Shared facility operated by the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (NCMN). The Facility is dedicated to materials identification and characterization through non-destructive, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. The specific applications include Powder diffraction, x-ray reflectometry, small angle scattering, pole figure, reciprocal space mapping, Grazing incidence in-plane diffraction, x-ray crystallography etc. Non-ambient powder and single crystal diffraction is also available at selected temperature range.

Since 1962, the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides a large array of instrumentation for the fabrication, processing and characterization of materials operating as shared-instrumentation under the MRL Central Research Facilities. Instrument access, training and research support is provided to all research, academic and industrial institutions in the country in a 24/7/365 open-access mode. The facilities are managed under the philosophy that scientific research is most effectively advanced through a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment with shared instrumentation supported by highly skilled professionals.

FUNCTION: The primary function is to provide general-purpose equipment for X-ray scattering and fluorescence studies. The facility can also provide equipment for non-routine experiments such as, special attachments for high temperatures, vacuum or protective atmospheres, monochromators, special linear and area detectors, etc. Examples of current measurements are: powder diffraction (XRD), single-crystal diffraction, thin-film reflectivity (XRR), thin-film diffraction, crystal truncation rod scattering (CTR), small angle scattering (SAXS), Laue diffraction, pole figures, energy dispersive X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy, x-ray standing waves, high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), and grazing incidence wide-angle scattering (GIWAXS), and GISAXS. The X-ray lab also functions to help prepare students and postdocs for their beamtime at the Advanced Photon Source (APS).

EQUIPMENT:There are presently thirteen experimental x-ray stations available, five of which have rotating anode sources.

COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE:All of the x-ray stations operate via networked PC's with
software that allows for control via stepping motors and data collection via counters. A
networked printer and wireless network are provided. Available software includes: ICDD PDF4+ database, MDI-JADE xrd analysis, CrystalMaker, and Laue diffraction software packages are available. LINUX based SPEC and NEWPLOT (also used at the APS) are available on four of the stations.

Location: LRSM 13
Supervisor/Coordinator: Iryna Golovina
Contact: Iryna Golovina
Phone: 215-573-9482
Email: [email protected]
Oversight Committee Chair: Karen I. Winey

The heart of this facility is a state of the art instrument for ultra-small to wide angle X-ray scattering. The Xeuss 2.0 from Xenocs permits characterization over length scales from 0.09 nm to 600 nm and thus facilitates study of hierarchical structures in a wide range of hard and soft materials. Features and capabilities include:

• Dual copper and molybdenum X-ray sources.
• Dual detectors: a 1M Pilatus solid state detector for small angle scattering, and a 100K Dectris detector for scattering up to 45°.
• Adjustable sample-to-detector distance between 15 cm and 6 meters allows measurements for variable d-spacing ranges.
• Temperature-dependent measurements between -90°C and +250°C.
• Tensile stage with temperature control.
• Simultaneous control of temperature and humidity.
• Multiple sample holders for measurements in transmission or grazing incidence configuration.

The facility is available to Penn faculty, staff, and students, and to outside users on an hourly fee basis.

Non-Penn academic users: $60/hour
Non-academic users: $300/hour or $3000/24-hour day
There is no charge for initial training

DEXS Measurement Service is available at an additional 39% administrative fee to the total cost of service for outside users who are unable to visit the facility directly.

Cutting-edge research at Penn is conducted using DEXS equipment.

For videos, prepared by Paul Heiney, that provide an introduction to modern techniques of X-ray diffraction, please visit the X-Ray Scattering Lecture Series page hosted by the Penn’s Scholarly Commons.

Oversight Committee:

Eric Detsi
Zahra Fakhraai
Paul A. Heiney
Christopher B. Murray
Chinedum Osuji
Eric Stach
Karen I. Winey

Funding for this instrument was provided by a NSF-MRI grant (17-25969), a ARO-DURIP grant (W911NF-17-1-0282), and the University of Pennsylvania.

Facilities users must include the following text in the acknowledgement section of their publications:

“The authors acknowledge use of the Dual Source and Environmental X-ray Scattering facility operated by the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter at the University of Pennsylvania (NSF MRSEC 17-20530). The equipment purchase was made possible by a NSF MRI grant (17-25969), a ARO DURIP grant (W911NF-17-1-0282), and the University of Pennsylvania.”

The central NIAC facility has provided materials researchers and industrial clients with electron microscopy imaging and analytical analysis, surface analysis and x-ray diffraction serves for over 25 years. The NIAC houses:

• Dynacool PPMS System
• J.A. Woollam Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometer (VASE) and Infrared VASE (IR-VASE) systems
• Cameca Local Electrode Atom Probe
• Three scanning electron microscopes with Electron Dispersive X-ray spectrometers
• Four transmission electron microscopes, with Cryo TEM tomography and an FEI Titan aberration corrected (S)TEM
• A surface analysis instrument: a Thermo Fisher k-alpha X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer
• Three atomic force microscopes including a Bruker Icon and a Bruker Catalyst BioAFM
• Two dual-beam focused ion beam instruments, including a Plasma Focused Ion Beam
• An Andor Spinning Disk Confocal Microscope
• A confocal micro-Raman spectrometer (Horiba LabRAM HR Evolution)
• A small-angle x-ray diffractometer (SAXS)
• Three additional Diffractometers
• A ZYGO Optical Interferometer
• A Horiba Nanolog spectrofluorometer
• A UV/VIS Dual Beam Fluorometer

For use, questions or more information, please contact the DIrector of MRSEC facilities:

Dr. Jerry Hunter

(608) 263-1073

[email protected]

Computational Biomimetics Laboratories are exclusive to GEMSEC and consist of a cluster of about 360 processors with a cumulative processing power of 4.7 x 1012 instructions per clock (661 GHz), 169 GB RAM, and 30568 GB HD. All the machines run the Linux operating system. These exclusive facilities, under the leadership of Samudrala (Microbiology), are available for the GEMSEC's computational needs. Computational, modeling and visualization facilities are also present in MSE (Roberts 121, Sarikaya), and Chem. Eng. (Benson 333, Baneyx) departments. Contact Dr. Hanson Fong for details.

Solution Biomimetics Facilities include solution and electro- chemistry. These shared facilies focus on synthesis of inorganics, such as metals, non-metals, and semiconductors in the form of nanoparticles, quantum dots, ordered arrays in 1, 2 and 3D, such as nanowires and patterned thin films. These laboratories are located in Benson 247 (electrochemitry, Schwart), Bagley 195 (solution chemistry, Xia), and Wilcox 133 (solution chemistry, Sarikaya). Contact Dr. Hanson Fong for details.

The Thermal Characterization Facility is used as a research and teaching facility. It consists in two dynamic scanning calorimeters (DSC) and one thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA). The DSC instruments are used for the characterization of thermal transitions such as crystallization, melting, and glass transitions as well as the measurement of other thermal properties such as heat capacity and reaction rates. The TGA instrument is used to characterize the thermal stability of organic materials and the volatile content of materials. Teaching activities include the use of DSC instruments in the Polymer 602 Characterization Laboratory.

The Minnesota Nano Center, or MNC, is a state-of-the-art facility for interdisciplinary research in nanoscience and applied nanotechnology. The Center offers a comprehensive set of tools to help researchers develop new micro- and nanoscale devices, such as integrated circuits, advanced sensors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and microfluidic systems. The MNC is also equipped to support nanotechnology research that spans many science and engineering fields, allowing advances in areas as diverse as cell biology, high performance materials, and biomedical device engineering.

The MNC is composed of two main facilities, located in Keller Hall and in the new Physics and Nanotechnology (PN) building. The new PN Lab facility features a 5000 square foot Class 100 cleanroom with state-of-the-art tools for fabricating structures under 100 nanometers in size. The PN facility also offers two new specialized labs to support interdisciplinary research in bio- nanotechnology and nano-and micrometer-scale materials.

The MNC also maintains full facilities for microfabrication in Keller Hall. The Keller Lab has a 3000 square foot Class 100 clean room, and an additional 4000 square feet of labs and support areas. The tool set in this clean room is ideal for fabricating MEMS and other devices with features size of one micron or larger.

The labs and tools of the Minnesota Nano Center are open to all qualified users. We welcome researchers from industry and other academic institutions. Use this site to learn about the MNC and the nanotechnology research advancing at the University of Minnesota, and find out how we can support your research and development efforts!

The Nanotech West Lab of Ohio State is the largest nanotechnology user facility in the State of Ohio. With currently over 200 total internal (Ohio State) and external users, Nanotech West supports more than 80 research and development projects per year including use by over 30 external users, predominantly startup companies in the Ohio region. Nanotech West consists of a 6,000 square foot class 100 cleanroom facility, a 4,000 square foot Biohybrid Laboratory, and other laboratory and office space in the Science Village Building at 1381 Kinnear Road on the West Campus of the University.

The cleanroom facility is a 100mm wafer (and small parts) process flow that features state-of-the-art electron beam lithography, plasma etch, and atomic layer deposition capabilities, among others. A full list of capabilities and their primary staff contacts can be found here. In the cleanroom, engineering staff maintains equipment and trains users in its safe usage, and is available for process development assistance.

The Biohybrid Laboratory primarily supports the operations of the Ohio State NSF-sponsored Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), the Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices (CANPBD). A limited amount of equipment is available for external users. Other laboratory space in the building also includes a major metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) tool capable of III-V compound semiconductor epitaxial growth.

The Lab is also home to the Ohio State node of the Ohio Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (PVIC). With its other node at the University of Toledo, this Center was funded with $18.6M of Ohio Third Frontier Program funding and $29M in cost-share from its initial members that included Ohio industry, academia, and not-for-profit organizations. PVIC is now operating on membership funds from its numerous partners. PVIC, like the earlier Wright Center for Multifunctional Polymeric Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND), has been a substantial source of capital funds for the Lab.

Nanotech West is staffed by 6 full-time engineers, 1 full-time administrator, and additional Associate Staff and engineering and office student interns. Most of the engineering Core Staff have extensive experience in semiconductor or closely related industries.

Nanotech West initially began in 2001 as the Ohio MicroMD Facility, targeted towards industrial bioMEMS technology development. It was the first lab in the US to have a biological capability - its Biohybrid Lab - coupled with a full-flow cleanroom microfabrication process capability. As nanofabrication capabilities and Ohio State usage increased the lab was renamed in 2005, also to reflect its location on the easily-accessible West Campus. Nanotech West is administered through the OSU Institute for Materials Research, which in turn reports to the OSU Office of Research.