Facilities and People
Analytical Facilities @ WKU
| Advanced Materials Institute | A suite of laboratories for the rapid production, characterization, and development of novel materials for a broad range of applications. << Read More >> |
| Crystal Kinetics Laboratory | Experimental facility designed to investigate the structural and molecular arrangement of atoms in real-time during crystal growth, decay, transformation, and ion exchange. |
| Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer | The Bruker APEX-II Quasar is used for the determination of the periodic atomic arrangement in very small crystals (~125 cubic micrometers). In addition, it is also used as powder diffractometer for time-resolved studies. |
| Powder X-ray Diffractometer | The Rigaku Miniflex-II is a small bench-top powder diffractometer that is used for routine identification of unknown materials. |
| Raman Microscope | The Thermo DXR is the workhorse in the lab. It is used for time-resolved crsytallization, dissolution, and ion exchange experiments. It is also used for compositional and molecular characterization maps of minerals. |
| Thermal Gravimetric and Differential Scanning Calriometer | The NETZSCH Jupiter F1 TG / DSC has nanogram mass resolution and is used for measuring the weight loss/gain during sample heating while simultaneously measuring the amount of heat the sample is absorbing/releasing. These data can help determine at which temperatures and what types of transformations occur in minerals. |
| Software | - Iterative Targeted Transformation Factor Analysis (Matlab ZIP) PC only - Bruker TOPAS Link |
Current Group Members
- Michael Powers, laboratory manager
- Melinda Rucks
- Zach Pennington
- Tucker Baker
Past Group Members
- Chelsea Brunner, Heath Dame, Mathew Downen, Cody Feldhaus, Joshua Henderson, Cassandra Hornback, Chrsitian Jolly, Samantha Kramer, Kristin Leftwich, John Perry, Shelby Rader, Forrest Simmons, Nancy Toney, Christopher Toney, Anna Walter, Layne Webb.