Research Laboratory

Our main research laboratory is fully equipped for Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) and for the preparation and characterization of SECM tips and substrates. Following is a partial list of the equipment and facilities in the laboratory:

• BioSECM - SECM for imaging samples placed on an inverted microscope. Step size: 4 nm in all three dimensions; Constant-distance modes: impedance and amperometric with up to 30 nm vertical travel; vibrationally-isolated; fully enclosed in a Faraday cage
• Conventional SECM - home-built SECM with encoded xyz piezoelectric positioners with 4 nm step size and 500 nm encoded resolution. Constant-distance modes: amperometric with up to 30 nm vertical travel; fully-enclosed in Faraday cage; bipotentiostat control for tip and substrate, capable of using potentiometric tips
• Cell Culture - CO₂ incubator; presently laminar flow hood is available in another laboratory
• Electrode Fabrication - Sutter laser pipette puller, Sutter pipette beveller, and assorted microscopes for visualization of SECM tips
• Bioanalytical Systems BAS-100W - Fully-equipped electrochemical workstation with low current module and Faraday cage
• Electronics Workstation - Facilities and supplies for construction of PC-Board and wire-wrapped circuits
• Computers - Six computers for data acquisition and processing.

Departmental Resources

The Department of Chemistry is housed primarily in the Science Laboratory Building (SLB), a state-of-the-art facility dedicated in 1997. The Department has invested over $3,000,000 in equipment since the opening of the SLB. Following is a partial list of relevant equipment and facilities available for this research.

• Major instrumentation - electron microscope, sputter coaters, 400 MHz NMR spectrometer, two 300-MHz NMR spectrometers, liquid chromatograph with electrospray mass spectrometer, three gas chromatographs with mass spectrometers, ion chromatograph, x-ray diffraction, electrochemical workstations, ICP spectrometer
• Support Facilities - fully stocked chemical storeroom, machine shop with skilled machinist, instrument support technician, computer support specialists, self-serve glassblowing shop, animal facilities