Medium Range Facilities

EcoBiM LAB is dedicated to the preparation of environmental samples and to the extraction, quantification, and quality control of microbial DNA from a wide range of environmental matrices. The facility provides standardized workflows and instruments to ensure high-quality nucleic acids for downstream molecular ecology, microbiome and microbial genomics.

ESCALAB QXi is a multi-technique photoelectron spectrometer supporting XPS, UPS, REELS and ISS, with a dual mode ion gun for monoatomic or cluster beams. It ensures the production of high-quality DNA suitable for a broad spectrum of downstream molecular applications. A charge compensation system enables XPS on insulating samples.

The FIB-SEM system offers high-resolution imaging and characterization of the sample surface. The focused Gallium ion beam is a tool for precise milling of the bulk sample, allowing exposure of sub-surface details or fabrication of site-specific TEM specimens. The FIB-SEM is also used for nanofabrication as the pattern generator.

The DualBeam aligns the focal points of the electron and gallium ion beams, optimizing a wide range of applications. This configuration enables simultaneous SEM imaging, during FIB milling, greatly improving precision, performance, and throughput in operations that require highly accurate material modification. The flexibility of this instrument is unique to TESCAN.

The Biophotonics group develops new optical nonlinear microscopy methods for in vivo biophysics and medical physics. In this field the group is developing two photon fluorescence imaging and second harmonic generation microscopy. One of the main application aims to the study of is studying lymphocyte motion in lymph nodes, in order to model immune responses in mice.

The Nicolet Nexus 870 is a FT infrared spectroscopy and microscopy system with an external optical table, MCT and TRS external detectors, a GeATR unit, a Hind photoelastic modulator, and one infrared continuum microscope. It enables simultaneous imaging and FT analysis of micrometric particles or domains, supporting chemical mapping of flat samples and powders.

The Nicolet iS10 is a FT infrared spectrometer designed to identify unknown contaminants, analyse failures and characterize mixtures, using the high performance Light Drive optical engine components. This instrument offers high spectral resolution (better than 0.25 cm-1) and signal to noise ratios (50 000:1) for detecting small defects. Performance is verified with an integrated validation wheel.

Gas chromatograph is coupled to mass spectroscope for identifying and quantifying chemicals in mixtures. The instrument is complemented by an autosampler, equipped with temperature control. The Gas Chromatography Ion Mobility Spectrometer QP2020NX model is suitable for general untargeted analysis, as well as for the detection of specific chemical families.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Delta V Advantage isotope ratio mass spectrometer enables the determination of relative quantities of stable isotope ratios of C, H, O, N and S in solid and liquid non-volatile samples and in single compounds separated through gas chromatography. All the facility components (IRMS, GC and EA) are connected through the Thermo Scientific ConFlo IV Universal Interface.

Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique, used in materials science to study a substance’s unique molecular vibrations and crystal lattice structure. The LabRAM Odyssey is equipped with a spectrometer, to achieve high spectral resolution, and with an optical microscope with a high magnification objective.