The Materials Characterization Facility houses state-of-the-art characterization tools maintained by technical staff members. Researchers can be trained to operate instruments independently. Learn more about the specifications of equipment available.
Hysitron TI990 TriboIndenter
The TI 990 is an advanced nanomechanical testing system designed to perform specific mechanical tests to obtain
properties such as hardness, modulus, scratch resistance, and wear resistance on nanoscale materials and thin films. The
main part of the system is a proprietary force/displacement transducer that accurately measures forces and
displacements down to uN and nm levels. This transducer is mounted to a piezo nanopositioner that can be used for
accurate placement. The system also includes an optical camera coupled to a 3-axis motorized staging system for
micro-positioning and sample registration. The entire unit is placed on an active vibration dampening system and
is housed in an enclosure to specifically isolate the unit from outside noise.
Quattro S ESEM
The Quattro S is a field emission scanning electron microscope capable of generating and collecting all available information from any type of sample material: it is the most versatile high-resolution low-vacuum FEG SEM with extended low-vacuum capabilities for really challenging samples and dynamic experiments. This newly designed Quattro S is the most versatile high-resolution SEM for characterization, prototyping, and in situ analysis.
Instron Tensile Tester 34TM-50
Panalytical X’Pert MRD Pro X-ray Diffractometer
Evident FluoView FV3000 Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope
The FluoView FV3000 features TruSpectral detection technology for multi-channel spectral imaging with high sensitivity in multiple dynamic ranges. The microscope is equipped with 4X (NA 0.13), 10X (NA 0.40), 20X (0.80) and 60X (oil immersion objective, NA 1.42), a Galvo scan unit, a riser for electrophysiology configuration, a motorized stage and is installed on a vibration isolation table.
