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Overview: goals and scope of FSC-FTDR MS research

The comprehensive goal of our experimental research is to gain detailed, molecular level insights into phase transitions, dynamics, and chemical reactions in variety of condensed phase systems (crystalline and amorphous solids, and liquids). Although a particular focus of the studies is often defined by interests of the group members, our advanced experimental methods reman continual. These are fast scanning calorimetry (FSC)1, fast thermal desorption-reaction mass spectrometry (FTDR MS)2, and physical vapor deposition (PVD)3 techniques, which are integrated in the form of a large scale, custom-designed experimental apparatus. This versatile and flexible instrument has been used successfully to study vaporization rates of ice2, 4, water self-diffusivity at grain boundaries in polycrystalline ice5, 6, molecular dynamics in amorphous solid water7, 8, 9, softening of ordinary10,11 and "superstable"12,13 glasses, and melting of superheated molecular crystals14. The results of these studies are essential for progress in a variety of applied fields from Environmental Chemistry to Material Science. The focus of our current FSC-FTDR MS studies is on molecular phenomena relevant to permafrost chemistry and its impacts on the environment15,16.