Physical Characterization at IMSERC
Mission
Physical Characterization recently became a new area of specialization within IMSERC to provide researchers with more capabilities ranging from thermal analysis, elemental analysis, and particle distribution measurements. IMSERC Physical Characterization staff analyze samples submitted to the facility and offer training to qualified researchers to collect and analyze their own data.
The optical and trace instrument labs support Northwestern University education by providing equipment support for Chem 101, Chem 220 and Chem 350 classes. In addition, the equipment is made available to research groups in fields ranging from characterization of novel synthetic compounds to environmental and food chemistry to nuclear waste remediation.
Resources
Please explore the following sections for more details on Physical Characterization operations at IMSERC:
IMSERC Physical Characterization staff are available for consultation about any aspects of your physical characterization experiments.Equipment
The center currently houses several state-of-the-art instruments for physical characterization measurements. The IMSERC physical characterization labs are located in B172 (Thermal and elemental analysis) and B176 (Optical) in Tech.
List of Services
- Thermal Analysis (TGA, DTA, DSC) which can be coupled with GC-MS and/or FT-IR
- X-ray Fluorescence Semiquantitative and Quantitative analysis of elements heavier than Sodium
- Polarimetry for measuring the optical activity exhibited by inorganic and organic compounds
- FTIR Spectroscopy for the identification of unknowns