Facilities

Contact Information

​Dr. Kathy Lu
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (205) 934 -1994

Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Education Engineering Complex, Room 257
1150 10th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294
Two laboratories inside the EEC building.

ICP-OES Spectrometer

The ICP-OES Spectrometer allows analyses of chemical element in compounds by using inductively coupled plasma to produce excited atoms and ion

GC-MA Spectrometer

The GC-MA Spectrometer allows analyses of compositions of volatile gaseous species formed during experiments.

Fume Hood

A ventilation enclosure to capture and exhaust harmful fumes, dust, and vapors generated in laboratory processes. It helps maintain air quality and protects users from inhaling toxic substances.

​Glove Box

The LABstar glove box workstation is a ready to operate high quality glovebox system that meets your specific application requirements. The system has been designed for customers needing an economic research and development tool to do vital experiments under clean atmospheres

Tube Furnace

The Carbolite CTF 18/300 is a high-temperature tube furnace designed for precision heating applications, operating at 208V and 30A. It features a snorkel ventilation system for fume extraction and includes space for one gas cylinder, making it suitable for controlled-atmosphere processes.

AdVantage Freeze Dryer

​The AdVantage Freeze Dryer allows you to configure a bench-top freeze dryer with pilot scale freeze dryer capabilities.​

FESA Zeta-Potential Analyzer

The FESA Zeta-Potential Analyzer is an instrument used to measure the zeta potential of colloidal suspensions. It is commonly used in materials science, ceramics, and nanotechnology for optimizing dispersion and aggregation behavior.

High Temperature Box Furnace
​A thermally insulated chamber designed for uniform heating of materials. It is commonly used in ceramics, metallurgy, and materials research for sintering, annealing, and heat treatment applications.

High Temperature Hydrogen Furnace

This furnace allows samples to be placed in the desired gas or water vapor environment.
TA Instrument Rheometer
​ A precision instrument that contains the material of interest in a geometric configuration, controls the environment around it, and applies and measures wide ranges of stress, strain, and strain rate.

Glatt Fluidized Bed Coater

​All batch-executed fluidized bed processes for testing granulation, drying and coating processes. Ideal for minimum batch sizes of 2.5 to 1,300 grams. Processes in bottom and top spray methods. 

​Centrifuge

​Universal Centrifuge features a ZERO-RPM locking lid for safety and digital programming of time and speed ranging from 800-3400rpm. Achieve up to 1450g with the fixed angle rotor and 1809g with the swing-out rotor resulting in clean, easy to read lines of separation.
Other laboratory implements (pictures coming soon):
  1. High Temperature Muffle Furnace (Eurotherm 46100, Eurotherm2408) – A furnace designed for high-temperature heat treatment applications. It offers precise temperature control for sintering, annealing, and material testing. It operates at 208V, 30A.
  2. Hot Plate with Magnetic Stirrer (Fisherbrand Isotemp) – A laboratory hot plate for temperatures from 0-500°C, with magnetic stirring functionality (0-1600 rpm) for mixing solutions during heating, operating at 125V, 15A.
  3. Degassing Chamber and Vacuum Pump (Vevor KQ-1K) – A system for removing gases from materials under vacuum; it operates at 125V, 15A.
  4. Tubular Furnace (Across International ST 1500-80 X 1000) – A high-temperature furnace for heating materials in a tubular design, suitable for controlled atmosphere applications with snorkel ventilation and space for one gas cylinder. Operates at 208V, 30A.
  5. Vacuum Pump Connected to Tubular Furnace (Wenling Antong Electric VPD-265) – A vacuum pump used in conjunction with tubular furnaces for creating low-pressure environments during heat treatment, operating at 110V, 15A.
  6. Benchtop Polishing Machine (Allied High Tech Twin Prep 5) – A compact machine used for polishing materials with precise control over speed and pressure, ideal for sample preparation in laboratories. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  7. Low Speed Saw (Buehler Isomet 11-1280-170) – A precision cutting saw designed for slicing materials with minimal deformation, often used in metallography and materials testing. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  8. Digital Lab Oven (Quincy Lab 40GCE) – A laboratory oven offering precise temperature control for drying, baking, or curing materials, ideal for a wide range of applications. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  9. Digital Ultrasonic Cleaner (Vevor JPS-30A) – A cleaning device that uses ultrasonic waves to clean delicate materials or laboratory equipment, operating at 110V, 15A.
  10. Weighing Balance (Ohaus NV212) – A digital balance used for precise measurement of mass, commonly used in laboratory settings for weighing small samples. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  11. Water Distiller (Barnstead & Thermo Scientific A56218-857) – A system for distilling pure water in laboratories, removing impurities through the distillation process. No power or water requirements specified.
  12. Freeze Dryer and Vacuum Pump (Labconco Freezone 4.5L, A65312906) – A system used for freeze-drying biological or chemical samples, preserving their structure by removing moisture under low temperatures. It operates at 115V, 20A.
  13. Accupyc Pycnometers (Micromeritics FFB0924EHE) – An instrument used for precise measurement of material density using gas displacement, often applied in materials science. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  14. Vortex Mixer (Lachoi LA-MX-S(LA)) – A laboratory mixer used to rapidly mix small volumes of liquids by creating vortex motion, operating at 110V, 15A.
  15. Spin Coater & Vacuum Pump (Schwan Technology EZ4) – A system used for coating substrates with uniform thin films, ideal for research in material science and semiconductor fabrication. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  16. Ball Pestle Impact Grinder (Chemplex 110) – A machine used to grind materials to a fine powder by applying impact force, commonly used for sample preparation in analytical labs. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  17. Benchtop Hydraulic Press (Carver M) – A compact hydraulic press designed for pressing and compacting materials at high pressure, commonly used in materials testing and sample preparation. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  18. Digital Weighing Balance (Torbal AGZN120) – A high-precision digital balance used for accurate weighing of samples, operating at 110V, 15A.
  19. Glovebox (Terra Universal 1694-01C) – A sealed, inert environment box with glove ports, ideal for handling sensitive or hazardous materials in controlled conditions. It operates at 110V, 15A
  20. BET Machine (Anton Paar Autosorb 6100) – A device for surface area and porosity measurement of materials using the BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) method, useful in materials science and chemistry. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  21. Flammables Store Cabinets (JustRite RM08442) – Storage cabinets designed to safely store flammable materials in laboratories or industrial settings, minimizing fire hazards. No power requirements specified.
  22. Centrifuge Machine (Hettich Zentrifugen Universal 320 R) – A laboratory centrifuge used for separating components of liquids based on their densities, suitable for various biological and chemical applications. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  23. Centrifuge Machine (Thermo Scientific WX Ultra Series 100) – A high-performance centrifuge used in laboratories for separating substances in samples, operating at 110V, 15A.
  24. Rapid Temperature Tubular Furnace (CM Furnaces Inc. Rapid Temp 1730-12 HT) – A high-temperature furnace designed for rapid heating of materials in tubular form, with snorkel ventilation and space for one gas cylinder. It operates at 208V, 30A.
  25. DSC-TGA (NETZSCH Instruments STA449F3) – A combined Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA), used for thermal analysis of materials to study their thermal stability and composition. It operates at 208V, 30A.
  26. Direct Ink Writing 3D Printer (Chemistry and Materials Laboratories F-NIS 23151) – A 3D printer used for additive manufacturing of materials with precise ink deposition, suitable for research in materials science. It operates at 110V, 15A.
  27. High Temperature Tube Furnace (Carbolite, Machinery & Equipment Co CTF 18_300) – A tube furnace used for high-temperature heat treatments in controlled atmospheres, with snorkel ventilation and space for one gas cylinder. It operates at 208V, 30A.
  28. Glovebox (M. Braun Incorporated Labstar Pro SP) – A sealed, inert environment box with glove ports for working with sensitive or reactive materials, equipped with space for one gas cylinder. It operates at 115V, 15A.
  29. Potentiostat (ADVANCED MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY VERSASTAT3A-200) – A device for measuring the electrochemical properties of materials by controlling voltage and measuring current, commonly used in electrochemical testing. It operates at 115V, 15A.
  30. Laser Flash Analyzer (Linseis Inc. LFA 1000) – An instrument used for measuring the thermal diffusivity of materials, typically used in thermal conductivity studies. It operates at 230V, 16A.
  31. DSC (Linseis Inc. Chip-DSC 10) – A differential scanning calorimeter for measuring the heat flow into or out of a sample, providing insights into phase transitions and material behavior under temperature variations. It operates at 100-240V, 16A.
  32. Oven (A Division of Jouan Inc.) – A laboratory oven used for drying, heating, or curing materials, with temperature control and uniform heat distribution. It operates at 115V, 11.3A.
  33. Grinding Machine (Ecomet) – A machine used for grinding materials to a fine powder or surface finish, typically used in sample preparation for analysis. It operates at 115V, 1.2A.
  34. Graphite Furnace – A high-power furnace (40 KVA, 480V) used for heating graphite materials in laboratory settings, typically requiring an argon tank and a water supply for cooling.