Dr Sarah Harmer
Contact Details
Tel: +61 8 8302 6864
Fax: +61 8 8302 3683
Email: sarah.harmer@unisa.edu.au
Position
Senior
Research Fellow
Qualifications
BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSA
Background
Sarah received a BAppSc(Hons) in Applied Physics from UniSA in 1999. She
then continued her studies at UniSA completing a PhD in Minerals and
Materials at The Wark. Her project resulted in a chemical mechanism and
patent for improved Cu extraction from Chalcopyrite. She then accepted a
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Western Ontario. Her
research focused on the surface electronic structure of 3d transition metal
sulfide and arsenide fracture surfaces using Synchrotron X-ray photoelectron
Spectroscopy (SXPS) and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES).
Upon returning to Australia in 2005, Sarah worked in the Manufacturing &
Infrastructure Technology Division of CSIRO. In 2006, she returned to The
Wark within the Australian Mineral Science Research
Institute (AMSRI).
Research Interests
• Electronic structure of transition metal sulfides
• The effect of bulk heterogeneities on the surface properties of minerals
• The application and development of spectroscopic techniques for minerals
processing: Synchrotron X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (SXPS); X-ray
Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES); Photoemission Electron Microscopy
(PEEM); Scanning Photoelectron Microscopy (SPEM); Conventional XPS; Time of
Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS); Medium Energy Ion
Scattering (MEIS)
Supervisor - Available Postgraduate/Honours Projects
Surface
speciation of pentlandite as a function of particle size by synchrotron and
conventional x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) (H)
Research Projects
• Surface Mineral Heterogeneity (5.2 AMSRI)
• Bulk Mineral Heterogeneity (5.3 AMSRI)
• ARC Linkage Project LP0989689 Harmer-Bassell and Ametov. Matching
flotation concentrate composition to downstream processing in copper
production at the Olympic Dam Operations of BHP Billiton.
Significant Publications
Buckley, A.N., Skinner, W.M., Harmer, S.L., Pring, A. and Fan, L-J. (2009)
Electronic environment of Cu in carrollite, CuCoS4, determined by soft X–ray
photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy. Accepted Geochimica et
Cosmochimica Acta.
Harmer S.L., Skinner, W.M., Buckley, A.N. and Fan, L-J. (2009) Species
formed at cuprite fracture surfaces; observation of the O 1s core level
shift. Surface Science, 603, 537-545.
Harmer, S.L., Mierczynska-Vasilev, A. and Beattie, D.A. (2008) The Effect of
Bulk Iron content on the Copper Activation of Sphalerite. Minerals
Engineering, 21, 1005-1012.
Buckley, A.N., Skinner, W.M., Harmer, S.L., Pring, A., Lamb, R.N., Fan, L.J.
and Yang, Y. (2007) Examination of the proposition that Cu (II) can be
required for charge neutrality in a sulfide lattice – Cu in tetrahedrites
and sphalerite. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 85, 767- 781.
Pratt, A.R. Zuin, L. and Harmer, S.L. (2007) S L2,3 Edges for a series iron
bearing sphalerite(Zn,Fe)S minerals. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 85,
761-766.
Harmer, S.L., Goncharova, I., Kolarova, R., Lennard, W.N., Muňoz –márquez,
M.A., Mitchell, I., Nesbitt, H.W. Surface structure of sphalerite studied by
medium energy ion scattering. Surface Science, 601, 352–361.
von Oertzen, G., Harmer, S.L., Skinner, W.M. (2006) XPS and Ab initio
calculation of surface states of sulfide minerals: pyrite, chalcopyrite and
molybdenite. Journal Molecular Simulation, 32(15), 1207-1212.
Harmer, S.L., Thomas, J.E., Gerson, A.R. and Fornasiero, D. (2006) The
evolution of surface layers formed on chalcopyrite during leaching in acidic
media. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 70, 4392-4402.
Zakaznova-Iakovleva, V.P., Harmer, S.L., Nesbitt, H.W., Bancroft, G.M.,
Pratt, A.R., Flemming, R. (2005) XPS study of pristine stibnite and
hybridization of Sb atoms. Surface Science, 600(2), 348-356.
Fleet, M.E., Liu, X., Harmer, S.L. and Nesbitt, H.W. (2005) Chemical state
of sulphur in natural and synthetic lazurite by XANES and X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy. Canadian Mineralogist, 43(5), 1589-1603.
Fleet, M.E., Liu, X., Harmer, S.L. and King, K. (2005) Sulphur K-edge XANES
spectroscopy: Chemical state and content of sulphur in silicate glasses.
Canadian Mineralogist, 43(5), 1605-1618.
Harmer, S.L., Pratt, A.R., Nesbitt, H.W. and Fleet, M.E. (2005) Surface
Reconstruction of Bornite Fracture Surfaces. Canadian Mineralogist, 43 (5),
1619-1630. Ranking A.
Fleet, M.E., Liu, X., Harmer, S.L. and Nesbitt, H.W. (2005) Polarized X-ray
absorption spectroscopy of TiS3: S K- and L-edge and Ti L-edge XANES and XPS.
Surface Science, 584, 133-145.
Soldatov, A.V., Kravtsova, A.N., Fleet, M.E., Harmer, S.L. (2005) Local and
Electronic Structure of FeS, CoS, NiS: Ultrasoft Sulfur L2,3 X-ray
Absorption Spectra Analysis. Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related
Phenomena, 144-147, 525-527.
A.V. Soldatov, A.N. Kravtsova, M.E. Fleet, S.L. Harmer (2004) Electronic
structure of MeS (Me=Ni, Co, Fe): X-ray absorption analysis. Journal of
Physics: Condensed Matter, 16, 7545-7556.
Harmer, S.L. and Nesbitt, H.W (2004) Stabilization of Pyrite (FeS2),
Marcasite (FeS2), Arsenopyrite (FeAsS) and Loellingite (FeAs2) Surfaces by
Polymerization and Auto-Redox Reactions. Surface Science, 564, 38-52.
Harmer, S.L., Pratt, A.R., Nesbitt, H.W. and Fleet, M.E. (2004) Sulfur
species at chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) fracture surfaces. American Mineralogist,
89 (7), 1026.
Nesbitt, H.W., Berlich, A.G., Harmer, S.L., Uhlig, I., Bancroft, G.M. and
Szargan, R. (2004) Identification of Pyrite Valence Band Contributions Using
Synchrotron-Excited X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. American Mineralogist,
89 (2-3), 382.
Patents
Filed Patent PR8552 (2001): Harmer, S.L, Thomas, J., Esdaile, L., Shaw, R.
and Gerson, A., Recovery of Copper from Chalcopyrite. The patent is being
sort by Rio Tinto in Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Australia and the
USA.
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
Australian Institute of Physics
American Chemical Society
South Australian Synchrotron Users Network