This equipment is useful for rheological measurements of soft materials. Located in the Dickey Lab at NCSU.
Duke’s MRSEC Soft Matter Lab contains instrumentation for synthesis of colloids and biopolymers and for characterization of their assemblies. These include capacity for synthesis and purification of recombinant biopolymers, microfluidic production of colloids, high throughput production of nanoparticles. The primary Duke MRSEC research resources are housed in the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (FCIEMAS). They include instruments and facilities that enable IRG1, IRG2 and Seed research projects that will be augmented as the Center matures. Instrumentation thus far include an upgraded AFM system, an upgraded contact angle goniometer system, a custom-built surface plasmon resonance system, a tissue culture laboratory, a system for interferometric nanolithography, a facility for expression of recombinant proteins and a temperature programmed multi-well UV/Vis spectroscopy system. The FCIEMAS MRSEC facilities are now fully functional and available to all MRSEC researchers. A secondary MRSEC resource at Duke is located in the French Family Science Center and includes a wire exploder facility consisting of a 20 F, 20 kV capacitor (storing 8,000 Joules) that, when charged and discharged across a metal or semiconducting wire (typically 0.5 mm in diameter, 70 mm in length), causes the wire to vaporize in a matter of microseconds, leaving behind a high yield of nanoparticles. The chemistry of the nanoparticles can be controlled not only by choosing to explode a wire made from a desired material, but also by the chemical content of the explosion medium, which can be either gas or liquid. With this method, tens of grams of nanoparticles of nearly any desired composition and surface chemistry can be generated in an hour. This capability will allow MRSEC researchers to make assemblies of particles containing nearly any desired composition, and at gram-scale quantities. The wire exploder is currently being upgraded with a new capacitor and instrumentation to enable improved monitoring and control of the explosion process, which will in turn enable greater control over particle sizes.
This equipment is useful for rheological measurements of soft materials. Located in the Dickey Lab at NCSU.
Molecular Force Probe 3D atomic force microscope with advanced imaging modes such as force modulation microscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy, and lithography capabilities. The instrument is located in Prof. Zauscher's lab, 3384 CIEMAS, on Duke's West Campus. Access can be negotiated for Triangle MRSEC related projects and needs to be discussed with Prof. Zauscher.
Allows for measuring concentrations and yields of nanowires in solution. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center at Duke.
Used for label free studies of biomolecular binding, in samples ranging from small molecules to crude extracts, lipid vesicles, viruses, bacteria and eucaryotic cells. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Measures changes in optical densities at wavelength ranging from 190 to 900 nm. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
With an operating range from 175-1800 nm, the Cary 6000i is world’s first double beam UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer with InGaAs detection to take advantage of the dramatically reduced noise and improved sensitivity the detector provides in the NIR. It is 100 times more sensitive than PbS, with a photodynamic linear range of up to 8 Abs. Allows for the measurement of the transmittance and absorbance of nanowire films. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center
A Keithley 2400 with a Signatone four point electrical measurement probe and associated software allows for the rapid measurement of sheet resistance. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center at Duke.
Used to disrupt cells, mix, disperse, emulsify and homogenize liquid samples by applying sound energy. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
The Gatan Tensile Stages for SEM brings a powerful dimension to traditional tensile testing of a wide range of materials by allowing in-situ SEM imaging of the changes in microstructure during the deformation experiment.
Visible-range high-performance color measurement spectrophotometer that measures the full range of human color perception. Can be used to measure the reflectance and haze (light scattering) of nanowire films. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center.
IBM Blade Center Linux cluster with 192 CPUs, Inte4l Xeon processor, 4GB per core distributed memory and dual gigabit interconnects
Used for molecular modeling and simulations of soft materials. Located at NCSU, contact Dr. Yingling.
The Instron is an extensometer that can measure stress / strain in tensile mode and can also do peel tests. It is useful for measuring the modulus of materials and mechanical properties. Located in the Dickey Lab at NCSU.
UV nanoscale lithography
Used for quantification and analysis of nano and microparticle particles based on monitoring current flow between two fluid cells. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Allows for routine imaging of nanowires with dark-field microscopy. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center at Duke.
Capable of incubating and shaking up to six 4-L flasks. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Equipped with dark-field, oil-immersion condenser, 100x oil immersion objective, and 3.2 MP CMOS color digital camera for taking high-resolution videos of nanowires in solution. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center at Duke.
Harrick PDC-001. Allows for modification of the wetting properties and cleaning of substrates. Located in the Wiley lab space, French Family Science Center at Duke.
Capable of centrifuging up to six 50 ml liquid samples up to 20000rpm. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Capable of centrifuging 6 liters of liquid at a time up to 4000 rpm. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Capable of centrifuging up to six 50 ml liquid samples up to 20000rpm. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
TA Instruments Nano-DSC differential scanning calorimeter. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Used to amplify segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Used for imaging DNA and protein gels using transillumination and white light. Located in the Fitzpatrick Center of Duke.
Production of nanopowder with wire explosion will utilize the custom-built electrical system and explosion chamber. This system principally consists of a 40 kV, 7.5 mA DC power supply (Glassman High Voltage), two 20 mF capacitors (Condenser Products), a trigatron spark discharge switch (R. E. Beverly III & Associates), instrumentation to monitor current and voltage during charging and discharge, and a number of electrical devices that ensure safe operation of the exploder.
MRFN.org is supported by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation. Image in the header is courtesy of CRISP MRSEC.