Instruments

Thermogravimetric analysis

TA Instruments TGA 5500

• IR furnace enables fast heating and cooling
• < 0.1 µg resolution
• Autosampler for high productivity
• Blending gas delivery module allows flexibility in mixing inert and reactive gases
• Temperature range: Ambient - 1200 °C

Thermal conductivity

Thermal Conductivity Fox 50

• Accurate, easy-to-use instrument for measuring thermal conductivity according to ASTM C518 and ISO 8301. 
• Temperature range: -10 °C  ̊C to 110 °C 
• Thermal conductivity range: 0.1 to 10W/(mK) (0.633 to 60.3BTU in/hr ft² °F)
• Thermal resistance range: 0.003 to 0.05 m²K/W
• Sample dimensions: Diameter 50 - 62 mm, Maximum Thickness 25 mm

Differential Scanning Calorimetry

TA Instruments DSC Q2500

• Materials characterization (Glass transition, Curing, Heat capacity, QC).
• Temperature range [-120 ̊C to 400 ̊C]
• High resolution (1.3 MP vivid color) digital Microscope camera with a magnification of 50-65X for image and video capture during phase transitions
• Reliable linear autosampler with programmable tray positions for 24/7 operation, and automated calibration

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis

TA Instruments DMA Q850

• Available deformation modes: Dual/single cantilever, 3-point bend, shear sandwich, compression, and film/fiber tension.
•  Liquid nitrogen gas cooling accessory
  
• Temperature range: -145 - 1000 °C

Thermomechanical Analysis

TA Instruments TMA Q400

• Deformation modes: Expansion, Penetration, Tension
• CTE Measurements
• Temperature range: -90 - 1000°C

Wide Angle X-Ray Diffraction

Bruker XRD D8

• TWIN / TWIN optics, excellent peak-to-background ratio enhances sensitivity for minor phases.
• Bragg-Brentano for powders and parallel-beam geometry for coatings and thin films (amorphous, polycrystalline and epitaxial) under ambient conditions.
• DIFFRAC.SUITE software for Identification and quantification of crystalline and amorphous phases, indexing, ab-initio crystal structure determination, and crystal structure refinement.
• Grazing incidence diffraction.
• X-ray reflectometry.

Small Angle X-Ray Diffraction (SAX)

Bruker N8 Horizon

• 2-dimensional VÅNTEC-500^TM detector detects even the weakest SAXS signals.

• Excellent peak-to-background ratio enhances sensitivity from 0 to 5°

SAXS/WAXS/USAXS 

Xeuss 3.0

• Characterize the nanostructure of soft-matter and nanomaterials using transmission or grazing incidence mode.
• Particle size distribution (few nanometers to > 350 nm in diameter).
• Size and shape analysis of surfactants or proteins in solutions.
• Organization and orientation of nanomaterials at atomic/nanoscale, in bulk phases or at surfaces.
• Phase segregation studies .

X-RAY FLUORESCENCE (XRF)

Bruker S6 JAGUAR

• Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WDXRF) for elemental analysis
• Analytical flexibility for the entire element range (F - U)
• 400 W HighSense™ Power: 50% shorter measurement times with better analytical precision compared to EXDRF
• HighSense XE Detection: Full power at 30 kV for light elements and 50 KV for heavy elements

Physical Properties Measurement

Quantum Design PPMS VersaLab

• Portable, cryogen-free cryocooler-based material characterization platform.
• Material characterization up to 3 Tesla.
• Vibrating sample magnetometer enables magnetic moment measurements as a function of temperature or magnetic field.
• Integrated VSM oven option with extended Temperature range: 50 - 1000 K.
• Integrated electron transport (ETO) for conductivity/resistance measurements using 2- and 4-probe configurations.

Electrochemical analysis

Solartron Modulab XM ECS Potentiostat

• Single-channel potentiostat for advanced electrochemical measurements.
• Option for photoelectrochemical measurements.

Electrochemical analysis

Autolab Potentiostat

• Specially designed for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
• Compliance voltage of 30 V, a bandwidth of 1 MHz.
• Electrode connections (2, 3 and 4), Potential range (+/- 10 V), Max current +/- 2 A, Current ranges 1 A to 10 nA.

Solartron analytical 1252A Potentiostat

• Eight-channel potentiostat for concurrent measurements of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties.

Ultraviolet/Visible/Near-infrared spectroscopy

Hitachi U4100 UV-VIS-NIR

• Integrated spheres for characterization of liquid and solid samples.
• High-sensitivity integrating sphere produces low-noise measurements.
• Range: 175 nm to 2600 nm.

FT-IR Spectrometer

Varian 670-IR with mid-IR integrated sphere

• For measuring reflectivity and collecting spectra of solids, analyzing light scattering and/or highly absorbing samples.
• Full spectral range, from UV (50,000 cm^-1) to far-IR (10 cm^-1)
• Mid-band MCT Detector (5000–650 cm^-1).
• Spectral resolution less than 0.07 cm^-1.

Gel permeation/size exclusion chromatography

Agilent PL-GPC 220

• Accommodates a variety of polymer, solvent, and temperature combinations.
• Full automation and advanced detection capabilities.
• Temperature range: Ambient - 220 °C.

Size exclusion chromatography

ACQUITY Advanced Polymer Chromatography System

• High-resolution separations in short run times.
• Multimodal detector module: refractive index, UV photodiode array, and light scattering.

3D Surface profilometer

Keyence VK-X3000

• Magnification up to 28,800×
• Automatic focusing of any materials
• Instant, non-contact surface scanning
• Easy surface differentiation, roughness analysis, and accurate nano-level measurements

Atomic force microscopy

Bruker Dimension Icon AFM

• Nanoscale imaging and characterization with a tip-scanning AFM platform.
• Temperature-compensating position sensors reduce noise to the angstrom (X-Y axes) and sub-angstrom (Z axis) scales.
• Operating Modes: Contact, Tapping, Nanomechanical, Fast Force Mapping

Oxford Jupiter XR AFM

• Operating Modes: Contact, Tapping, Nanomechanical, Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), Force Mapping, Conductive AFM (CAFM), Fast Force Mapping, Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM), Piezoforce Microscopy, Lateral Force Microscopy, AM-FM Viscoelastic Mapping Mode, Magnetic Force Microscopy.
• Operational conditions: Temp stage (-30 - 300 °C), liquid sample holder.
• Atomic resolution up to 0.45 nm.
• Sample size up to 200 mm.

Optical microscopy

Nikon Eclipse LV100

• Compact polarizing microscope
• Quintuple nosepiece with objectives up to 100x

Raman imaging

XploRA PLUS Raman microscope

• Fully confocal Raman images
• Rapid imaging with excellent detection and sensitivity

Tension/compression testing

Instron 5944 Universal Testing System

• Single-column system.
• Pneumatic side action grips and compression grips for tensile, static, and tension-tension cyclic tests for a wide range of materials.
• Ideal for tension and/or compression studies of materials where tests are less than 5 kN (1,100 lbf) load capacity.

Rheology

Discover HR-30 with UV option

• Rheological data under the widest range of measurement conditions (stress-controlled, strain-controlled, or both) with gap position resolution of 0.02 µm.
• Peltier Plate option (-40 °C to 200 °C).
• Environmental Test Chamber (ETC) (up to 600 °C).
• UV curing accessories.

Nanomechanical testing

Micro Materials NanoTest Vantage

• Nanomechanical and nanotribological tests including nanoindentation (quasi-static and dynamic), nano-impact and fatigue, nano-scratch and wear, and nano-fretting.
• Allows testing in a variety of environments including reduced oxygen/purged conditions, under controlled humidity, and in fluid.
• Temperature range: Ambient - 850 °C.

Note: For reservation, and training contact Mac McCord (mmccord@vt.edu). Instrument is located in 123 Norris Hall.

Surface area and porosity measurements

Micromeritics 3 Flex

• Surface characterization analyzer that provides high-resolution adsorption, desorption, and isotherms data.
• Mesopore and micropore analyses of materials such as metal oxides, composites, carbon, catalysts, zeolites.

High vacuum physisorption/chemisorption analyzers

Anton Paar Autosorb iQ C-XR

• Extended range physisorption (2 stations) and chemisorption (1 station, Max. furnace temperature: 1100 °C) analyzer
• Capable of determining specific surface areas below 0.01 m2/g, active areas, pore volumes, and pore size distributions down to 0.35 nm
• Integrated and highly precise sample preparation
• p/p0 Range (XR using nitrogen/argon): 10^-8 to 0.999

Optical Tensiometer

Biolin Scientific Theta Flow

• Contact Angle, Surface tension and Interfacial tension measurements
• Camera autofocus with automatic surface mapping
• 5 MP image quality enhancement with DropletPlus technology and environmental sensors

Tube Furnace

CM 1600 Series Rapid Temp Lab Furnace

• Rapid heating and cooling
• Uniform temperature control.
• Temperature range: Ambient - 1600 °C.

Box Furnace

Thermo Scientific Lindberg Blue M box furnace

• Temperature range: 100 - 1200 °C

Temperature and Humidity Chamber

Espec BTL-433 Temperature & Humidity Chamber

• Humidity range: 10 - 95% relative humidity
• Temperature range: -20 - 180 °C.

Mechanical Press

Carver 4126 25-12-2H Manual Heated Press

• 25 tons of clamping force

3D Printing