Gianfelice Cinque
Infrared Microspectroscopy
Gianfelice Cinque is the principal beamline scientist on the Infrared (IR) MicroSpectroscopy beamline B22 at Diamond. His major scientific interests are in the field of spectroscopy and microprobe studies of condensed matter/solid state physics, surface and materials science, biophysics and biomedical research applications. His previous experience in experimental physics has been in spectroscopy with charged particles - electron (Auger) and ion beams (RBS and micro-PIXE), neutrons (NAA), X-rays (micro- and Total Reflection- XRF) and Synchrotron Radiation (XANES and IR).
Email: Gianfelice Cinque
Tel: +44 (0) 1235 778410
Beamline B22: Infrared Microspectroscopy
Key Research Areas
MicroSpectroscopy, Infrared and Soft X-ray Synchrotron Radiation, XANES, Trace Element Analysis, Condensed Matter Physics, Surfaces, Biophysics, Life Science and Biomedical applications.
Current Research Interests
Synchrotron radiation in the infrared region provides a powerful and non-destructive probe capable of revealing tiny molecular details of new materials, surface phenomena or thin-films, and investigating the inner structure of single living cells or tumoral tissue sections. Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) microspectroscopy combines a molecular sensitive probe like IR with confocal microscopy to enable local compositional analysis and 2-D mapping of samples in the mid-IR, region typically used for vibrational studies, phonon identification or fingerprint molecular recognition. More quantitatively, it can reveal the phonon excitations in thin layers or bulk condensed matter samples.
Currently the coupling of synchrotrons with FTIR microspectroscopy is proving extremely effective since the IR light from a SR is much more bright. SRIR high brilliance in the sub-eV energy region can be 100 to 1000 times greater than conventional broad band laboratory sources. The idea is to probe samples at microscopic scale through imaging IR-active vibrational modes of molecular components. This can be applied to, for example, investigating polymer composite microstructures, detecting electrochemical and catalytic surface reactions, revealing water inclusions in geological rocks, and archaeology and fine arts material studies. In biosciences it can be used to determine oil diffusion in food and follow in vivo living cell biology.
In the medical sciences IR microscopy has been used to image normal and cancer cells and has been the basis for a new diagnostic test for early indications of cancer. Also SR high brilliance clearly benefits IR measurements on small sample structures with a signal-to-noise ratio unreachable by other sources, and allows diffraction limited spatial resolution microscopy when working in confocal mode.
Over the intrinsic brightness, other figures of merit of SR light in terms of FTIR microspectroscopy involve linear (circular) polarization degree, time structure and wide spectral coverage down to the far IR range.
My familiarity with SR beamlines is related to IR and soft X-ray experimental methods applied to spectroscopy and multilayer optics. Most recently, I applied X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) to inorganic and biomedical materials in the specific energy region 1.2 - 4 keV. Using an in-vacuum beamline equipped with a "boomerang" double crystal monochromator the K-edges of light elements – like sulphur and phosphorus in biomedical tissues, silicon in mesostructures and aluminium in nanostructures, or magnesium in geological samples - have been studied, as well as the L-edges of transition metals, e.g. yttrium and molybdenum in magnetic materials.
In biophysics I worked in the field of photosynthesis, in particular time-resolved and steady-state visible spectroscopy and simulations of the energy transfer among chlorophylls or carotenoids in pigment-protein complexes of plant Photosystem II.
My previous biomedical research involved trace element analysis of biomedical tissues and samples, e.g. selenium, or other sub trace element detection by Neutron Activation Analysis and by Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence techniques.
Formerly, I was involved in research using microprobe spectroscopy - like micro-Proton Induced X-ray Emission, micro-Ion Beam Induced Luminescence and micro-X Ray Fluorescence - to the characterization of either impurities/defects in new materials/devices - e.g. Titanium diffusion in Ti-implanted bones or recombination centres in diamond based detectors - or for mapping biological processes - e.g. drug diffusion in cell clusters as in-vitro model of micrometastasis.
Selected Publications
- "Characterization of aluminium nitride nanostructures by XANES and FTIR spectroscopies with synchrotron radiation", C.Balasubramanian, S.Bellucci, G.Cinque, A.Marcelli, M.CestelliGuidi, M.Piccinini, A.Popov, A.Soldatov and P.Onorato, J. Physics Condensed Matter 18, 2095–2104 (2006)
- "Polarized XANES spectroscopy: The K edge of layered K-rich silicates", A.Marcelli, G.Cibin, G.Cinque, A.Mottana, M.F.Brigatti, Radiation Physics and Chemistry 75 1596–1607, (2006)
- "X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy of sulphur in biomolecules: two examples from Glutathione and Insulin", G.Cinque, G.Bellisola, M.Colombatti and E.Burattini, Acta Physica Polonica A 109 335-340 (2006)
- "A Vacuum Soft X-ray Reflectometer for the Characterization of Multilayer Mirrors by Synchrotron Radiation at DAFNE", G.Cinque, A.Raco, A.Frani, A.Grilli, A.Marcelli, V.Mattarello, A.Patelli, V.Rigato and G.Cibin, 9th International Conference on Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation 2006, AIP Conference Proceedings Vol. 879, 575-578 (2007)
- "Monitoring of the Heavy-Metal Hyperaccumulation in Vegetal Tissues by X-ray Radiography and by Femto-Second Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy", J. Kaiser, O. Samek, L. Reale, M. Lis˘Ka, R. Malina, A. Ritucci, A. Poma, A. Tucci, F. Flora, A. Lai, L. Mancini, G. Tromba, F. Zanini, A. Faenov, T. Pikuz And G. Cinque, Microsc Res Tech. 70(2),147-53 (2007);