CPaSS is jointly housed at the University of Florida and Columbia University. The research facilities provide the equipment and instrumentation necessary to synthesize, characterize and evaluate the particulate and surfactant systems on the molecular, microscopic, and macroscopic levels.
Particulate Systems related Equipment & Facilities
Most of the particulate systems related research activities are conducted at the University of Florida. Techniques are available for physical, mechanical and chemical analysis of particle systems including size, shape, surface area and porosity, surface chemistry, rheology, tribology, interfacial phenomena, powder mechanics, powder flow and segregation. Processing facilities are provided in a 5000 ft2 high-bay pilot plant and including crystallization, classification, size reduction, spray drying, coating, filtration and a wide variety of other techniques. Particle synthesis techniques include a 20 L stirred reactor, spray dryer, fluid bed dryer, wet and dry coating techniques, laser deposition and mechanofusion. Some of the specific equipments include microplate reader, class 1000 tissue culture room, centrifuge, centrifuge, scintillation counter, gas chromatograph, CO2 incubator, inverted fluorescence microscopes, tissue culture hood, centralized dishwasher, autoclave, Image Pro v4.5 Optical Analysis Software, Paar Physica UDS 200 Rheometer, Optical Microscopes, Coulter LS 13320 Particle Size Analyzer, Colloidal Dynamics Acoustosizer, Brookhaven ZetaPlus, JEOL JSM6330F SEM. (See https://rsc.aux.eng.ufl.edu/resources/default.asp?s=PAIC for a full listing of capabilities)
CPaSS researchers have access to equipment and facilities located at other Centers such as the Major Analytical Instrumentation Center (MAIC), the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR), and the Center for Environmental & Human Toxicology at the University of Florida. MAIC specializes in materials characterization with a variety of state of the art methods such as high resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and other techniques. (See https://rsc.aux.eng.ufl.edu/resources/default.asp?s=MAIC for a full list of capabilities)
Surfactant Systems related Equipment & Facilities
Most of the surfactant systems research is carried out at Columbia University, which has both the required technical expertise and facilities in the areas of surfactants and polymers: their synthesis, characterization and application. These laboratories are well equipped with atomic force microscope (AFM), quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM), surface plasmon resonance spectroscope (SPR), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrophotometer, microcalorimeter, surface area analyzer, scanning electron microscope energy dispersive x ray fluorescence (SEM EDX), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrophotometer, UV/visible spectrometer, instrumented flotation machines, particle size analyzer, Du Nuoy, Wilhelmy and spinning drop tensiometers, High performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC/GPC), electron spin resonance spectrometer (ESR), Brookfield Viscometer, Brookhaven photon correlation spectroscopy (PSC), analytical balances, analytical ultra centrifuge, dynamic laser scattering equipment, zeta meters. The polymer science laboratories used by the Center include modern facilities for polymer synthesis, a Cesium 137 gamma irradiator, light scattering, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FTIR and UV spectrophotometry. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ESR and mass spectrometry are situated in the Department of Chemistry. The laboratories are equipped with a wide range of optical microscopy apparatus (transmission and reflection, polarized and interference) together with computer assisted particle size analysis facilities.