Facilities

Rutgers University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering maintains a full range of well-equipped interdisciplinary laboratories and associated facilities. Of these, six major laboratories are designated for the exclusive use of the AMIPP Center and focus on the formulation, compounding, processing and characterization of immiscible polymer blends. Fully equipped conference and meeting rooms are available for AMIPP Center investigators to hold research meetings and to confer with partners and stakeholders at periodic gatherings. In addition to these Rutgers University facilities, the AMIPP Center Partners have considerable complimentary laboratory facilities as described in the “Other” section below.

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Laboratory facilities – Rutgers University

Rheology
  1. TA Instruments AR-2000 Rheometer with ETC Furnace (-150 - 600°C Temperature Control) with Parallel and Cone Plate Rheology
  2. Capillary Rheometer with Brabender Intelli-torque system
  3. Brookfield R/S+ Rheometer
  4. Brookfield Viscometers (multiple with many spindle configurations available)
Processing and Forming
  1. Randcastle compounding extruder
  2. Inovent biaxial stretching machine with simultaneous and sequential x-y capability
  3. Negri Bossi 55 tonne Injection Molder with ASTM Tensile, Flexural, Dart Impact, Izod Impact, and 6" x 4" x 0.125" Plaque Molds available
  4. Laboratory Extruders/Torque Rheometer - Brabender Intelli-torque system
  5. Single screw extruder with rod, tube, sheet, fiber, and blown film capability
  6. Carver Uniaxial Press with heated platens for compression molding in excess of 400°C. 
  7. Benchtop Small Sample Vertical Injection Molder
Mechanical Properties
  1. MTS Model 810, Servo-hydraulic 55 Kips (w/ optional high temperature furnace)
  2. MTS QTest/25 Universal test apparatus
  3. Instron Dynatup POE2000 Impact Tester
  4. Instron 4505 Universal Test Machine
  5. Instron Electro Mechanical Testing Machine 22KIP 1361
  6. Instron Servo hydraulic Testing Machine
  7. MTS Continuous-Feed High Temperature Testing Machine
  8. ATS High Temperature Creep (bending and compression)
Thermal Measurements
  1. DSC - TA Instruments Q-1000 w/ RCS (-90 to 550°C ) & TA Instruments Q-100  w/ FACS (25 to 750°C)
  2. Orton Auto Recording Dilatometer
  3. Gaertner Interferometer
  4. Netzche 1600 C Dilatometer
  5. Perkin Elmer 1600 C DTA
  6. Simultaneous DTA, TGA
Chemical Characterization Elemental Analysis:
  1. Nicolet iS-10 FTIR w/ Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS) and ATR Detectors available
  2. Agilent 4100 ExoScan FTIR (Handheld)
  3. UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
  4. Panalytical Epsilon I XRF spectrometer
  5. Renishow In Via Raman with 535, 635 and 839 nm lasers
  6. Perkin Elmer Atomic Absorption Spectrometer
  7. Perkin Elmer Inductively Coupled Plasma 6500 Spectrometer
  8. EDAX EDS Elemental Analysis 9020 and 711
Scanning Electron Microscopes:
  1. Zeiss Sigma Field Emission SEM with Oxford INCA PentaFETx3 EDS system (Model 8100) with fully digital image collection, transfer and analysis
  2. Phenom Pro Benchtop SEM
Transmission Electron Microscopes:
  1. Delong LVEM Benchtop TEM/STEM/SEM
  2. Field Emission TEM/STEM, (JEOL 2010F)
  3. Nion UltraSTEM Electron Microscope with 10 meV Spectroscopy
  4. IPGT IMIX Energy Dispersive Spectrometer and Image Analyzer with direct and video acquisition capability
  5. Gatan Model 666, Parallel Detection Electron Energy Loss Spectrometer
  6. Gatan Model 690 Wide Angle Slow Scan, PEELS Compatible Camera
X-Ray Diffractometers:
  1. Panalytical X'Pert Pro MRD X-ray Diffractometer
  2. Philips Norelco Generator with Transmission Guinier-deWolff camera and rotation camera, CU Target
  3. JCPDS CD ROM X-ray powder data file Philips Norelco Type 12215 Cu Target
  4. Philips Canberra, Type 12845, Cu Target Philips Metalix, Type 12049, Co Target

Others:

Plastic Lumber Trade Association [PLTA]

Multiple extrusion, molding and fabrication facilities made available via member companies

US Army Corp or Engineers Research Laboratory

The Army’s structural laboratory in Illinois contains a variety of specialized equipment for measuring the mechanical properties of large structural beams and specialty shapes typically used in Corp of Engineer projects. These facilities, which traditionally are used to evaluate wood, concrete, steel, aluminum and similar materials, are used to compare the properties and behavior of new AMIPP-developed plastic structural materials to established standards prior to field implementation and construction.