University Instrumentation Center

1. University Instrumentation Center

2. Established in 1973 in response to the challenges of acquiring, operating, and maintaining costly scientific equipment, the center offers direct and easy access to state-of-the-art instrumentation for both research and educational purposes. With a professional staff, the UIC operates and maintains these sophisticated analytical instruments, while educating and providing service, knowledge, and expertise to clients.

3. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance The NMR is a powerful tool for the analysis of sequence, conformation, and other molecular attributes of biologically significant molecules, organics, and polymers, and also in the rapidly expanding areas of organometallic and inorganic NMR. Kinetic and dynamic studies can be done on nearly all NMR active elements.

4. FT-IR The Thermo Nicolet iS10 FTIR is a general-purpose, Windows XP controlled instrument designed for easy operation using the OMNIC 8 software. The resolution of the spectrometer is 0.4 cm-1, and the spectral range is 7800 to 350 cm-1. The sample chamber and optics are purged with air with a dew point of -95oF. We also have a diamond ATR accessory with a spectral range cutoff of 525 cm-1 for use with most samples.

5. UV-Vis The Cary 500 UV/Vis/NIR Spectrophotometer covers the wavelength range of 3300 nm (near infrared or NIR) to 175 nm (ultraviolet or UV) with an accuracy of 0.1 nm in the UV/Vis range and 0.4 nm in the NIR range. This instrument uses a double beam, double out-of-plane Littrowmonochromator and dual double-sided gratings with 2 sources. Detection in the UV/Vis range is with a R928 photomultiplier tube and, in the NIR, with a low noise, electrothermally-controlled PbS photocell. Spectral bandwidths from 0.01 - 5.00 nm (UV/Vis) and 0.04 - 20.0 nm (NIR) are possible. Signal averaging is available from 0.033 to 999 seconds and scan rates up to 2000 nm/min (UV/VIS) and 8000 nm/min (NIR). Accessories currently include: square cell and cylindrical cell (gas and liquid) and highly-adaptable, solid-sample holders for films, blocks, slides, and membranes.

6. Confocal Microscope The Zeiss LSM 510 Meta laser scanning confocal microscope is used primarily by researchers in the biological sciences to image fluorescent probes in cells and tissues. However, confocal microscopes are finding increasing use in non-biological applications as well. Unlike conventional fluorescence microscopes, the confocal microscope can collect in-focus fluorescence from thin optical slices within relatively thick specimens (typically at least 100 um for biological). The automatic collection of z-stacks (a series of images taken at different focal planes) within such relatively thick samples allows 3-D images, animations, and maximum intensity projections (brightest pixels from z-stack combined in a single image) to be generated.

7. Flow-Cytometry The Becton-Dickinson FACSCalibur Flow Cytometer is a four-color, dual-laser, bench-top system capable of cell analysis using forward scatter, side scatter, and detection of fluorescence in four distinct color regions: > 670 nm (deep red), 653-669 nm (red), 564-606 nm (orange), and 515-545 nm (green). The unit’s two lasers excite fluorochromes at 488 nm, and 635 nm. This unit is best suited for the analysis of aqueous suspensions of cells or particles with diameters between 1 and 50 um (microns). Ideally, samples should contain 500,000 cells or particles per mL. Sample consumption can be varied between 12 uL/min and 60 uL/min.

8. Transmission Electron Microscope The Zeiss/LEO 922 Omega Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is available in the Electron Microscopy Facility in Kendall Hall. The TEM is a research microscope with accelerating voltages of 120 and 200kV and has magnification from 80X to 1,000,000X with a resolution line of 0.12nm. The in-column energy filter allows researchers to look at unstained or faintly stained materials and tissues. The high resolution objective lens allows the user to tilt a single-grid specimen holder plus or minus 15 degrees.

9. Scanning Electron Microscope The Amray 3300FE field emission SEM with PGT Imix-PC microanalysis system provides three-dimensional visual interpretation and elemental analysis of a specimen surface. The electron optics allow a depth of focus nearly 300X that of a light microscope, as well as a magnification range from 15X to 100kX at accelerating voltages from 1-25kV. The SEM resolution at 25kV is 1.5 nm. The 2048x2048 frame buffer allows high resolution (4.8 MB .tif) micrographs to be saved on the SEM computer and/or transferred directly to your office computer via Ethernet or CD.

10. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy The AMR 3300FE SEM is equipped with a PGT Imix-PC energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis system, which allows the operator to control the microscope beam position while using the EDS software. The system uses an atmospheric thin-window detector capable of detecting elemental X-rays. X-ray maps of up to 8 elements can be obtained simultaneously. The digital images and X-ray maps can be stored on a CD for later viewing and analysis, and X-ray elemental maps can be color coded by element. Images can be printed using a Hewlett Packard DeskJet 3520 printer. Software is available for qualitative, semi-quantitative, and full-quantitative elemental analysis.

11. XPS The Kratos Axis HS XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer) system offers surface analysis, surface chemical mapping, and depth profiling of metallic, semi-metallic, and nonmetallic samples as deep as 1 nm. The system is designed around a 127 mm mean radius hemispherical analyzer, which is equipped with 5 detectors. The charge neutralization system allows high resolution spectra to be obtained from insulating materials such as polymers using either the standard Mg/Al source or the Al monochromatic source.

12. Engineering Services • Instrument Repair • Instrument purchasing expertise • Preventive Maintenance • Pipette Calibrations • Balance Calibrations • Temperature Calibrations • Small engineering projects