Other cSEND
Services
cSEND
A primary objective of cSEND is to foster
The Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame
interdisciplinary research activity for all areas
( c SEND ) is a University Research Center
of energy-related research at the University
whose mission is to advance innovative energy-
of Notre Dame. To facilitate this action,
related research, education and outreach
cSEND offers a wide-range of services to
programs to address the global challenge of
Notre Dame faculty and their associated
creating a sustainable energy future.
researchers. These services support every
stage of the research process within the
following major categories:
SEI
 Funding opportunity identification and
dissemination.
 Group proposal organization and
proposal preparation.
 Education and outreach development.
 Award budget management and
financial coordination.
The Sustainable Energy Initiative ( SEI ) was
initiated in 2010 to establish Notre Dame ’ s
preeminence in three strategic research areas:
MATERIALS
CHARACTERIZATION
FACILITIES
Cleaner Fossil, Safer Nuclear, and Transformative
G e ne ra l
Solar. The SEI is a University Strategic Research
132 Nieuwland Science Hall
Investment ( http://sri.nd.edu ) and is a part of the
Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame.
 Project management and execution.
S o la r Fu els a nd
E l ectr ocat alys t
116 Stinson-Remick Hall
cSEND staff are available to consult with
Notre Dame researchers at any stage of the
Ac ti ni des
research process to ensure maximum
303 Stinson-Remick Hall
success.
For a complete list of services and cSEND
CONTACT
consultants, visit the cSEND Web site at:
http://energy.nd.edu/about-us/
CORE Research Facilities at the
University of Notre Dame
115 Stinson Remick Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Facilities Manager
Dr. Ian Lightcap
(574) 631-1493 office
(574) 229-2936 cell
[email protected] email
http://energy.nd.edu
http://mcf.nd.edu
Materials
Characterization
Facilities
Major
Instrumentation and
Key Features
The Materials Characterization Facilities are funded
GENERAL
by the Sustainable Energy Initiative ( SEI ) , which
is a part of the Center for Sustainable Energy at
Notre Dame ( cSEND ) . These facilities provide
Su r f a c e a n d Th e r m a l An a ly s is
world-class, state-of-the-art equipment and
Adsorption (BET/Chemisorption/Pyridine)
instrumentation to support scientific advancements
Surface area; chemisorption; pyridine absorption.
and new or improved sustainable energy
Differential Scanning Calorimeter
technologies and systems. Major capabilities
include general materials characterization, solar
fuels and electrocatalyst characterization, and
actinides.
General Materials Characterization provides mod-
Specific heat capacity, phase changes, and reactions;
phase diagrams with +/- 0.02 K and 0.04 mW sensitivity;
50 thermocouples for accurate and reproducible
temperature responses.
TGA/DSC—Mass Spectrometer
liquid material characterization by spectroscopic,
Specific heat capacities, thermochemical reactions and
phase changes; identification of evolved vapors and
products with the mass spectrometer.
thermal, X-ray, BET, and spectrometric analytical
Profilometer
methods.
Rapid, nanometer-scale surface profile scanning; 2D
surface scans, 2D stress scans, surface roughness, and
film thickness; advanced image processing for surface
area and grain analysis.
ern instrumentation and expertise for solid and
Solar Fuels and Electrocatalyst Characterization
focuses on developing new functional materials
engineered at the nanoscale to effectively capture
solar radiation, interfaced to materials that can use
that energy to drive useful chemical reactions.
The Actinides Facility specializes in crystallographic
X-Ray Photo-electron Spectrometer (XPS)
Chemical composition; surface species in organic,
inorganic, conducting, and insulating materials; in-depth
composition profiles for thin films and coating.
characterization and offers the capability to conduct
Sp e c t r o s c o p y
in-situ synthetic studies of complex actinide
FTIR
materials containing transuranium elements.
ATR holder for liquids, solutions, gels, pastes and
powders; vibrational spectra and reaction kinetics for
organic and inorganic compounds; broad spectral range of
350-15,000 cm-1.
For a list of usage rates, visit the MCF Web site at:
http://mcf.nd.edu/rates/
UV-VIS-NIR Absorbance
UV-NIR spectral range of 190 to 3200 nm; integrating
sphere for colloids and powders; dual beam optics for
monitoring reaction kinetics.
Raman (Point and Mapping)
Vibrational spectra of nanostructured materials; low
frequency excitations in solids.
SOLAR
P h o t o c a t a ly s t a n d E le c t r o c h e m ic a l
T e s t in g S t a t i o n s
Solar Simulator with In-Situ Abs
Solar simulator; 150 or 300 W Xe lamp; in-situ monitoring of
spectral changes.
In-Line Gas Chromatography
Quantify gas; auto-valve sampling; monitor trace CO levels.
Potentiostat with Rotating Disk
Comprehensive electrochemical testing suite;
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; rotating disk
electrode; 10,000 rpm rotation speed.
Gas Chromatography—Mass Spectrometer
Versatile detection; mass range 1.2—1100 m/z; rapid
spectra matching.
ACTINIDES
Powder X-Ray Diffraction
Rotating sample stage; max usable angular range 2Theta
≤ 168°; angular resolution of 0.0001°; angular speed up to
20°/s.
Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction
Crystallographic structures; CCD area detector; low
temperature characterization.
Calorimeter
Isothermal differential heat flow; temperature range 500 ˚C
– 1000 ˚C; temperature accuracy +/- 0.1%, Enthalpy
accuracy +/- 1%; resolution: 50 µW.
In-Situ Raman
Track reaction intermediates and products; spectral range
of 100-3100 cm-1, resolution of 5 cm-1; in-situ observation;
400 mW laser.
The Materials Characterization Facilities are open-access facilities and available to internal and external users, both academic and industrial.