WG Mineralogy

Scientific orientation of the Mineralogy working group

The research of the Mineralogy working group of Prof. Dr. Thorsten Geisler-Wierwille at the Institute of Geoscience at the University of Bonn focuses on the following topics: 

1. Experimental investigations of solid-water reactions, especially on ceramic materials and silicate glasses, including radiation-damaged materials,
2. U-Th-Pb geochronology of U-Th-bearing minerals,
3. experimental investigations of radiation damage in minerals and glasses and its influence on their chemical stability in aqueous solutions, and
4. Raman spectroscopy in geosciences and materials sciences with a special emphasis on Raman investigations of high-temperature solid-solid and solid-water reactions. 

Thereby, a particular focus is on ceramic materials and materials that have been used and are proposed to immobilize high-level radioactive waste and, more recently, on cement-water systems and on biomaterials to better understand fossilization processes. Currently, the working group is working on the optimizing an innovative experimental approach to study solid-water reactions and high-temperature solid-solid and solid-melt reactions in real-time, in situ and operando − i.e., without having to stop the reaction before analysis − using confocal Raman spectroscopy. By using isotope tracers, the approach enables the operando investigation and quantification of reaction and transport processes between solid and aqueous solutions and between solid-solid and solid-melt phases in high-temperature ceramic systems.