The Verduzco laboratory is primarily an experimental laboratory. We take advantage of a variety of experimental tools and capabilities, and these can be broadly classified as tools for materials synthesis, nanostructure characterization, and engineering/application-oriented tools. \\
A collaboration with KRUSS instruments has given us access to a range of surface science instrumentation. In addition to the equipment listed below, we currently have a spinning drop tensiometer, and contact angle goniometer, and a force tensiometer owned by KRUSS. More information about KRUSS and their instrumentation can be found through their website: www.kruss.de
Materials Synthesis
Inert Atmosphere Glovebox equipped with a Harry Gestigkeit GmbH PZ28-3TD Titanium hotplate and TR28-3T temperature controller.
GPC/Light Scattering System: Size-exclusion chromatography system with refractive index, UV/Vis, and multi-angle laser light scattering capabilities. The GPC system consists of an Agilent 1200 pump, degasser, and column compartment, an Agilent 1200 series variable wavelength UV/Vis detector, a Wyatt Heleos II laser light scattering system, and a Wyatt Optilab ReX refractometer.
General synthesis equipment: The laboratory is equipped with the necessary glassware and laboratory equipment for carrying out the proposed synthetic work, including two vacuum gas manifolds, six stirring/heating hotplates, a rotary evaporator, five temperature controlled vacuum ovens, a drying oven, an ultrasonic bath, a vortex mixer, analytical balances, and a refrigerator/freezer.
Available at Rice University outside of the Verduzco laboratory
Bruker 500 MHz NMR Spectrometer
SPEX FluoroLog-3 Spectrofluorometer-NIR
Nanoscale Characterization Tools
Available at Rice University:
JEOL 2100 Field Emission Gun Transmission Electron Microscope
Digital Instrument Nanoscope IIIA Atomic Force Microscopes
JEOL 6500F Scanning Electron Microscope
Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer
Thermo-gravimetric Analysis/differential scanning calorimetry with Infrared Spectroscopy (TGA/DSC)
The Verduzco laboratory also takes advantage of synchrotron X-ray sources at Argonne National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory for transmission and and grazing-incidence X-ray scattering measurements as well as neutron sources at the National Institutes for Standards and Technologies.
Application-oriented Characterization
Photovoltaic characterization station: A complete system for simulating solar radiation and measuring photovoltaic performance is available in the Verduzco laboratory. The system includes two Newport vibration isolation tables, Newport Oriel 67005 Arc lamp housing & AM 1.5 filter, Yokogawa 7651 programmable DC source, Yokogawa 7562 Digital Multimeter, and Newport Oriel 74125 Monochromator. The system can measure power conversion efficiencies as well as quantum efficiencies when operated with the monochromator. Additionally, a Janis VPF-100 cryostat allows for measurement under vacuum or in an inert atmosphere. Samples prepared in the glovebox can be loaded into the crystat and isolated from the environment before removing for measurement.
An Accurion nanofilm_ep3se spectroscopic ellipsometer and contact-angle goniometer is available in the Lisa Biswal Laboratory.