Facilities and Resources

Contact Angle is used for the determination of wetting characteristics of solid materials. Contact angle meters allow direct measurements of surface tension, interfacial tension and contact angles. Contact angle is an extremely versatile technique used for characterization of both liquids and solids.

Electron microscopes use electrons for imaging in a similar way that light microscopes use visible light. SEMs use the electrons that are reflected or knocked off the near-surface region of a sample to create an image. Since the wavelength of electrons is much smaller than that of light, the resolution of SEMs is superior to that of a light microscope. JCM 6000 SEM at CAM has designed with easy-to-understand controls and operation screens. Touch panels are adopted to provide more intuitive operation. It can analyze a sample with a maximum of 5 min operation time thanks to generate a high vacuum within 2 min. Maximum zoom can reach 60,000 of the sample and can reach 500 nm range of the surface of the objects.

Atomic force microscope MFP-3D system (Asylum Research, USA) equipped with a cantilever containing sharp tip (Al reflex coated Veeco model-OLTESPA, Olympus, Japan) can be used for obtaining detailed information about 3D surface topography of scanning areas in the range 0.5 µm² - 90 µm² with maximal resolution of 4096 Points∓Lines. Different accessories are available, such as AM-FM Viscoelastic Mapping Mode (mechanical properties), ORCATM (electrical characterization) , NanoIndenter™ (mechanical properties).

Profilometer (Leica DCM8) The 3D optical surface metrology system (profilometer) Leica DCM8 (Leica, Germany) can analyze the surface morphology/topography of different samples over a large surface area. The highly sensitive detector (1.4 million pixels resolution) is used to obtain confocal images. The maximal detailed image can be obtained from a 175.31 x 131.97 μm² using the EPI 100X-L objective (1360 x 1024 data points).

CAM holds Zetasizer Nano ZS instrument and it is utilized for the measurement of the size, electrophoretic mobility of colloidal and protein solution , zeta potential of colloids and nanoparticles, the measurement of nanoparticles mobility and microrheology of protein and polymer solutions. The high performance of the Zetasizer Nano ZS also enables the measurement of the molecular weight and second virial coefficient, A2, of macromolecules and kD, the DLS interaction parameter. An electric field is applied to a solution of molecules or a dispersion of particles, which then move with a velocity related to their zeta potential. Measurement of surface zeta potential can be conducted by using tracer particles to measure electro-osmosis close to a sample surface to calculate the zeta potential of the surface.

Microstructure and macrostructure imaging of sample with transmission or reflection modes offer valuable information on metallurgical, biological and geological samples. Samples can be magnifying up to 1000x and processing in the optical analyzer and application of light polarization provide also respected data from performance by optical microscopes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-bench top Jeol) is capable to magnify sample up to 60,000 x.

XRF spectroscopy Brucker S2 Puma (Jeol) is widely used for the qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis of environmental, geological, biological, industrial and other types of samples. It also provides fairly uniform detection limit across a large portion of the elements of the periodic table, generally restricted to elements heavier than sodium and is applicable to a wide range concentrations from a 100% to few parts per million

Picospin Thermofisher 45 can determine the structure of small compound and polymers by chemical shift in spectra for proton atoms in molecule. It can be a very selective technique, distinguishing among many different atoms within a molecule or collection of molecules of the same type but which differ only in terms of their local chemical environment.

For measuring the compression and flexural strength of concrete samples. The capacity of this machine is 3000 KN.

To determine Kinetic and Static Coefficient of friction of sheet materials using Lloyd Friction/Peel Tester (Model: LF 1K Plus) of 1KN capacity.The test is used to determine the kinetic (moving) and static (starting) resistance of one surface being dragged across another as per test method.A specimen is attached to a sled of specified weight. The sled is pulled across a second surface at a speed of 150 mm/minute. The force to get the sled started (static) and to maintain motion (kinetic) is measured. Both static and kinetic coefficient of friction can be calculated. The static coefficient of friction is equal to the initial force scale reading divided by the sled weight. The kinetic coefficient of friction is equal to the average force reading obtained during uniform sliding of the surfaces divided by the sled weight.

For testing the impact resistance of plastic material by Charpy and Izod methods at different temperatures. The testing specimen will be impacted by a pendulum at certain angle and with a specific energy. The instrument software will calculate the impact energy based on the height loss that pendulum will have when raising up. The product standards covered by this device are ISO-179; ISO-180; ASTM-D256, ASTM D6110.

To determine Micro-Vickers Hardness of Metals & Alloys using Vickers Hardness Tester, Future-Tech, JAPAN-Model FM-ARS9000. The Vickers Hardness Test consists of a small pyramid shaped diamond indenter with an apical angle of 136°, which is pressed into the test sample at a predetermined load. The resulting indentation is then measured in both axis from tip to tip. The average of the two axis measurements is then converted into a Vickers Hardness number by automatically by the machine.

The Tribometer model : MFT-X B/F Multi-Function Tester Max load range N Bench top/ Floor Standing. In the pin on disk tribometer, a stationary pin is placed beneath the applied load which is in connection with the rotating disk. The tips of the pins are usually made spherical. This facilitates simple contact geometry. However, the shape of the pin may vary according to the desired contact required. The ratio of the frictional force produced by the contact to the loading force gives the coefficient of friction. This type of tribotesters give efficient results in the wear and friction tests for low friction materials used especially in combustion engines. A tribometer is an instrument that measures tribological quantities, such as coefficient of friction, friction force, and wear volume, between two surfaces in contact.

RSA-G2 from TA is state-of-art technology for dynamical testing in dynamic and precise stress control over frequency, time and temperature. The instrument might operate over a wide temperature range from -150 to 600 °C with maximal force 35 kN and maximal frequency 100 Hz. Data provides information on multiple modes of deformation including dual/single cantilever and 3-point bending, tension, compression, and shear. It offers the ultimate in performance, versatility, and ease-of-use. Ultra-sensitive optical encoder technology provides information about strain and air bearing technology insures virtually friction-free movement.

• Tensile test: (LR 50K Plus – Lloyd Instruments)

  Lloyd LR 50K Plus and Lloyd LS 1K Plus Tensile instruments offer broad range testing on tensile tests at CAM. The main principle of the tensile test is the resistance of a material to a tensile load applied axially to a specimen. In a simple tensile test the operation is accomplished by gripping opposite ends of the piece of material and pulling it apart. Observations of applied force for appropriate elongation are recorded during the test. Stresses, strains, % elongation, % reduction of area are all computed on the basis of the original dimensions. A stress-strain diagram is then plotted and the information obtained from this diagram allows the comparison of the appropriate mechanical properties of different materials with one another. The CAM is accredited for the following Mechanical Testing Methods: Tensile Testing of metals & alloys and plastics- ASTM - E8, D 6-38

• Compression test: (LR 50K Plus – Lloyd Instruments)

  A compression test determines behavior of materials under crushing loads. The specimen is compressed and deformation at various loads is recorded. Compressive stress and strain are calculated and plotted as a stress-strain diagram which is used to determine elastic limit, proportional limit, yield point, yield strength. This method is performed for concrete, metals, plastics, ceramics, composites, corrugated cardboard and even to soft materials as hydrogels. Lloyd LR 50K Plus and Lloyd LS 1K Plus instruments and concrete compression tester (Fore) offer broad range testing on compression tests at CAM.

SSRT, a tensile specimen is subjected to a steadily increasing stress in a given testing environment. This procedure results in rupture of surface films and thus tends to eliminate initiation time required for surface crack to form. The test is continued till the specimen fails, the ductility and strength parameters coupled with surface morphology of the fracture provide information about the mode of failure and influence of environment as corrosion, water, gasses or pressure. At CAM SSRT instruments (National Inst.UK) conducted to autoclave cell is stated.

Measurement of hardness provides a very useful non-destructive method for checking and determination on the nominal strength of a material and it is therefore also useful for checking on the quality of various metallurgical treatments, for example heat treatment, cold working. A hard indenter (Proceq Sa Equostat and Clark Rockwell) is pressed into the specimen by a standard load with A,B,C scale with load up to 150 kg and the magnitude of the indentation (either area or depth) is taken as a measure of hardness. The CAM is accredited for the following Mechanical Testing Methods. Test methods: Hardness Testing of metals & alloys - ASTM - E18. Automated microhardness ARS 9000 Future tech. for Vicker hardness and microhardness determination for load from 5 g up to 2000 g is also available.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a rapid analytical technique primarily used for phase identification of a crystalline material and can provide information on unit cell dimensions. This device has the ability to measure all sample types - from powders to thin films, from nanomaterials to solid objects.

To determine the density of small samples of polymer or other solid at 23°C as per ASTM D1505. A column with two different mixable liquids will be prepared; the light liquid should be 20 to 25% of the range below the required lowest density. The dense liquid should be 30 to 35% of the range above the required highest density. After preparation a tall vertical tube (column) is filled in such a way that a continuously variable density gradient is created. Each float settles at its own density so the density of the column accurately knows at the floats positions. The density at any other position is found by interpolation or a graph.

For measuring fluorescence of wide range of samples, including: solids, liquids, powders and thin films. Samples are illuminated by a 150 W xenon, continuous output, ozone-free lamp. The excitation monochrometer has an optical range of 220 – 600 nm blazed at 330 nm. This instrument is also equipped with origin software for data analysis.

The differential scanning calorimetry is a fundamental tool in thermal analysis. It looks at how a material’s heat capacity is changed by temperature. By DSC 8500 (Perkin Elmer) sample of known mass is heated or cooled and the changes in its heat capacity are tracked as changes in the heat flow. The information these instruments generate is used to understand amorphous and crystalline behavior, polymorph and eutectic transitions, curing and degree of cure, and many other material properties used to design, manufacture and test products.

Heat flow meter instruments measures the steady-state heat transfer through flat materials and determinate of thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity of solids, liquids, powders, pastes, foams as well as laminates and with the special TPS sensors it becomes possible to measure samples with a conductivity as low as 0.005 W/(mK) and as high as 1200 W/(mK) with high sensitivity in a wide range of temperatures up to 700 °C and in many different environments. Thermocouples embedded in the plates measure the temperature drop across the specimen and HFMs embedded in each plate measure the heat flow through the specimen.

MFI measures of the capability of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic polymer and composites. MFI is an indirect measure of molecular weight and inversely proportional to viscosity of the material at the testing conditions. MFI is very comfort method for polyolefins, polyethylene being measured at 190°C and polypropylene at 230°C and can refer also information about molecular weight distribution. Qualitest MFI is automatic and controllable melt flow indexer at CAM and accredited for. D1238 method Density meter for density of polymers is also available.

Electrical permittivity ε*(ω), conductivtiy σ*(ω) and permeability μ*(ω) spectra are fundamental material parameters and all they can be accurately and automatically determined by broad dielectric spectrometry Novocontrol from some mHz up to several GHz (15 decades) for nearly all kind of materials. Sample preparation requires only little effort. As the models may include results from other material characterization methods, a link between the several techniques can be established in order to get more general information in temperature range from -150 °C up to 200 °C.

Accommodated Gamry electrochemical set ups allow range electrochemical processes and analysis and performance. Bipotentiostat set up, EIS, Cyclic voltamperometry (CV) characterization offer methods to protect the structure by using galvanic anodes which have a higher energy level or potential with respect to the structure to be protected or to control the corrosion of a metal surface by making it work as a cathode of an electrochemical cell. Bipotentiostat unit Gamry with Gamry 3000 and 600 and perform with current up to 3 A and can be boosted to 30 V.

Provide information about UV spectrum of solution from 200 to 900 nm.

TGA- FTIR is unique system at QU to online monitoring material thermal decomposition. TGA-FTIR set up from Perkin Elmer combines Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) with an Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) based on knowledge about the most common type of Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) system. During the analysis a sample on the TGA is heated and releases volatile materials or generates combustion components as it burns. Evolved gases are then transferred to your IR cell, where the components can be identified according library. Moreover, TGA and FTIR can also provide data separated and allow flexibility of measurement in range for TGA form 25 up to 1100 °C and for FTIR from 450 up to 4000 cm^-1.

Nondestructive Testing is the determination of a specimen's quality without impairing its intended application. The field of NDT is a very broad, interdisciplinary that plays a critical role in assuring that structural components and systems perform their function in a reliable and cost effective fashion. Laser-Ultrasonic is an advanced NDT technique using laser, it is becoming popular and gaining grounds for different applications in the industry. In laser-ultrasonic, the source of ultrasound is located at the surface of the material and detection of ultrasonic motion is performed of the same surface, which eliminates the normal incidence requirement of conventional piezoelectric-based ultrasonic and allows easy inspection of complex shapes. CAM is the focal point for many industrial research projects that require Innovative Non-contact laser Inspection System in Qatar. There are a wide variety of NDT resources available at CAM ranging from Dye penetrant inspection (Liquid penetrant), Magnetic Particles Inspection and Ultrasonic flaw detection to the sophisticated range of laser Ablation Ultrasonic Equipment. Penetrant testing is a surface-examination that can be carried out on all non-porous materials. Magnetic testing makes it possible to identify flaws on and directly below the surface. This can only be done in magnetisable grades of steel. Ultrasonic testing enables faults deep in the material to be detected in materials such as steel over their whole thickness, without having to carry out destructive tests.

Salt Spray Cabinet (Ascott 5450T), accelerated weather tester (Q-lab-QUV) and autoclave serve as primary equipment for simulation of different environment to perform of the testing. Environment and weathering influence are tested deeply at CAM and provide information on degradability, aging and stability of materials. Intensity of light, effect of water, sea water, salts and environment systems are simulated by pressurized spray and condensation systems and degradation effects of light are simulated by fluorescent UV lamps. The exposure temperature is automatically controlled by apparatus and is programmable.

A Venus75-HF plasma system (PlasmaEtch, USA) working under vacuum (~27 Pa) and 13.56 MHz of frequency is used for the surface treatment of different materials. This equipment consists of a cylindrical chamber made of aluminum (25 cm in diameter and 28 cm deep). A capacitive parallel plate design allows generating nominal power with a maximum of 120 W. All the operational parameters are fully controllable by the PC software, such as treatment time, nominal power, gas flow, gas mixture flow, for achieving an optimal plasma treatment process of the samples. This system is useful for discontinuous processes (electronic, biomedical).

Corona system CVE-L (Softal, Germany) works at atmospheric pressure and it is commonly used for treatment of polymer, glass, wood, metal, biological materials under dynamic conditions. This system generates corona discharge in an air atmosphere using generator 7010 (Softal, Germany) with a maximum 300 W of nominal corona power and 20.8 kHz frequency at 8.4 A of output current. The corona system consists of a set of powered metal electrodes embedded in a ceramic insulator for the optimal isolation of high voltage allowing treatment of a 29.70 x 1.35 cm² surface area. A planar sample holder made of porous aluminum with suction control keeps the samples in the right position during the treatment. A high-efficiency catalytic ozone removal system is part of this system for an efficient ozone extraction, ensuring a safe working environment. This system is useful for continuous processes (packaging foil, textile).

For casting and /or coating very thin tapes of polymers or aqueous slurries. The bed of this machine is divided into two zones: air heat zone and underbed heat zone. The maximum operating temperature is 100°C. The length the casting tape can reach 1.1 meter, while the width can be with in the range of 100 and 300 mm.

VCM 600 V1 is a robust, fast, powerful, adaptable, and straightforward vacuum thermal evaporation unit. The system is separated in two parts Metal Base unit and Glass Bel Jar Protection Guard. Metal base unit include TURBO Vacuum Pump controller with Pumping speed (80 1/s – 100 1/s), Pirani cold Plasma penning Head with controller, high current power supply unit for up to 150 A ( 200 A), current regulator and vent valve. The glass bell jar is made from ultra-high-quality borosilicate thermally treated. The tall glass vacuum chamber and the excellent geometry of the system, support the deposition of thin films of metals or other materials on the samples, placed on the supplied substrate holder, with high uniformity. The Evaporation system allows the coating of thin film of very high quality and uniformity with very strong contact on the substrate.

Determination of mass loss by a continuous flow of Steam gas entrained solid abrasives with jet nozzle type erosion equipment. This test method can be used to evaluate and rank the erosion resistance of different materials to a stream of gas containing abrasive particulate as per standard ASTM G76.

SPX-APV-2000 is a positive displacement pump equipped with a homogenizing valve. The homogenization takes place when the material is pumped through homogenizing valve. The maximum operating temperature of this device is 2000 bar with a nominal capacity of 11 liter/hour

Wet chemistry facilities serve for practical and synthetic part of preparations and modifications of polymers, surfaces and other materials. These facilities contain several fume hoods with stirring abilities and instruments as rotary evaporator, vacuum oven, furnaces, centrifuge, UV-laps, ultrasonic generator and baths.

Glove box with inert and dry atmosphere as single station units is the highest quality for chemistry isolation techniques. The individually controlled chamber is suitable for semiconductor, nanomaterial and air-sensitive materials and research applications

Spin coating (WS 650-23 Spincoater- Laurell) is widely used techniques to produce thin film layer by depositing a small drop of a fluid resin onto the center of a substrate and then spinning the substrate at high speed (typically more than 2000 rpm). CAM has advanced spin coater which can modulate spin speed and time, acceleration, inertness and exhausting. Final film properties can be modified on the nature of the resin (viscosity, drying rate, percent solids, surface tension, etc.) and the parameters chosen for the spin process.

Nanofiber electrospinning (NaBond) instrument is at CAM stated for electrospinning nanofibre formation. Electrospinning is a technique in which polymer jet, which is charged is collected on a grounded collector or a rapidly rotating collector results in aligned nanofibers while stationary collectors result in randomly oriented fiber mats. The polymer jet is formed when an applied electrostatic charge overcomes the surface tension of the solution.

Twin Extruder (KETSE 20/40D - Brabender) is providing process to transfer row plastic material by melting and extrusion by plastic flow to continuous form dependent on die. This technique offer us to use waste polymer, to be recycled or composite preparation by filament formation and subsequently pelletization. Ketze 20/40 twin extruder is situated at CAM with bench mixer and pelletizer.

Brbender plastograph (Plastograph EC & Mixer 50EHT – Brabender) preparation of relatively small volume of polymer blend or composites facilitates tuning and modulation of targeted and tailored properties of materials by means of the Brabender® Plastograph® EC. The Brabender® Plastograph® EC is bench top system for mixing and extrusion of polymers, blends and (nano)composites at different temperature range with continuous observation of torque in shearing. System possesses digital 3.8 kW motor, a torque measuring range of 200 Nm, and a speed range from 0.2 to 150 min-1 for volume up to 50 cm-3 of product.

Hot compression (Carver 3895) allows a forming process where a plastic material is placed directly into a preheated metal mold, afterwards is plasticized by the heat, and forced to form the shape of the mold. Automated hot plate Carver autofour/30-12 HC can be used at temperature up to 350°C with clamp force up to 30 tons to sample.

Welding and sample preparation workshop contains all manual gas welding equipment’s, e.g., SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, and instruments for sample preparation and laser cutting, lathe machine, grinder, abraser, extruder and polisher. This workshop is devoted for practical training and research work.