Labs & Facilities
New and Current Lab Users
For the safety of yourself and others and for research productivity, there are many lab policies and procedures in place. It is important to follow all rules and obey any posted sign instructions. See below for links to specific topics for lab users performing research in the School of Materials Engineering lab facilities. If you have any questions, consult the faculty or staff point of contact for the equipment or lab in question.
DIAL 911 if there is ever an emergency
General Information
Laboratory Safety (Information and Safety Training)
Report Lab and Equipment Issues (QR code link)
Equipment Mailing List / Listserv Database (required for iLab equipment training)
Training and Lab Access
Request Equipment Training (iLab Project Requests)
Account Information
iLab
Schedule and Use Equipment through iLab
Engineering Computer Network (ECN)
Industrial Partners
Industry collaboration is welcome and encouraged. Trained research staff are available to assist in a variety of characterization needs for clients in industry. Please fill out the Collaboration Request Form to submit a General Inquiry into working with The School of Materials and you will be contacted shortly regarding your inquiry.
To register as a user, please fill out the Purdue iLab Registration form.
For information on campus parking, please review the Purdue Visitor Information, or directly apply for a Parking Permit.
For more on the Center for Surface Engineering and Enhancement (CSEE), please click here.
Characterization Facilities
A variety of powerful characterization tools are available for researchers in the School of Materials Engineering lab facilities. See below for a list of equipment by type, or click here for additional information and an overview of the Characterization Facilities. All shared equipment runs through iLab, a scheduling and billing software run from an internet browser. While we endeavor to keep the webpage up to date, iLab has the most up to date information on the available shared equipment and their status. The School of Materials equipment in iLab is broken down into two major facilities: Characterization and Preparation Facilities and the Soft Materials Laboratory (iLab login required).
Microstructure and Composition
Electron Microscopy (SEM and TEM)
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)
Glow Discharge Spectroscopy (GDS)
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
Mechanical and Thermal Properties
Physical Properties
Surface Area and Porosity (BET)
Particle Sizing (Coulter Counter)
Density (Gas Pycnometry)
Specimen Preparation Facilities
Prior to characterization, it is necessary to properly prepare specimens to allow for proper analysis of features of interest. A variety of tools and techniques for specimen preparation are available in the School of Materials Engineering lab facilities. See below for a list of equipment by type, or click here for additional information and an overview of the Specimen Preparation Facilities.
Conductive Coating (SEM)
Ion Polishing (SEM)
Processing Facilities
A variety of tools for heat treatment and to simulate industrial processing are available in the School of Materials Engineering lab facilities. See below for a list of equipment by type, or click here for additional information and an overview of the Processing Facilities.
Computational Facilities
Purdue Computational Facilities