Facilities
Our Laboratory
The NRG Lab occupies ~2000 sq. ft of research space in Catalysis and the Technological Institute buildings at Northwestern University. The laboratories contain extensive benchtop space, fume foods, utilities, and other needs for safe use of chemicals. The laboratory is well-equipped for precision molecular, inorganic complex, and materials synthesis, and for characterization of catalyst structure and function.
Laboratory Equipment
Instruments:
• TA Instruments Q500 thermogravimetric analyzer: A TGA with dual integrated mass flow controllers and evolved gas analysis furnace, its used for mass analysis and temperature programmed desorption / oxidation / reduction. Attachment of process mass spectrometer gives quantitative analysis of, for example, the evolution of H2O during reduction of oxides, giving insight into possible structures of surface oxides.
• Cary 6000i UV-visible-NIR spectrophotometer: Very low stray light is optimized for solids analysis. Has a constant-temperature stirrer liquid cell.
• Harrick Praying Mantis diffuse reflection holder and custom reaction cell with temperature control to 400°C and gas distribution manifold for in situ UV-visible-NIR analysis.
• Pfeiffer Thermostar process mass spectrometer for rapid identification of desorbed species during temperature-programmed reaction (oxidation, reduction, desorption) in TGA, UV-visible-NIR spectroscopy, or standalone microreactors.
• ATAGO RX-007 Alpha Benchtop Refractometer for ultra-high precision quantification of aqueous solution concentrations.
• Malvern Instruments Nano ZS Zetasizer
• HP 6890 GC/FID, Shimadzu 2010 GC/MS, and Shimadzu 2010 GC/FID, all with automated liquid sampling.
Reactors:
• Ambient pressure, quartz U-tube, flow microreactors (4) with up to three mass flow controllers, bubblers, and controlled furnace. Fully automated flow and temperature control. Effluent detection by process mass spectrometer and/or online GC-FID/TCD. One is fully enclosed for handling toxic gases.
• High pressure (600 psi) flow microreactor (1-2) with up to five mass flow controllers and two liquid flow controllers, pressurized liquid reservoirs and controlled furnaces. Fully automated flow and temperature control. Effluent detection by online GC-FID/TCD.
• Low pressure parallel batch reactors, commercial and home-built, with temperature control and stirring or shaking.
• Medium and high pressure batch reactors. Several 50-300 mL stainless or Hastelloy Parr autoclave reactors with overhead or magnetic stirring. 190 mL Andrews glass reactors (225 psi) for batch solid/liquid reactions. Several of the reactors are specially modified to allow continuous sampling of the liquid and/or gas phases.
• UV sources, quartz vessels, and machined reaction blocks for photochemistry.
Shared Facilities
• The Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center (IMSERC): FTIR, LC-MS and standalone mass spectrometry for small molecule and materials characterization; 400 MHz and 500 MHz NMR for solutions; 300 MHz NMR for solids.
• Quantitative Bio-element Imaging Center: ICP and microwave digesters for elemental analysis.
• Northwestern University Atomic- and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE): SEM, TEM, XPS, SIMS, and ESCA for visualization, elemental mapping and oxidation state analysis.
• Keck Biophysics Facility: photoluminescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectrophotometry, isothermal titration calorimetry
• Staffed and student-run machine and electrical shops.
• DuPont-Northwestern-Dow Collaborative Access Team at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory (Station 5-BM). In addition to the station, associations with the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science make available several in situ reactors for X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques (EXAFS, XANES).
• Reactor Engineering And Catalyst Testing (REACT) User Facility: Our Marquee space, the facility includes 4 automated Altamira BenchCAT 4000 plug flow reactor systems with GC-FID/MS/TCD/NPD for detection. Facility also includes additional Parr reactors, a medium-pressure recirculating liquid reactor, two machines for in situ DRIFTS, including SSITKA experiments, N2 physisorption, HPLC, pulse chemisorption, TPR/TPO. An Arradiance GEMSTAR-8 is available for routine atomic layer deposition on powders.
Contact Us
Professor Justin Notestein
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering