Laboratory Facilities
The Materials Science and Engineering Program is affiliated with laboratories throughout the College of Science and Dwight Look College of Engineering throughout the 5,200-acre campus.
Some labs, such as the Materials Characterization Facility, are designated as user facilities, and available for both internal research and commercial use on fee basis. Utilization of a facility may require a training session prior to use of specific equipment.
Please check with the laboratory manager to arrange for training or access.
The labs associated with the Materials Science and Engineering program are—
| Materials Characterization Facility | |
The MCF is a multiuser facility supporting the research efforts of the Texas A&M University and commercial community. The MCF houses both fabrication and characterization instrumentation for the rapid prototyping and characterization of lithographically based micro-chemical systems with critical lateral length dimensions on the order of 1 micron or greater. |
|
Microscopy and Imaging Center |
|
The MIC provides current and emerging technologies involving microscopy and imaging in life and physical sciences, as well as training and support services, sample preparation, in situ elemental/molecular analysis, and digital image processing. |
|
Polymer Technology Center |
|
The Polymer Technology Center serves faculty from the departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, and Mechanical Engineering, as well as commercial clients. Two industrial consortia support operations of the PTC, sponsoring research projects both individually and jointly. |
|
Microstructural Engineering of Structural and Active Materials |
|
The MESAM laboratory performs research in shape memory alloys (high-temperature, ferromagnetic), bulk nanocrystalline materials, graine boundary engineering, bulk metallic glasses, and severe plastic deformation of difficult-to-work alloys. MESAM also colloborate with the Equal Channel Angular Extrusion Lab. The lab also has extensive national and international collaboration with scientists from Ames and Los Alamos National Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, and universities in Germany and Russia. |
|
Thin Film Nano and Microelectronics Research Laboratory |
|
The focus of this laboratory is to study thin film-related microelectronic and opto-electronic devices with a goal of correlating material properties to their process conditions and device characteristics. Materials used in this laboratory are Si-based semiconductors, dielectrics, low-k interlayer dielectrics, metal oxides. Processes include deposition, sputtering, etching, lithography, thermal annealing, and doping. |
|
Equal Channel Angular Extrusion Laboratory |
|
The Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) process was invented in the former Soviet Union by Vladimir Segal in 1977. Dr. Segal himself worked as an associate in the TAMU ECAE lab from 1992 to 1995. Researchers in the TAMU Deformation Processing Laboratory have been conducting research on the ECAE process since 1992. ECAE is an innovative process capable of producing uniform plastic deformation in a variety of materials without causing signficant change in geometric shape or cross section. |
|
Nuclear Science Center |
|
The Nuclear Science Center is a multidisciplinary research and education center supporting basic and applied research in nuclear-related field of science and technology. The reactor is designed for irradiation of samples and is used to produce radioisotopes for industry, medical, and academic users. Working wiht the Center for Chemical Characterization and Analysis, the NSC uses neutron activation to identify trace metals in materials. Users include the TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Horticulture, and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Commercial users include industrial tracer companies, oilfield services companies, private research companies testing wear of metallic parts, radioative medical isotope users. |
|
The Elemental Analysis Laboratory is a component of the Department of Chemistry's Center for Chemical Characterization and Analysis. The laboratory provices research support for elemental and trace analysis, to internal users, as well as other universities, government agencies, and private industry. Instrumentation includes fast neutron activation analysis capabilities in addition thermal instrumental neutron activation using the University's Nuclear Science Center's 1 MW TRIGA research reactor. |
 |
Mass Spectroscopy Application and Collaboration Facility |
|
The Laboratory for Biological Mass Spectrometry provides expertise in mass spectrometry, including analysis of organic compounds, DNA, RNA, and natural products. Research scientiests are actively involved in the developmnet of new analysis methods and techniques and the development of next-generation instrumentation for analysis and sample handling. |
High Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory |
The High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory primarily serves the researchers of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and the Texas Transportation Institute. The testing equipment, instrumentation, and shop equipment contained within the High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory represent an investment of several million dollars and is one of the largest, most modern, and best-equipped facilities of its kind located in the South and Southwest. |
|
