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| Researchers have access to facilities for samples’ synthesis, characterization, calorimetry and sintering measurements within the Nanoceramics Thermochemistry Laboratory Lehigh University and adjacent labs.
The following equipment are available for synthesis of nanoparticles: high/low temperature furnaces with and without controlled atmosphere, a hydrothermal synthesis bench, balances, gas flow systems, and other ancillary equipment, 4 glove boxes for air and moisture sensitive samples, wet-chemical lab. The lab is equipped with a Microtrac Belsorp Max X gas sorption analyzer for determining surface area, porosity, pore size and pore distributions of nanomaterials, which is attached to a Setaram Sensys Evo calorimeter (for surface reactivity measurements and surface energy calculations); Netzch Pegasus F1 Differential Scanning Calorimeter for temperatures up to 1400°C, equipped with a platinum furnace running under different atmospheres. A Setaram Themys enables TG/DSC measurements up to 1600°C, with controlled atmospheres and high sensitivity. For sintering, we have high temperature furnaces and a California Nanotechnologies Spark Plasma Sintering SPS 2000, with temperatures up to 2400°C and pressures up to 2.2GPa (below 1200°C) by using our custom-built diamond die setup. The group also has access to analytical equipment at the Microscopy facilities at Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) at Lehigh, which is located next door to the lab. |