Material Characterization Laboratory
Overview
Focoused on the study of metals, alloys, minerals, inorganic and organic compounds, polymers, and amorphous materials, this laboratory uses electrical, structural, and optical characterisation techniques to study materials.
List of equipments
X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD)
X-ray diffraction analysis investigates structure through the use of diffraction. When X-radiation interacts with the electrons of a substance, the X rays are diffracted. The diffraction pattern depends on the wavelength of the X rays employed and on the structure of the object. Radiation of wavelength ~ 1 angstrom (Å), that is, of the order of atomic dimensions, is used to investigate atomic structure. The methods of X-ray diffraction analysis are used to study, for example, metals, alloys, minerals, inorganic and organic compounds, polymers, amorphous materials, liquids, gases, and the molecules of proteins and nucleic acids. X-ray diffraction analysis has been used most successfully to establish the atomic structure of crystalline substances because crystals have a rigid periodicity of structure and constitute naturally produced diffraction gratings for X rays.
Hall-Effect Measurement System
The Hall effect provides a relatively simple method for doing this. Because of its simplicity, low cost, and fast turnaround time, it is an indispensable characterization technique in the semiconductor industry and in research laboratories. The discovery of the Hall effect enabled a direct measure of the carrier density. The polarity of this transverse Hall voltage proved that it is in fact electrons that are physically moving in an electric current. Development of the technique has since led to a mature and practical tool, which today is used routinely for characterizing the electrical properties and quality of almost the entire semiconductor materials used by industry and in research labs throughout the world.
Ellipsometer
Ellipsometry is a well-established method for thin film analysis. It provides material parameters like n and k even for arbitrary anisotropic layers, film thicknesses in the range down to a few Ångström, and ellipsometry is used to analyze the shape of nm-scale surface structures. But, the determination of such manifold information by means of light polarization changing upon reflection at a sample surface requires appropriate optical models.
Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer(TGA)
Thermogravimetric analysis or thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) is a method of thermal analysis in which changes in physical and chemical properties of materials are measured as a function of increasing temperature (with constant heating rate), or as a function of time (with constant temperature and/or constant mass loss). TGA can provide information about physical phenomena, such as second-order phase transitions, including vaporization, sublimation, absorption, adsorption, and desorption. Likewise, TGA can provide information about chemical phenomena including chemisorptions, desolvation (especially dehydration), decomposition, and solid-gas reactions (e.g., oxidation or reduction).
X-Ray Fluorescence System (XRF)
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by bombarding with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. The phenomenon is widely used for elemental analysis and chemical analysis, particularly in the investigation of metals, glass, ceramics and building materials, and for research in geochemistry, forensic science and archaeology.
Thin Film Thermal Evaporation System
Thermal Evaporation involves heating a solid material inside a high vacuum chamber, taking it to a temperature which produces some vapor pressure. Inside the vacuum, even a relatively low vapor pressure is sufficient to raise a vapor cloud inside the chamber. This evaporated material now constitutes a vapor stream, which traverses the chamber and hits the substrate, sticking to it as a coating or film.
Laser Laboratory
Overview
Laser interaction with materials.
List of equipments
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy System (LIBS)
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is one of the promising analytical techniques because of the advantages that it has over other techniques. LIBS have been used in industry, biomedical, archeology, geology, and environment applications. It finds more and more applications in process monitoring due to its rapidity, its noncontact optical nature, and freedom from sample preparation. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy utilizes a focused pulse from a high-powered laser to create plasma in or on a solid, liquid, or gaseous media. Some of the energy in the plasma is used to ablate solid or liquid material (if present), and the plasma rapidly expands to form a gas plasma which is used to analyze the ablated particles. As the plasma cools, continuum emission from the plasma (Bremstraalung emission, which we see as bright white emission) fades, typically much faster than emission lines from neutral and singly-ionized atomic lines, such that each elemental emission line has a particular optimum in particular plasma. This optimum depends on the time and temperature history of the plasma, which in turn is dependent on the laser pulse energy and pulse length. The emission from the spectra can be then quantified and calibration curves can be obtained by standard peak integration or by use of chemometrics, and/or pattern-matching routines can fingerprint the material to determine its type.
Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a spectroscopic method used for studying the structure of molecules, detection of selective species and flow visualization and measurements. It can be used in:
1- Industry
2- Engineering
3- Dentistry
4- Biomedical
5- Acheology
6- Geology
7- Environment
8- Combustion
9- Petrochemical (Detection of heavy metals and radioactive in Arabian crude oil residue)
ND-YAG Laser
ND-YAG Laser is a source of coherent light. It has four harmonics to produce different wavelengths
Catalysis Laboratory
Overview
Focused on synthesis of supported metal nanoparticles catalysts, characterization porous materials and powders, and chemical analysis.
List of equipments
PID Effi Microactivity Reactor
The PID/Particulate Systems Effi Microreactor, is a highly-advanced modular laboratory system for measuring the activity and selectivity of catalysts. The standard platform can be easily adapted to the user’s catalytic testing needs with a variety of configurations and options. The system is compact, completely automated, and equipped with innovative process-control technology. This enables the user to program a series of experiments on a personal computer and obtain real-time results with the highest degree of reproducibility and accuracy.
The Effi Microreactor has been developed to help save time and resources at both the catalyst development stage and the factory report process during the screening. It can accommodate a wide variety of reactions including hydrocracking, hydrotreating, isomerization, hydrogenation, hydrodesulphurization (HDS), oxidation, hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), reforming (aromatization), GTL (Fischer-Tropsch), and steam reforming, to name a few.
Autosorb iQ-XR version Gas Sorption Analyzer
Ideally suited for the most comprehensive physicochemical characterization of the surface and porous structure of discrete solid materials. In particular, this fully integrated analyzer is extensively used in the fields of heterogeneous catalyst and catalyst support R&D and for high throughput and innovative analyses of novel battery and solar energy materials, chemicals and petrochemicals, gas storage, purification and sequestration, semiconductor and membrane development, and general industrial and academic research programs for which the most powerful yet simple instrumentation can simultaneously solve problems and uncover new opportunities for porous solid materials.
Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography (LC-MS 8040)
Combining fast scan speeds with ultrafast polarity switching creates an LCMS/MS instrument that can rapidly analyze numerous compounds regardless of polarity, reach and exceed required levels of detection, and reproducibly quantitate even the narrowest peaks found in modern ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC). This mass spectrometer utilizes three uniquely redesigned pieces of hardware to form our UFtechnology, which gives enhanced sensitivity and allows us to be the leader in quantitative mass spectrometry.
Liquid Chromatography (LC-20 AP)
This fractionation system uses the LC-20AP solvent delivery unit. The maximum flow rate is a powerful 150 mL/min, and with a 20-50 mm internal diameter column, it is suitable for automatic continuous fractionation. With an analysis column size (1 mL/min), studies of separation conditions or load quantities, or verification of the purity of the fractionated liquid, can be performed. The system can be configured from a variety of optional accessories, such as 5 sample injectors, 3 recycle valves, 2 fraction collectors, etc.
Electrochemical Science and Engineering Laboratory
Overview
Electrochemic analyses.
List of equipments
Interface 1000E Potentiostat
The Interface 1000™ potentiostat/galvanostat/ZRA is designed for a wide range of applications.
Features:
• 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 cell connections.
• Currents up to 1 A at 12 V.
• Compliance voltage limit of ± 20V.
• EIS 10 μHz - 1 MHz.
Techniques Available:
• Physical Electrochemistry.
• Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.
• Electrochemical Corrosion.
• Electrochemical Energy.
• Dye Solar Cell Testing.
Battery Testing
