Instrumentation and capabilities in the Tribology Research Laboratory (ISE 250) & the Surface Analysis & Imaging Lab (HK 116B):

Three custom-built, linear reciprocating tribometers (five independent test stations). Each tribometer is equipped with six-axis force/torque sensors with a z-load range of 50N ~ 900N. Tribometers are re-configurable to allow for varying contact geometry, interface temperature and environmental control. Shown above, left-to-right: Beefcake, TB5000, TB1000.

Two additional custom-built, linear reciprocating tribometers are in final development: R2D2 is a twin-station clone of TB5000 (first image, right), Big Mack is a 4-station tribometer that is the brainchild of a GU ME Senior Design team (second image, right).

Three atomic force microscopes: Asylum Research MFP-3D Origin+, Agilent/Keysight 5500 (Picoplus) and Quesant/Ambios Q250. Modes/capabilities include:

  • Contact and amplitude modulation (tapping) mode in air or liquid (MFP-3D equipped with iDrive magnetic actuation and perfusion liquid cell). Picoplus equipped with Acoustic AC and Magnetic AC modes (driver coil options in both nose cone and sample plate).

  • Amplitude Modulation - Frequency Modulation (AM-FM) and Contact Resonance nanomechanical mapping (on MFP-3D)

  • Conductive AFM: CSAFM on Picoplus and ORCA on MFP-3D.

  • Variable temperature scanning: up to 300°C with Picoplus and MFP-3D (PolyHeater and BioHeater), and down to -30°C with Picoplus.

 

Other equipment/instrumentation:

  • Environment chamber for controlled environment tribometry

  • Low force (<5N) linear reciprocating tribometer

  • DC/RF magnetron sputtering system (Cooke Vacuum Products)

  • Quartz crystal microbalance (Stanford Research Systems QCM200)

  • Analytical microbalance (multiple, with 100 mg, 1 mg and 0.01 mg readability)

  • Sample preparation & analysis: sonicators (bath and wand), trinocular compound (optical) microscope, hydraulic press and bench-top furnace, CNC router, hotplate, etc.

  • Tescan Vega 3 scanning electron microscope, with EDS detector (shown on left)

 

Instrumentation in the Gonzaga Materials Lab:

  • Keyence VK-X3050 confocal laser microscope with a 10x scanning white light interferometry objective

  • Kruss DSA25 Standard Drop Shape Analyzer

Instrumentation on the Gonzaga campus

  • ThermoFisher Nicolet iS5 FTIR spectrometer with an iD7 ATR accessory

  • MTS Criterion Model 43 material test frame

  • Ultimaker S5 fused deposition modeling 3D printer