Facilities & Equipment

The MNFTL is housed in Rooms 1014 and 1054 of the Engineering Research Facility (ERF) located at 842 W. Taylor St. in Chicago. The laboratory operates a hydrothermal setup featuring two autoclave units that are capable of prolonged operation at temperatures up to 1000oC and pressures up to 1000 bar. Several electrospinning and co-electrospinning setups are also available in the laboratory. These setups are operated within chemical hoods (six available), which allow the use of a wide array of chemical compounds. Additional support equipment available includes a Spectramax Gemini dual scanning microplate spectrofluorometer, which can perform a variety of fluorescent applications, as well as some time-resolved fluorescent and luminescent assays. The lab is equipped with high-temperature furnaces that are sealed for controlled gas atmosphere experiments. Gas metering and control tools are also available. Other equipment includes a high-speed digital imaging system (Kodak, 10000 fps), several digital cameras (including a Nikon digital SLR), high intensity lighting, three optical microscopes (including an Olympus BX51 instrument), rotational and elongational viscometers (including a Brookfield DV-II+ programmable instrument), a gas-purged glove box, an inkjet printing system (MicroFab Technologies) for printed electronics, two differential scanning calorimeters (a DSC 2910 and a modulated DSC Q200, TA Instruments), an EFD spray robot, a temperature/ humidity chamber (ESPEC SH-641), function generators, power supplies, amplifiers and other electronic devices.

MNFTL staff has access to other experimental facilities at UIC supporting micro- and nanotechnology, materials characterization, and bioengineering research. The following facilities are within a few steps from the MNFTL site:

The UIC Research Resources Center (RRC) maintains and supports state-of-the-art equipment needed to meet the needs of UIC researchers and their external collaborators. RRC personnel provide training and user access, as well as full professional services and expertise in material characterization studies. The multi-million dollar investment in equipment includes a JEOL 6320F Field Emission SEM, a SEM fitted with an EDD detector, a TopoMetrix Scanning Probe Microscope, a TEM/STEM with EDS and EELS, a JEM-3010, a VG Microscope dedicated atomic-resolution STEM with EELS and Cs corrector for sub-Å resolution, a TEM for teaching and training, a Renishaw 2000 Raman microspectrometer, two mass spectrometers, and a JEOL JXA-733 microprobe system. For technical specifications of these instruments, click here. Specimen preparation equipment includes a Leica Ultramicrotome, a Fischione Plasma Cleaner, a Fischione Precision ion-mill, a Gatan Duo ion-mill and a Disc Cutter.

The UIC Nanotechnology Core Facility (NCF) is a versatile MEMS/Nano facility, which is accessible to University, non-profit and industrial researchers. The NCF enables research by providing access, training, service and process guidance on fabrication and characterization equipment. As a research and development laboratory, the NCF is dedicated to application of integrated circuit and fiber optic technology to improve manufacturing methods for MEMS/Nano devices, BioMEMS, Microfluidic, Electromechanical, Mechanical, Chemical, Optical, Photonic and multi-functional devices, some of which have previously been built by more traditional techniques. The NCF has versatile equipment for: Photolithography (Mask Making capabilities, Mid/Deep-UV, top & bottom alignment), Fabrication (DRIE for Silicon & Silica, RIE, PECVD Oxidation/ Diffusion, LPCVD, RTP, Bulk and Surface Micromachining, Sputtering and E-beam metal evaporation, Polymer deposition and processing), Metrology (AFM, Optical & Contact Profilometry, Optical Inspection, High speed camera, Thin Film Stress Measurement), and Back-end processing (Dicing, Lead attachment and die bonding).

In addition, our collaborators in the biomedical sciences operate the following laboratories:

Biomedical Polymer Science Laboratory
Dr. Richard A. Gemeinhart, Director
Rooms 341/342/359/363, College of Pharmacy Building, UIC

The laboratory consists of approximately 1400 sq. ft. of modern research space and includes an inverted epifluorescent microscope with DIC phase contrast, cell culture hoods and incubators, fluorescent, ultraviolet-visible, Raman, and infrared spectroscopy. The epifluorescent microscope is set up with a high-sensitivity CCD camera for capturing semi-quantitative fluorescent images with appropriate fluorescent imaging cubes. In addition to the microscopic setup, a Molecular Dynamics Storm Phosphoimager and Bio-Rad Chemi-Doc are available for 2 dimensional imaging of fluorescent and radioactive samples. Both macroscopic and microplate fluorescent and UV spectrometers are utilized on a regular basis. In addition, a spectrophotometer and freezers including -20ºC and -80ºC units are available. The tissue culture room consists of 37ºC incubators, a sterile hood, centrifuges, refrigerators, and a suitable section for general biochemistry. A small molecule and polymer LC system has been set up with Waters RI, PDA, scanning fluorescence, and Wyatt light scattering. Instrumentation for biochemical analysis and cancer cell studies is also operated within this laboratory.

Laboratory for Biomolecular Imaging
Dr. Michael Cho, Director
Rooms 4262/4264, Science and Engineering Laboratory, UIC

The laboratory consists of 2200 sq. ft of modern research space and includes a nanovid microscope, a CARV confocal microscope, a Novascan atomic force microscope, a Bio-Rad multiphoton microscope, custom-built laser optical tweezers, and a tissue culture facility. In addition, a spectrophotometer and freezers, including -20 ºC and -80 ºC units, are available. The tissue culture room consists of 37ºC incubators, a sterile hood, centrifuges, refrigerators, and a suitable section for general biochemistry. The nanovid imaging system consists of a Nikon E800 (25x, 40x, 63x, and 100x objectives), a 100 W mercury lamp, and a Roper Scientific camera. This camera is suitable for DIC and fluorescence microscopy. The system also includes a Pentium based workstation equipped with a MetaMorph image processor (Universal Imaging Co.), a video monitor, and a Panasonic optical recorder. A Spectra Physics infrared laser (1064 nm, 5W) provides the source of optical force. The CARV confocal microscope is based on a Nikon TE2000 inverted scope and has a stage manipulator to control the x-, y-, and z-position. Both Bio-Rad Radiance 2000 multiphoton system and Novascan UltraRes ESPM II Scanning Probe Microscope (atomic force microscope) are fully functional. In addition, a temperature controlled microscope stage (Microscope Video Inc.) is used in a setup that monitors electrical signals and regulates temperature.