Graduate Program: Materials Synthesis and Characterization

Between the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM) and the Department of Chemistry, we have comprehensive facilities for the synthesis and characterization of complex "hard" (inorganic) and "soft" (organic and polymeric) materials and their composites. The ability to prepare and thoroughly characterize new materials, all here at Princeton , is a particular strength of our materials research programs. Major instruments and facilities are listed below:

Materials synthesis: vacuum and inert atmosphere synthesis equipment; high-pressure reaction systems; computer-controlled autoclave for supercritical CO2 drying

"Soft" materials characterization: size exclusion chromatography; vapor phase and membrane osmometry; laser light scattering; infrared spectroscopy; proton and multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, at fields up to 14T (600 MHz for 1H); mass spectrometry, including MALDI-TOF

Porous "hard" materials characterization: mercury intrusion porosimetry, nitrogen adsorption/desorption

Rheology, thermal and mechanical analysis: controlled-stress and controlled-strain shear rheometers; fluids extensional rheometer; dynamic mechanical analyzer; uniaxial stress-strain tester with environmental chamber; differential scanning calorimeters; thermogravimetric analyzer

Advanced microscopy: transmission electron microscopes, with spectroscopic and atomic resolution capability; high-resolution scanning electron microscope; analytical electron microprobe, with energy- and wavelength-dispersive detection; conventional and large-stage atomic force microscopes

X-ray scattering and diffraction: powder x-ray diffraction; small-angle x-ray scattering systems for isotropic and anisotropic materials; simultaneous small-and wide-angle x-ray scattering