Profilometry is a branch of metrology that deals with the measurement and analysis of surface topography, focusing on the examination of surface roughness, waviness, and other surface features. By understanding a material's surface properties, researchers and engineers can optimize performance, durability, and functionality in various applications, such as electronics, optics, and medical devices. The fundamental theory behind profilometry involves capturing the height variations across a surface and analyzing the resulting profile data to quantify its characteristics.

Oxford Instruments™ RF sputtering system can sputter on planar substrates maximum up to 8” wafer in size, hence, it keeps the space of accommodating various substrate sizes as per application needs. The system has four RF magnetron with a dedicated RF power supply. The system has three Mass Flow Controllers (MFCs) that are currently being used for the sputter gas. Generally, in a sputtering tool, a permanent magnet is set up behind the cathode-which is in contact with the loaded target to create electronic traps.

UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy studies the interaction of matter with light in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions (175 nm - 3300 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is widely used to measure the optical properties (transmittance, reflectance, and absorbance) of materials, mostly solids and liquids. It is extensively applied for characterization of a wide range of materials, such as thin films, coatings, glass, solar cells, and advanced materials research.

Al-Nesf M.A.Y, Abdesselem HB, Bensmail I, Ibrahim S, Saeed WAH, Mohammed SSI, Razok A, Alhussain H, Aly RMA Al Maslamani M, Ouararhni K, Khatib M.Y, Ait Hssain A, Omrani A.S, Al-Kaabi S, Al Khal A, Al-Thani A.A, Samsam W, Farooq A, Al-Suwaidi J, Al-Maadheedh M, Al-Siddiqi H.H, Butler A.E, Decock J.V, Mohamed-Ali V and Al-Ejeh F. Prognostic tools and candidate drugs based on plasma proteomics of patients with severe COVID-19 complications. Nature Commun. 2022 Feb 17;13(1):946.doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28639-4.

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) is a versatile and widely used technique for characterizing the mechanical properties of materials, particularly polymers, composites, and biomaterials. DMA measures the response of a material to controlled deformation under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The technique involves applying a sinusoidal deformation to a sample of known geometry and measuring the mechanical response in real-time using a force sensor and a displacement sensor.

Hmila I; Hill J; Shalaby K; Ouararhni K; Abedsselem H; Modaresi SMS; Bihaqi SW; Marques E; Sondhi A; Slitt AL. Perinatal exposure to PFOS and sustained high-fat diet promote neurodevelopmental disorders via genomic reprogramming of pathways associated with neuromotor development. Elsevier. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. Feb 2024.

The Gatan Precision Etching and Coating System II utilizes two (2) penning ion guns to etch and to coat an SEM sample in one evacuation. Ion etching the surface of a sample is done in cases when traditional grinding and polishing may not be sufficient or may adversely cause undesired reactions due to a specific sample’s chemistry. For metallography, ion etching is a viable and inert alternative to wet chemical etching, which is done to reveal grain microstructure.

The microhardness tester makes an indent using a specialized indenter and holding for a set period. The user then measures the diagonals of the indents, and the tester automatically calculates the hardness. The testing parameters, such as the type of indenter, force and holding time, can be changed by users to match their requirements.

Planetary ball milling is a technique for reducing and homogenizing the average particle size of powder samples. This can also be used for mixing different powder samples into a homogenous mixture. This technique is mainly used for preparing samples for powder XRD and XRF. Our laboratory houses two (2) variant models of Retsch planetary ball mills, only differing in the number of ball jars, the volumetric capacity of each ball jar and maximum rotational speed. Both models are capable of storing 10 custom SOP’s, direction reversal and interval operation.

Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) is a powerful analytical technique used to study the nanostructure and morphology of materials. The X-ray source emits an X-ray beam that interacts with the electrons of the sample and is scattered. The detected scattering pattern is characteristic for the nanostructures of the sample and can be used to determine important structural parameters such as particle size