Facilities

H.H. Dow is the home of Chemical Engineering, but our faculty can also be found in the Beyster Building, GG Brown and the North Campus Research Complex. These shared spaces facilitate interdisciplinary work with computer scientists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, biomedical engineers, materials scientists, medical professionals and many others.

The Chemical Engineering Department offers a variety of shared facilities in addition to faculty lab space. Researchers also have access to college and university facilities.

Institutes and Centers

Biointerfaces Institute

Since its inception in 2012, the Biointerfaces Institute has been advancing scientific discovery through co-location and collaborative research.

Center for Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS)

COMPASS is a collaborative home for theoretical, experimental, and computational researchers who together are developing a systems-level approach to particle-based matter for word-leading energy-efficient manufacturing.

Michigan Institute for Data Science

MIDAS is the focal point for researchers across U-M engaged in data science.

Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering

MICDE focuses on the development and innovative use of mathematical algorithms and models on high performance computers (HPC) to support basic and applied research and development across a wide spectrum of disciplines in science and engineering.

Facilities

Clean Room Facility

The Chemical Engineering cleanroom, a class 1000 cleanroom, is located on the 3rd floor of the HH Dow building. The cleanroom includes capabilities to process SU-8, glass and poly(dimethylsiloxane).

Specific equipment:

• E-Beam Evaporator (Gold/Chromium/Oxide/Titanium)
• Mask Aligner
• Photoresist and SU8 Spinners
• Gold and Aluminum Wire Bonders
• Parylene Coater
• Surface Profilometer
• Acid, Base, Solvent and Photoresist Fume Hoods
• Oxygen/Argon Plasma Reactive Ion Etcher
• Heated Hydraulic Press

Contact: Brian Johnson
(734) 764-8130
brianj@umich.edu

Mammalian Cell Culture Lab

This is a lab for the culture of mammalian cells. It is used by faculty and students in Chemical Engineering. Lab contains basic equipment needed for cell culture including incubators, microscopes, centrifuges and laminar flow hoods.

Contact: Professor Jennifer Linderman
(734) 763-0679
linderma@umich.edu

Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory

The U-M Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory (EMAL) is a university-wide user facility for the microstructural and microchemical characterization of materials. EMAL currently has two locations—the west basement of the Space Research Building on North Campus and the second floor of the C.C. Little Building on Central Campus.

For the North Campus location, contact:
Associate Professor John Mansfield
(734) 936-3352
jfmjfm@umich.edu

Michigan Center for Materials Characterization (MC)²

(MC)² supports a diverse multi-disciplinary user-base of more than 450 users from various colleges and department across the U-M campus, more than 100 internal research groups, and 20 non-academic companies. The mission of (MC)2 is to provide cost effective, efficient, safe, and socially responsible access to advanced characterization equipment and expertise thereby promoting, enabling, and encouraging cutting-edge education, research, and business development.

J.D. Hanawalt X-Ray MicroAnalysis Laboratory

The goal of the Hanawalt XMAL is to provide state-of-the-art nanostructural characterization capabilities to members of the University of Michigan materials community.

• Rigaku Smartlab X-Ray Diffractometer
• Bede D1 High Resolution X-Ray Diffractometer
• Bruker D8 Discover With Gadds (General Area Detector Diffraction System)

Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (LNF)

The LNF offers a wide range of fabrication and characterization capabilities. Easy access to equipment, processes and expert staff support research on silicon devices and integrated circuits; MEMS and microsystems; micro- and nanofluidic systems; III-V compound devices; organic materials and devices; and advanced coatings, patterning and nanofabrication technologies.

It is available for use by research groups from universities, government and industry, and provides expertise to help and advise researchers with their projects.

Cleanroom and lab space
The LNF includes 11,000 sq. ft. of Class 10/100/1000 cleanroom and  2,500 sq.ft. of quasi class 10,000 laboratory with a BioSafety Level 2 space.

Key Capabilities

• Optical and e-beam lithography, direct write and printing
• Dry and wet etching, DRIE
• Bulk Si micromachining, surface micromachining
• Wafer bonding
• Thin-film deposition
• Chemical vapor deposition
• Oxidation/doping/diffusion
• Lapping/polishing, mechanical processes
• Wet processes, cleaning, electroplating
• AFM, SEM and other metrology

Contact: Wei Lu, (734) 615-2306, wluee@eecs.umich.edu.

High Temperature Corrosion Laboratory (HTCL)

The HTCL was founded to conduct experimental research on corrosion, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), and hydrogen embrittlement experiments in high temperature aqueous and gas environments and, in particular, simulated light water reactor environments. The corrosion laboratory has unique facilities for conducting both high and low temperature corrosion, stress corrosion cracking experiments, electrochemical tests and mechanical tests. The HTCL consists of six refreshed autoclave systems (titanium, Inconel, or stainless steel construction), five mounted in constant extension rate (CERT) machines and one in a constant load machine.

Experiments can be done in a wide range of environments, including supercritical water, simulated BWR and PWR water, high temperature steam, and gas environments. Each autoclave is isolated from the other systems with independent water and computer monitoring systems. The lab also contains two full-featured corrosion measurement systems and two additional potentiostats.

Contact: Alex Flick, Manager, (734) 936-8815, aflick@umich.edu

Biointerfaces Institute Research Facilities

BI leverages its large footprint to house laboratories for wet chemistry, biologic engineering, cell and tissue culture, drug delivery research, microfluidics, and nanotechnology. BI offers instruments for shared use to support BI’s research goals. Four main research centers were established that offer access and training to specialized instruments, available for use by BI researchers as well as to the broader U-M and external partner community. The centers house state of the art equipment that aligns with BI’s core research areas.

Nanotechnicum: Characterization and analysis of nanomaterials: It houses several instrument suites for particle characterization (e.g., zeta, potential, and concentrations), thermal analysis (e.g., melting point, glass transition, and degradation temperatures), and optical analysis (e.g., native state of proteins and biological activities). The Nanotechnicum also maintains a radioactive lab for determining the degree of protein resistance of medical devices, quantifying ligand attachment to surfaces, or labeling nanoparticles. The Nanotechnicum’s state-of-the-art instrumentation is managed and maintained by BI staff with long-term expertise in different areas of nanomaterials. Over 182 researchers from 21 research groups (15 BI, 16 non-BI University Labs, and 2 external industry users) have been trained to use its 11 instruments.

Single Cell Genomics Lab (SCGL): Multidisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art microfluidics, imaging, and sequencing technologies: Research conducted in the SCGL addresses critically important aspects of tumor initiation, multi-clonal expansion, and metastasis. The SCGL has the capability to evaluate novel, more effective targeting and personalized therapy for oncology patients. The SCGL is a collaboration between BI and the Translational Oncology Program and is one of only four centers worldwide that has the required scientific expertise and cutting edge capabilities to conduct pioneering work in single cell genomics. The establishment of the SCGL was made possible through a strategic partnership with the Fluidigm Corporation, which has donated several of the key instruments including two Biomark HD Systems and three C1’s.

Visualization Laboratory (VisLab): Imaging and characterization a wide range of materials from colloids to tissues: Instruments in this lab include a confocal laser scanning microscope, a confocal laser Raman microscope, a super-resolution optical microscope using structure illumination microscopy (SIM), and several optical microscopes (with cell incubator for cell tracking). These tools are vital for a wide range of applications in both materials synthesis and human health. The SIM was acquired through BI and US Department of Defense DURIP funding.

U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center-supported Single Cell Analysis Core (SCAC)

The Single Cell Analysis Core is one of the shared resources at Comprehensive Cancer Center that will provide experimental and technical services to research community at the University of Michigan to explore molecular aspects of cellular heterogeneity, population diversity, and complexity within seemingly homogeneous single cell samples prepared from tissues, biological fluids (e.g. blood) and cultured cell lines.

Single cell analysis can be challenging but highly informative. The core provides consultation to optimize the chances for a successful experiment.

Contact the Single Cell Analysis Core

U-M Battery Lab

The Battery Fabrication and Characterization User Facility enables industry and university researcher collaboration on developing cheaper and longer lasting energy-storage devices in the heart of the U.S. auto industry.

Key equipment

• Pre-assembly
  • 5L planetary mixer and disperser
  • Slurry homogenizer
  • Calendaring press
  • Slitting machine
  • Manual and prismatic electrode punches
  • Labcoater and multicoater
  • Rheometer
• Assembly
  • -40C dew point dry room
  • Coin cell crimper
  • 18650 cell winder and cell assembly
  • Prismatic cell assembly
• Characterization and testing
  • SEM with EDAX
  • Accelerated rate calorimeter
  • Raman microscope
  • Electrochemical scanning probe microscope
  • High throughput powder x-ray diffractor
  • Four electrochemical characterization systems

Contact: Greg Less, (734) 764-2794, gless@umich.edu

Advanced Research Computing (ARC)

ARC provides high performance computing resources and support for the U-M research community. The Data Science Initiative is investing $100 million in data science research, infrastructure and services across campus.