Materials Science and Engineering

Facilities

Biomaterials and Biosurfaces Laboratory
This laboratory contains 10 kN biaxial and 5 kN uniaxial servo-hydraulic mechanical testing machines, a Fluoroscan X-ray system, a microscopic imaging system, a spectra fluorometer, a table autoclave, centrifuge, vacuum oven, CO2 incubators, biological safety cabinet, thermostatic water baths, precision balance and ultrasonic sterilizer.

Biomimetics Design Laboratory
This laboratory contains a 45/450N high frequency (up to 200 Hz) uniaxial electromagnetically-driven dynamic mechanical tester; diamond wire saw; stereo optical microscope with digital image capture; lyophilizer; high temperature elevator furnace; precision 6-digit balance; shear mixer; liquid nitrogen freeze-casting system.

Ceramics Processing Laboratory
This laboratory contains a photo-resist spinner, impedance analyzer, Zeta potential meter, spectrofluorometer, piezoelectric d33 meter, wire-bonder, and laser displacement meter.

Dynamic Characterization Laboratory
This laboratory contains metallographic sample preparation (sectioning, mounting and polishing) facilities; inverted metallograph; microhardness tester; automated electropolishing for bulk and TEM sample preparation; SEM tensile stage for EBSD; magneto-opticalKerr effect magnetometer.

MAX Phase Ceramics Processing Laboratory
This laboratory contains a vacuum hot-press; cold isostatic press (CIP) and hot isostatic press (HIP) for materials consolidation and synthesis; precision dilatometer; laser scattering particle size analyzer; impedance analyzer, creep testers, and assorted high temperature furnaces.

Mechanical Testing Laboratory
This laboratory contains mechanical and closed-loop servo-hydraulic testing machines, hardness testers, impact testers, equipment for fatigue testing, metallographic preparation facilities and a rolling mill with twin 6" diameter rolls.

Mesostructured Materials Laboratory
This laboratory contains facilities for nanostructure sample growth/synthesis, processing and measurement, including chemical vapor and atomic layer deposition; microwave plasma cleaning, fume hoods and a glove box; low-temperature and high-vacuum electronic and optoelectronic transport and electronics instrumentation; a scanning electron microscope equipped with electron beam lithography; and a scanning probe microscope.

Nanomaterials Laboratory
This laboratory contains instrumentation for testing and manipulation of materials under microscope, high-temperature autoclaves, Sievert’s apparatus; glove-box; high-temperature vacuum and other furnaces for the synthesis of nano-carbon coatings and nanotubes; electro-spinning system for producing nano-fibers.

Oxide Films and Interfaces Laboratory
This laboratory contains an oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) thin film deposition system; tube furnace.

Powder Processing Laboratory
This laboratory contains vee blenders, ball-mills, sieve shaker + sieves for powder classification, several furnaces (including one with controlled atmosphere capability); and a 60-ton Baldwin press for powder compaction.

Soft Matter Research and Polymer Processing Laboratories
These laboratories contain computerized thermal analysis facilities including differential scanning calorimeters (DSC), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA); single-fiber tensile tester; strip biaxial tensile tester; vacuum evaporator; spincoater; centrifuge; optical microscope with hot stage; liquid crystal tester; microbalance; ultrasonic cleaner; laser holographic fabrication system; polymer injection molder and single screw extruder.

Natural Polymers and Photonics Laboratory
This laboratory contains a spectroscopic ellipsometer for film characterization; high purity liquid chromatography (HPLC) system; lyophilizer; centrifuge; refractometer; electro-spinning system for producing nano-fibers.

X-ray Tomography Laboratory
This laboratory contains a high resolution X-ray tomography instrument and a cluster of computers for 3D microstructure reconstruction; mechanical stage, a positioning stage and a cryostage for in-situ testing. For more information on departmental facilities, please visit the Department’s Facilities page at http://www.materials.drexel.edu/Research/

Centralized Research Facilities
The College of Engineering’s centralized characterization facilities contain state-of-the-art materials characterization instruments, including environmental and variable pressure field-emission scanning electron microscopes with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental analysis, and Orientation Image Microscopy (OIM) for texture analysis; a new Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) with STEM capability and TEM sample preparation equipment; a new dual beam FIB system for nanocharacterization and nanofabrication; a new femtosecond/terahertz laser Raman spectrometer system; visible and ultraviolet Raman micro spectrometers with a total of 7 excitation wavelengths for non-destructive chemical and structural analysis and Surface Enhanced Raman (SERS); a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer with a microscope and full array of accessories; a Nanoindenter; an X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS)/Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) system; an X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD).

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s high resolution X-ray microtomography (Micro CT) system is also located within this facility.

More details of these instruments, information how to access them and instrument usage rates can be found at http://crf.coe.drexel.edu/