian Moffatt refilling liquid nitrogen dewars for the spectrofluorimeter detector

 PhD Topic:

Up-conversion fluorescence properties of minerals

 Institution:

The University of Adelaide

 Research
 Supervisors:

Prof Nigel Spooner

 Expected
 Completion:

November 2019

 Meet Jillian Moffatt:

ORE

Jillian Moffatt has a background in radiogenic luminescence in minerals and glasses. Her research includes:

• An Honours project in optically stimulated and thermally stimulated luminescence in glasses for radiological event analysis.
• Masters research in thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence for quartz sediment dating.
• PhD research in up-conversion fluorescence properties of minerals.

She has also spent time as a laboratory technician in Genalysis Intertek and Amdel Bureau Veritas doing mineral and leach processing activities.

Jillian hopes to continue to work in the luminescence and mineral analysis fields and continue to develop her scientific and analytical skills after her PhD.

 Focus area:

Up-conversion fluorescence properties of minerals.

Jillian’s project seeks to discover and exploit Upconversion Fluorescence (UF) emissions from minerals of economic significance as a means for real-time on-line identification of mineral species. UF has not previously been investigated for applications in the earth sciences, mining or mineral processing. The technology to do so has only become available within the last decade.

Jillian will contribute to the commissioning and validation of the first dual wave-wavelength UF facility at The University of Adelaide. Once commissioning is complete she will perform research and analysis on specific minerals of economic interest to produce a database of UF “fingerprints” that can potentially identify these minerals in the field.

UF is ideally suited to real-time process monitoring and mine operations. Production and detection of the UF spectra are fast and expected to be mineral-specific. The UF fingerprints could ultimately lead to the design and testing of field-deployable devices.