Page Group Materials Chemistry Lab at the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM 135)
- Laboratory for Solid State and Solution Synthesis, including box and muffle furnaces, autoclaves and ovens, etc.
- Ar Filled Glove Box
- Atmosphere Controlled Furnace and Gas Chromatograph coming online this summer
- Carver press
Page Group Ceramic Processing Lab at the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM 222)
Advanced ceramics synthesis, fabrication and sample preparation laboratory, located in the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM) on the UTK campus. This laboratory is available for fabricating ceramics and preparing samples to perform X-ray and neutron scattering experiments and electron microscopy. The laboratory includes the following equipment:
- SPEX energetic dual ball mills for blending ceramic powders. The ball mills are equipped with grinding vials made of YSZ, silicon nitride, and polypropylene.
- Several high temperature furnaces are available. They are programmable and can be operated in air, vacuum, and inert atmosphere from room temperature up to 1800° The laboratory is also equipped with a drying oven.
- In order to synthesize ceramics with near theoretical density and at low temperatures, a uniaxial hot-press from OXY-GON is available. The hot press is rated up to a maximum operating temperature of 2000°C and will operate in vacuum, argon, nitrogen, and forming gas (95%N2 / 5%H2) atmospheres. The hot press is capable of reaching forces up to 25 ton. It accepts dies up to 3 in. diameter x 4 in. high, hence large dimension samples can be synthesized. It can be operated under vacuum from 10-2 to 10-6.
- A sample prep station is available that includes an Allied High-Tech M-Prep 5 polishing wheel capable of accepting lapping films, grinding papers, and polishing clothes. Grinding and polishing media includes silicon carbide grinding papers, colloidal and alumina suspension and solutions, and diamond paste and lapping films. Two Motic zoom stereo microscope with reflected and transmitted light are located by the sample prep station to assess the surface quality of samples.
- Two Allied High-Tech diamond cutoff saws with diamond wafering blades.
- A Gatan Precision Ion Polishing System (PIPS II) for ion milling small transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples.
Facilities we use at IAMM and other UT Institutes:
- JIAM X-ray Diffraction Core Facility (Co and Cu source PANalytical Empyrean Diffractometer with High Temperature Stage & X’Pert 3 MRD)
- Center for Materials Processing (TGA, DSC, SEM with EDX, Pycnometer, etc.)
- IAMM Electromagnetic Properties Lab (PPMS and SQUID)
- IAMM Electron Microscopy Facility (TEM/STEM, FIB/SEM, AFM)
- Ion Beam Materials Laboratory (ion beam analysis, controlled irradiation)
A large portion of our research is conducted at National Scientific User Facilities, with an emphasis on the application and advancement of neutron and x-ray scattering probes for disordered and nanostructured materials. Below are a few capabilities we frequent:
- Spallation Neutron Source, ORNL (NOMAD and POWGEN beamlines)
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, BNL (28-ID-2, 28-ID-1, and 6-BM beamlines)
- Advanced Photon Source, ANL (11-BM, 11-ID-B, and 10-BM-B beamlines)
- Center for Nanomaterials Sciences, ORNL (collection of high-resolution and analytical electron microscopes as well as capabilities for spectroscopy, electron diffraction, and surface characterization, for the complete microstructural, compositional, and chemical evaluation of nanomaterials at the µm- to sub-Å- scale)