We use a variety of advanced instruments maintained by the Chemistry department (including NMR, GC-MS, HPLC, XRD, spectroflurometer, capillary electrophoresis, and others); instruments at nearby Northwestern University, such as SEM, TEM, AFM and XPS; and the instruments in our own lab, detailed below:
Malven Zetasizer Nano ZS
Used for measuring the size and surface charge of nanoparticles.
Olympus IX81 inverted fluorescence microscope with Mightex Polygon 1000 patterning system
Used for photopatterning monolayers on surfaces, and observing fluorescent responses from them.
Jasco V-750 UV/vis spectrophotometer
Used for measuring transmission spectra; equipped with a temperature-controlled, stirred 6-position automatic cell changer
Ossila contact angle goniometer
Used for measuring the hydrophobicity / hydrophilicity of surfaces, to characterize what the surface is coated with, the quality of the coating, and the cleanliness of the surface.
Nabertherm L 3/11 furnace
Reaches 1100 C. Used for forming gold nanoisland arrays.
Photocatalysis box
Custom built. Used for conducting photocatalysis experiments using 532 nm and 365 nm light.
Ossila UV/ozone cleaner
Used for cleaning surfaces in preparation for coating with functional monolayers.