Central Analytical Research Facility
The Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF) contains state-of-the-art instruments for analysing the physical, mechanical, chemical and biological properties of solids, liquids and gases.
Laboratories
CARF includes laboratories dedicated to electron microscopy, light microscopy, X-ray analysis, analytical chemistry, particle analysis, physical and mechanical properties, environmental analysis, proteomics and genomics.
Analytical chemistry laboratory
Contacts
Equipment
|
Instrument |
Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Virtis 5L Freeze Dryer | Drying/water removal from solid samples including sediments, plant material and soils. | R431 |
| TPS pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen meters and ion probes | pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and specific ion measurement for aqueous samples. | R431 |
| Bench top preparation | Bench area for sample and reagent preparation. Glassware, ovens, dessicators, sinks and gases. | R431 |
| Sercon 20-22 Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer | Precise measurements of 12C, 13C, 14N, 15N, 16O, 17O, 18O isotopes in gas, liquid or solid samples. | P624 |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) | Analysis of volatile organic compounds from 1.2 to 1100 amu. Integrated sampling system. ISQ single quadropole mass spectrometer. Trace 1300 series gas chromatograph. | P624 |
| Agilent 7890A Gas Chromatograph | Advanced separation capabilities with extremely precise pressure and temperature control. | P624 |
| Shimadzu GC-2014 Gas Chromatograph | Analysis of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. | P624 |
| LECO TruMac Series Macro Determinator | Analysis of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur in macro samples (up to 3 g for nitrogen; up to 1.5 g for carbon/nitrogen; up to 0.3 g for carbon/nitrogen/sulfur). | P624 |
| LECO Truspec Micro Determinator | Analysis of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur in micro samples (maximum size 2 mg). | R427 |
| SEAL AQ2 Discrete Analyser | Automated wet chemistry analyser with extensive applications – water, wastewater, soil, plant tissue, fertilizer, etc. | R429 |
| WestCo SmartChem 140 Discrete Analyser | Automated wet chemistry analyser with extensive applications – environmental, feeds, fertilizer, soil, plant tissue, etc. | R427 |
| Shimadzu TOC-V (with TNM attachment) Total Organic Carbon Analyser | Measurement of total carbon (TC), inorganic carbon (IC), total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in liquid samples, such as river, lake, ocean, wastewater and industrial samples (max concentration ~100 ppm) | R427 |
| Agilent Cary 60 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer | Spectrometer for ultraviolet–visible analysis. Software allows for a wide range of applications. | R437 |
| Dionex ASE 350 Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE) | Extraction of solid and semi-solid samples using common solvents at elevated temperatures (40–200°C) and pressures. | R437 |
| Dionex ICS-2100 Ion Chromatograph | Anion analysis of aqueous samples. Analysis methods can be made to order. | R429 |
| Shimadzu AA-7000 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) | Elemental analysis of a wide range of samples – environmental, biological, medical, metal, semiconductor, ceramic, petroleum, chemical, polymer, etc. | R427 |
| Varian Vista-MPX Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) | Elemental analysis down to parts per million. | R437 |
| Agilent 8800 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) |
Triple quadropole mass spectrometer capable of trace metal analysis down to parts per trillion. | R437 |
| Agilent 8800 Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) Triple Quad | Determination of trace element concentrations, down to parts per billion, in a wide range of solid samples. | P624 |
| Katanax K2 Prime Fluxer | Preparation of inorganic samples (fusion solutions and fused disks) for X-ray fluoresence (XRF). | R431 |
| SPECTRO XEPOS 03 Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) Spectrometer | Analysis of all elements from sodium to uranium, in a wide range of samples, such as soils, sewage sludge, additives in oil, cement, slag, and electronic components and parts. Solid pellet, loose powder, fused disk and liquids, depending on application. | R427 |
| Clean Room | Trace metal analysis preparation. | R426 |
Clean rooms
Contacts
Equipment
Sample preparation
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| MBRAUN Labmaster SP 4-Glove Box | Synthesis and preparation of moisture and air sensitive samples. Large, heated load-lock for sample and equipment transfer. 1800 mm wide work area. Ultra-high purity argon atmosphere. | P622A |
| Emitech K975X Evaporative Coater | Bench-top, turbo-pumped coater for depositon of quality films on smaller substrates. | P622A |
Scanning probe microscopy
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Omicron Multiscan Lab Ultra-high Vacuum Scanning Tunneling Microscope (UHV-STM) | An ultra-high vacuum system supporting a wide range of surface science and nanotechnology applications. STM measurement from 25 to 600 K, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), evaporator, argon sputtering. | P622C |
Electron microscopy laboratory
Contacts
Equipment
Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs)
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| JEOL JSA 6360A Scanning Electron Microscope | High vacuum imaging, X-ray microanalysis (JEOL EX-54175JMH). | P620C |
| Zeiss Sigma VP Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope | Zeiss Gemini column gives excellent imaging peformance across the beam energy range for imaging delicate structures and surface features. Variable Pressure (VP) operation for insulating samples. Oxford XMax 50 Silicon Drift (SDD) EDS detector for rapid X-ray mapping and accurate analysis. | P620E |
| JEOL 7001F Scanning Electron Microscope | A very stable instrument capable of delivering very high beam currents in a small spot size for X-ray and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Automated feature detection and analysis software. Field emission gun, Oxford XMax 80 X-ray detector, Inca gunshot residue (GSR), Oxford EBSD system. | P620F |
Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs)
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| JEOL 2100 LaB6 Transmission Electron Microscope | High resolution imaging capabilities for a range of materials and nanotechnology applications. High-sensitivity silicon drift X-ray detector (Oxford XMax) for compositional analysis. Ultra-high-resolution pole piece, Gatan Orius SC1000 camera. | P620J |
| JEOL 1400 LaB6 Transmission Electron Microscope | High contrast optics, optimised for imaging of biological samples, and high tilt range for acquisition of tomographic datasets. TVIPS F416 camera, tomography holder, cryo holder. | P620K |
Focused Ion Beam (FIB)
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| FEI Quanta 3D Dual-beam Focused Ion Beam | Micro-scale milling and fabrication, with platinum deposition, carbon etching and in-situ Kleindiek micromanipulator. Milling of photonic structures, transmission electron microscope sample milling and lift-out, slice-and-view imaging. | P620D |
Specimen preparation
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Gatan Cryoplunge 3 | Cryofixation of biological tissue samples for transmission electron microscopy. | P620A |
| Pelco Biowave Pro Microwave Tissue Processor | Microwave accelerated processing of tissue samples for scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. | P620A |
| Gatan Model 691 Precision Ion Polishing System (PIPS) | Precise ion milling of samples for transmission electron microscopy. | P620 |
| Gatan Model 682 Precision Etching & Coating System (PECS) | Ion milling of light microscope and scanning electron microscope samples up to 25 mm diameter mounted blocks. High quality sputtered coatings of chromium and carbon. | P620 |
| Leica EM-SCD005 Sputter Coater | Gold sputter coating. | P620 |
| Bio-Rad SC500 Sputter Coater | Platinum sputter coating. | P620 |
| Cressington 206HR Carbon Coater | Evaporative carbon coating. Turbo pumped for simple operation and rapid turnaround. | P620 |
| Tousimis Autosamdri-815 Critical Point Drier (CPD) | Automated CPD for dehydration of samples for electron microscopy | P620 |
| Evactron 25 Decontaminator with Softclean Chamber | Gentle removal of hydrocarbon contamination from samples and components by oxygen free-radical stream. | P620 |
| E.A. Fischione Model 2000 Specimen Preparation System | Precision grinding of samples for transmission electron microscopy. | P620 |
| E.A. Fischione Model 330 Ultrasonic Disk Cutter | Cutting undamaged 3 mm disk samples for transmission electron microscopy. | P620 |
| Fischione Model 110 Twin Jet Electropolisher | Thinning 3 mm metal samples for transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging. | P620 |
| Polaron CC7650 Carbon Coater | Coating by flash evaporation of carbon string. | P620C |
Molecular genetics laboratory
Contact
Equipment
Genetic sequencing
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Life Technologies Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) Sequencer | Sequencing of small genomes or sets of genes; gene expression profiling; chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing. 10 Mb to 1 Gb sequencing throughput. 90 minute run times. 35-400 base reads. | R413 |
| Life Technologies Ion Proton Sequencer | Human-scale genome sequencing; chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing; whole transcriptome sequencing; exome sequencing; methylation analysis; gene expression profiling; small genome sequencing; de novo sequencing; small RNA sequencing; gene sequencing. Up to 10 Gb throughout. 2-4 hour run times. Up to 200 base reads. | R413 |
Genetic analysis
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Life Technologies 3500 Genetic Analyser | Resequencing and fragment analysis through capillary electrophoresis. 8 capillary system. Single-line 505 nm, solid-state long-life laser. | R413 |
| QIAGEN Rotor-Gene Q | Gene expression analysis, microRNA detection, virus detection, SNP genotyping, High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis. | R413 |
| QIAGEN QIAxtractor | Purification of high-quality nucleic acids from all types of samples, with 8-96 samples per run. | R413 |
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Hitachi Analytical TableTop Microscope TM3000 | Backscattered imaging at 5 or 15 kV beam energy. Charge reduction mode for insulating samples. Tilt/rotate holder and cooled stage for imaging hydrated samples. | R413 |
Optics laboratory
Contacts
Equipment
Light microscopy
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Leica M125 Zoom Stereo Microscope | Image stack collection and extended focus reconstruction. LED ring, gooseneck lights and motorised Z-stage. | P615A |
| Nikon Eclipse LV100ND Petrographic Microscope | Polarised light optics and rotating stage. | P615A |
| Nikon Eclipse 50iPol Petrographic Microscope | Basic polarising microscope. | P615A |
| Leica MeF3 Inverted Metallographic Microscope | Quality optics and large stage for heavy or bulky samples. | P615A |
| Zeiss Axio Imager M2m | Sub-stage can transfer to Zeiss Sigma Scanning Electron Microscope for correlative microscopy ('Shuttle & Find'). Tiling and extended focus imaging. High grade optics with digital encoding, LED illumination, motorised stage and circular differential interference contrast (C-DIC), darkfield and polarised light imaging. | P615A |
| Nikon A1R Confocal Microscope | High speed confocal imaging. Resonant scanner. 405, 488, 561 and 640 nm lasers. | P615B |
| Nikon Eclipse Ti Inverted Microscope | Imaging of fluorescently labelled samples. Motorised stage. | P615B |
Thin film characterisation
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| JA Woollam M2000 UI Spectroscopic Ellipsometer | Measurement of film thickness in single- and multi-layer systems, as well as refractive index and dielectric properties. Dual quartz-halogen and deuterium lamps allow spectral measurements from 245 to 1690 nm. Focusing optics for small spot analysis. | P615C |
Specimen preparation
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Leica EM UC6 Ultramicrotome | Sample preparation of embedded biological samples for transmission electron microscope characterisation. | P615C |
| Leica EM UC7 Ultramicrotome | Sample preparation of embedded biological samples for transmission electron microscope characterisation. | P615C |
Laser physics
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| TMC 1800 x 1500 mm Optical Table | Precision, vibration stabilised table for experimental laser physics. | P615C |
Vibrational spectroscopy
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Witec Alpha 300R Confocal Raman Microscope | Acquisition of Raman spectra and images from samples. High speed chemical imaging. | P615D |
| Thermo Scientific Nicolet is50 Spectrometer and Continuum Microscope | Materials identification and chemical mapping using infra-red signals. | P615D |
Scanning probe microscopy
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| BMT Multiscan Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) | Multiscale imaging, AFM lithography, huge 800 µm scan range. | P615D |
| NT-MDT Solver Pro Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) | Wet sample imaging with SMENA head. Multiple imaging modes for both dry and wet samples. | P615D |
Physical properties laboratory
Contacts
Equipment
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Hysitron TI 950 TriboIndentor | Nanomechanical characterisation and testing instrument, with dual-head testing capability for nano/micro scale connectivity. | P614 |
| Cryogenic Limited Mini High Field Measurement System | Vibrating sample magnetometer, resistivity and Hall Effect, thermal transport measurements, specific heat measurements. 5 Tesla magnet. | P614 |
| Bohlin Visco 88 Viscometer | Portable system with 25 mm coaxial cylinder. | P614 |
Project space
Contacts
Equipment
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
|
Bio-Logic VMP-300 Electrochemical Workstation |
Multichannel potentiostat, galvanostat and frequency response analyser for impedance spectroscopy measurements and electrochemical characterisation of corrosion, batteries, sensors, solar cells, supercapacitors and materials. |
P713 |
X-ray and particle analysis laboratory
Contacts
Equipment
X-ray diffraction
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford Diffraction Gemini S Ultra Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer | Structural analysis of crystalline materials, with cryo cooling to 100K. Copper and molybdenum sources. | P629 |
| PANalytical X'Pert PRO MPD Powder X-ray Diffractometer | Structural analysis of crystalline materials, using Bragg-Brentano (BB) geometry, capillary optics and parallel beam/colliminator optics. Copper source. | P629 |
| PANalytical X'Pert PRO MPD Powder X-ray Diffractometer | Structural analysis of crystalline materials, with Bragg-Brentano (BB) geometry and parallel beam/colliminator optics (cobalt). Cobalt and molybdenum sources. | P629 |
Surface area and porosity analysis
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Micromeritics Tristar II 3020 Surface Area Analyzer | Surface area and porosity measurements of solid materials (up to three samples at a time) using gas absorption/desorption. | P630 |
| Micromeritics ASAP 2020 Physisorption Analyzer | Surface area and porosimetry measurements of solid materials using gas absorption/desorption analyser. | P630 |
Sample preparation
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Micromeritics VacPrep 061 Degasser | Sample preparation for surface area and porosity analysis through gas absorption/desorption, with vaccuum mode that prepares sample by heating and evacuation. | P630 |
Particle analysis
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS | Zeta potential and particle size measurements for suspended particles. | P630 |
Titration
| Instrument | Capabilities and features | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Malvern MPT-2 Autotitrator | Titration and sample preparation for the Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS. Flow cell capability. | P630 |
