Nicholas Wozniak

Nicholas Wozniak
Office: HRC 405
Mail code: 4009
Phone: (517) 672-6617
Fax: (702) 895-3094
Email: [email protected]
Biography
Nicholas Wozniak is a 3rd year student in the UNLV Radiochemistry PhD Program. He
received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry as well as his Bachelor of Science in
Physics from Hope College, Holland, Michigan. He is currently researching at Los
Alamos Nation Lab.
Research
Spectroscopic Signatures for Forensic Sciences
Signatures arising from production, conversion, and aging processes are chemical in
nature, and optical measurements reveal the potential to detect persistent molecular
signatures characteristic of material origin, age or process history. The ability to
quantitatively identify new anthropogenic signatures from natural background signals is
an important theme for forensic sciences. The characterization of vibrational structure of
uranyl materials and minerals formed under environmental conditions will be used to
evaluate spectra collected from anthropogenic uranium –bearing materials and uranium
minerals.
Vibrational spectroscopy deals with two main techniques: infrared
spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. In infrared spectroscopy, photons in the infrared
region of the electromagnetic spectrum are used to induce vibrational excitation of
molecules, resulting in absorption of the photons. The resulting absorption spectrum is a
unique reflection of the molecular structure of the sample. Raman spectroscopy relies on
the inelastic scattering of monochromatic light, usually from a laser. The light interacts
with molecular vibrations, resulting in a shift in the energy of the laser photons. The
resulting shift yields information about the vibrational modes, and thus the molecular
structure of the system. Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy give similar, yet
complementary, information. Synthetic uranium compounds, found throughout the
processing of uranium for fuel, will by synthesized and characterized using vibrational
spectroscopic techniques.
LA-UR-14-28585
Publications, Presentations and Awards
Forensic Application of the Luminescence of Uranyl Compounds in the Solid State
Los Alamos National Lab 2014 Student Symposium –
University of New Mexico, Los Alamos
Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, August 5, 2014
Photoreduction Synthesis of U (IV) Nanoparticles
American Nuclear Society 2014 Student Conference – Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania, USA, April 3-6, 2014
Photoreduction Synthesis of U(IV) Organophosphate Nanoparticles from Uranyl
Percholorate
American Nuclear Society 2013 Student Conference – Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Boston, Massachusetts, USA, April 4-6, 2013