The high resolution digital microscope allows images to be recorded and playback on a 3 1/4" floppy disk. Measurements of distance, area as well as radius can be performed on the image. Output to external monitor via RGB output cable, s-video terminal cable and BNC-pin cable are also available.

The Weiss temperature and humidity chamber is used for moisture absorption studies, conditioning of samples at various temperature and humidity loads and temperature cycling tests with/without bias.

The Tabai Espec bench-top temperature and humidity chamber is used for moisture absorption studies as well as to condition samples at various temperature and humidity loads.

The Minimat is a bench-top materials tester, designed to perform tensile, compression and three point bend measurements on small samples. A heated chamber allows testing through glass transition. Simultaneous stress/strain and microscopy measurements of solids allow historical comparison of stress-strain data with observable mechanical changes, for example crack depth and propagation.

The Eplexor DMTS is used for dynamic testing of polymers, elastomers, biological materials, glasses, ceramics, metals, foils, fibers, resins, adhesives, pre-pregs, composites, lacquers, coatings. It measures the deformation, force, storage & loss modulus, and tangent delta.

The DMTA Mk III measures the viscoelastic properties (specifically modulus and damping) of a wide range of materials from soft solids, films and fibers to composites. Due to its low force value, it is most suitable for small sample dimensions.

The Eumetric System III Microdielectrometer with 8 channel multiplexer measures the dielectric permittivity and loss factor, gain and phase, admittance and phase, temperature, capacitance and resistance and offset and range. It is used for material analysis in research laboratories and for real time, on-line monitoring of important process variables such as viscosity, reaction rate, composition and extent of reaction. It is also used for monitoring and controlling polymer and composite processing in aerospace, electronics, plastics, composites, and chemical industries as well as university and government laboratories. The different conductivity options (low, mid and high) allow different sensing ranges, to monitor changes with very fast measurements, and to provide access to controlled experimental environments.

The PEMI is a unique, powerful tool for quantitative whole-field displacement and strain measurement with high sensitivity. Strain due to thermal or mechanical loading can be measured. PEMI is suitable even for very small or soft components or structures, such as tiny solder joints and polymer layers in microelectronics. Applications in diverse fields include composite materials/structures, ceramics, fracture, residual strain, smart materials/structures and mechanical adhesive joints.

The transfer molding machine uses a monitor type control system including a multi-gang pot (M.G.P) system. Book molds are used in the transfer molding machine for molding tensile strength test specimens, fracture test specimens, adhesion test specimens as well as for spiral flow tests.

The AFM measures surface conditions of a surface film such as micro-roughness, difference in surface, dust and flaws. It gives a three dimensional view of the sample surface. AFM also provides the particle analysis. The AFM operates in two modes; "contact mode" and "dynamic mode". These two modes require different kind of cantilevers. The microprobe is located at the tip of the cantilever. The AFM is equipped with a heating and cooling unit, to study the surface changes during heating or cooling the sample. The sample stage is heated or cooled with a temperature program from –90 to 300^oC

The dielectric spectrometer measures minor changes in material properties as it is subjected to a periodic electric field in order to characterize its molecular kinetics. In order to measure as much quantitative data, the system covers a broad frequency and temperature range. Due to the high sensitivity of the measuring system, it is possible to detect transitions that cannot be defined with other techniques. Many key aspects of material properties such as molecular relaxations, phase transitions, conductivity, rate of blending or curing, etc. can be determined by this method.

TSC experiments:

	Standard TSC (thermally stimulated depolarization current)
	Thermally Stimulated Polarization current
	Isothermal (time domain)

The electrical response current to a polarization voltage or a short applied to the sample electrodes in general is not a constant, but is a value which depends on physical and chemical conditions. The global purpose of WinTSC is to measure, evaluate and display this discrepancy. With TSC techniques, especially dielectric relaxations in polymers can be characterized. Except for ideal resistive compounds, the sample current generally varies with the temperature, time, and other parameters such as polarization voltage.

The Nicolet FT-IR system installed in our Lab is a high-performance spectrometer that meets the most demanding infrared sampling requirements. The Nicolet Magna-IR 560 E.S.P. is a true digitally controlled FT-IR based upon advanced high speed digital signal processing (DSP) technology. In addition to providing the most precise and accurate control of the interferometer moving mirror available in the industry, the DSP allows the system to employ continuous digital dynamic alignment. Dynamic alignment provides exceptional long and short term stability characteristics and optimal spectral peak shapes. In addition, the DSP allows for interactive parameter selection with instant feed-back on changes to scanning velocity, signal gain and optical throughput and real-time system diagnostics. The interferometer provides better than 0.35 cm^-1 spectral resolution and a signal to noise ratio of better than 30,000/1 peak-to-peak for one minute measurement time. The system is capable of rapid scan collection of 35 scans/sec.

The Magna-IR 560 is configured to cover the Near and Mid-IR range from 9,600 to 375 cm^-1 using an air-cooled source, XT-KBr beam splitter and DTGS detector. The system also includes a FT-Raman Accessory Module with a self-contained Near-IR (1.064 µm) excitation laser. An additional InGaAs detector is mounted within the Magna-IR 560 for the Raman experiment. This provides for measurements of Raman shift from 3,600 to 100 cm^-1 Stokes and 300 to 2,000 anti-Stokes. Switching between IR and Raman experiments is computer controlled allowing the user to quickly identify samples that appear similar in the infrared by their Raman spectral characteristics.

The large Magna-IR 560 sample compartment easily handles traditional transmission experiments on films, solids and liquids, however, the capabilities of this system have been enhanced with a number of sampling accessories. These include the HT-32 Heated Liquid Cell which can be programmed to heat samples to a maximum 400degree C. The Model 500 Specular Reflectance Accessory enables measurements to be performed on films and coatings at angles of incidence from 20+/-to 85+/- The ARK Horizontal ATR Accessory is supplied with both flat and trough plate ZnSe crystals which permits the analysis of liquids, pastes, powders, films and solids without the need for tedious sample preparation. The Specac Golden Gate Heated Diamond ATR Accessory allows thermal experiments on a wide range of samples that might otherwise damage the standard ZnSe crystal.

The FT-Raman Module includes gold-coated 180+/-reflective sample optics with computer-controlled optimization of the sample position. The Wotton Liquid Hot Cell can be mounted on this accessory for experiments that require temperatures above ambient.