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Kushwaha's Group
Nano & Energy Materials Lab
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INDORE
Materials Synthesis Tools
Weighing balance
The instrument is used for weighing small weights from 0.1 mg to 100 g. The sliding transparent doors prevent dust from coming inside the weighing balance. It is a very sensitive instrument and even minor variations can affect the working of the instrument. Calibration is required from time to time for optimum working of the instrument.
Ultrasonicator
The ultrasonicator is used to sonicate solutions by applying high frequency and causing the agitation of particles and allows for uniform mixing of particles. This ultrasonicator can also work by applying temperature along with the sonication. The capacity of the tank is around 5-10 L.
Ultracentrifuge
The centrifuge machine consists of a rotor rotating at high speed to separate the different types of liquids based on their density. The separation is achieved by rotating the samples inside a tube at high speed, centrifugal forces act on the liquid and heavier particles settle at the bottom, while unwanted particles are decanted out.
Oil bath
The oil bath is a type of heated bath, consisting of oil, that is heated by the in-built heater, useful for performing the chemical reactions. The oil bath helps in more even heating of the reaction mixtures. Generally, silicone oil is used, but other oils such as mineral oil, cottonseed oil can also be used.
Spin coater
The spin coating is a type of wet chemical process used to deposit a thin film on the substrate. The substrate is kept on the chuck connected to a vacuum, to keep the substrate fixed. The desired solvent is dropped on a substrate which is then rotated at high speed to get an evenly coated film on the substrate. The substrate can be also kept static too before dropping the solvent.
High temperature heating facility
Tubular furnace
The tube furnace is a type of electric heating device, used for synthesis and purifications of compounds having a maximum temperature range around 1000 degrees. We can electronically set the heating rate and heating depending on the growth conditions. It consists of a quartz tube and accessories such as a boat. We place our material in a boat and carry its growth in the furnace. Depending on the requirement, gas flow can also be connected, to carry out synthesis under a controlled atmosphere.
Muffle furnace
Muffle furnace is a type of box-type heating instrument with maximum temperature around 1200 degrees. It consists of a Kanthal-A1 wire as heating elements and we can electronically control the growth temperature and growth time, with the help of digital controllers (PID controllers). The double-walled insulation inside helps in keeping the outside of instrument at low temperature.
Hot air oven
The hot air oven is an electrical heating device, which uses dry heat to sterilize. It consists of a thermostat to control the temperature. The maximum temperature of the instrument is around 200 degrees. Inside the instrument, there are adjusting wire mesh plated trays and consists of double-walled insulation to prevent heat escape and also conserves energy.
Vacuum oven
The vacuum oven is also a type of heating equipment, connected to a vacuum pump. It is commonly used to dry the synthesized products or to remove flammable solvents, in the presence of a vacuum. The vacuum chamber reduces the pressure inside, which in turn reduces the boiling point of substance and allows evaporation of unwanted materials from the samples without burning them.
Materials and Devices Characterization facilities
Xenon lamp
Xenon light source is key equipment for studying solar cells. The high color temperature (6000K) of the Xenon lamp closely matches the solar temperature. These offer very smooth emissions in the UV and VIS region. The Xenon light source provides a controllable indoor test facility for the testing of solar cell devices.
Monochromator
The monochromator is an optical device, which is used to streamline the lights of different wavelengths into a monochromatic beam of light. It consists of a grating element which helps in collimating the beam of light. In the inside of the instrument, there are a number of collimating mirrors and an entrance and exit slit. The monochromator generates a parallel and a single uniform beam of light.
Source meter
Keithley source meter or source measure unit is an important device to measure simultaneously voltage and current. It is commonly used to measure the I-V characteristics of a device. The instrument is a compact version that combines the features of a digital multimeter, power supply, electronic load, and pulse generator. The high performance, precision, and versatility of the instrument is an added advantage for measuring voltage and current accurately.
Galvanostat/Potentiostat
Autolab Galvanostat/potentiostat is a useful instrument for performing Cyclic voltammetry measurements as well as perform Chronopotentiometry, Chronoamperometry. It consists of a three-electrode system, with a reference electrode, a working electrode, and a counter electrode. The instrument can provide quite accurate results and is a useful electrochemical measurement tool. It can work in range of upto 20 V and also has a current booster and can boost current to up to 40 Amps.
Electrochemical setup
It is a mini electrochemical system and can work in a range of up to 6 V. For small electrochemical measurements, this portable instrument is quite useful. The maximum current range is around 30 mA. It is very portable and useful device.
Departmental Facilities
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Photoluminescence Spectrophotometer
Contact Angle Measurement setup
X-Ray Diffractometer
FTIR Spectrophotometer
Institute facilities @ SIC) (http://people.iiti.ac.in/~sic/)
X-Ray Diffractometer
BET Surface Analyzer
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
Photoluminescence Spectrophotometer
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Single Crystal XRD
Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA)
FTIR Spectrophotometer
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