Equipment
Raman Spectroscopy
Named after its inventor C.V. Raman, Raman spectroscopy is often used to identify molecules. The detection is based on the interaction of photons, normally from a laser, with the sample. This interaction creates a Raman shift which provides a structural fingerprint which can be used to identify the composition of the sample. While similar to infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy can offer complimentary information. Our lab houses a variety of Raman spectroscopy equipment, including commercial devices that operate at 785nm and 1064nm wavelengths.
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy is a technique that uses infrared light to characterise samples and is popular in a range of applications including: Lifesciences, material science and semiconductor fabrication. The light interacts with sample which shifts the energy of the photons. This provides a structural fingerprint which can be used to identify the composition of the sample. A Fourier transform infrared spectrometer makes uses of the titular Fourier transform to make this process much faster, allowing a broader spectral range to be investigated. Our lab is equipped with a Bruker Invenio benchtop FTIR system with an attached Hyperion 2 FTIR Microscope.
Laser Micromachining
Powerful pulsed lasers allow the precision cutting of metals, ceramics and plastics. This can be used to create new devices or add functions, such as hydrophobicity, through surface patterning to existing devices. Our lab is equipped with two micromachining stages and several lasers that allows us to machine with a variety of wavelengths including ultraviolet, visible and infrared.
Rapid Prototyping
Rapid prototyping allows innovative solutions to irregular requests to be quickly trailed. We maintain several machines that assist in creating these solutions. These machines include: A CO2 laser cutter, several filament-based 3D printers, some with dual nozzle / multi-material capability, a high-resolution Formlabs Form2 Resin Printer and a Pocket NC desktop-5 Axis milling machine.
Cleanroom Fabrication / Photolithography
We maintain a cleanroom specifically fitted to fabricate microfluidic devices and can complete the process from start to finish, with the ability to fabricate our own chrome masks and bond silicone to glass. Our cleanroom is equipped with a yellow room for UV sensitive photoresists, a set of Laurell Spin Coaters, hot plates and oven, A Heidelberg microPG 101 mask writer, ABM Inc Contact Mask Aligner and March-CS 1701 Reactive Ion Etcher.
Metal deposition
Sputter coating or thermal evaporation allows thin metallic films to be deposited on a variety of different substrates, as sample preparation for further analysis or as a fabrication step of its own. We maintain three different metal deposition devices: A Quorum Q150 RS sputter coater, a HHV BT-300 sputter coater and an Edwards Auto 306 thermal evaporator.
Hyper Spectral Imaging
Hyper spectral imaging captures spectral and spatial information using near-infrared wavelengths to give insights into the chemical differences in relation to the position of the sample. For example, when scanning a Renaissance etching, we were able to identify spectra differences in the ink applied, highlighting areas of the artwork that had been redrawn in a later restoration. The camera powering our hyperspectral imaging system is a Resonon Pika NIR-320 Camera which performs macroscopic reflectance imaging spectroscopy. The instrument has a spectral range of 887-1727 nm and a resolution of 8.8 nm.
Wettability Measurement
Wettability measurement have become a focal point in nanomaterial research due to the correlation between wettability and the bonding of two different materials. Our lab contains a Biolin Attention Theta optical tensiometer allowing us to measure the contact angle of a liquid on a solid which gives a measure of the wettability.
Morphology
Morphology and surface structure is important for understanding the behaviours of different materials and our lab is equipped with a variety of different means of observing the features of an object. Our optical microscopes allow us to quickly inspect objects with minimum sample preparation. When we require higher magnifications, our Jeol JCM- 6000 desktop scanning electron microscope fills the need as it sits between standard optical microscopes and bulkier high-resolution SEMs. When simple measurements are no longer sufficient our Brukker GT-K optical profilometer and Brukker Dektak stylus profilometer allow us to gather quantitative values for the surface roughness of objects in addition to observing a samples general topography.