Unit for analysis of small molecules

Unit for analysis of small molecules provides support to all researches in microstructural and morphological examination of solid materials as well as in structural study of crystalline materials. The electron microscope, installed within this unit, enables analysis of solid surfaces in nanometre-scale either in the field of material science (metallic samples, alloys, ceramic samples, minerals, polymers, composites, etc.) or in the field of biotechnology (tissue samples, cells, etc.). The equipment for X-ray diffraction, installed within this unit, provides support in structural analysis of crystalline solids. Besides crystalline structure, molecular structure may also be undoubtedly determined for molecular species thus providing essential information about the investigated system. X-ray powder diffraction system, installed within this unit, enables high quality qualitative and quantitative phase analysis of solid samples.


Unit for analysis of small molecules

Head: prof. dr. Marinšek Marjan, Full Professor


Reseach equipments:

Zeiss ULTRA plus

Equipment:
Scanning field emission electron microscope Zeiss ULTRA plus

Person, responsible for the equipment:
dr. Marjan Marinšek, Associate Professor
+386 1 479 8589

dr. Tina Skalar
+386 1 479 8587

Purpose of the equipment:
Scanning field emission electron microscope Zeiss ULTRA plus is equipped with:
• Schottky field emission system
• In-lens secondary electron detector (SE), which is placed above the objective lens,
• Evernhart-Thornley type detector for detection of secondary electrons,
ESB - energy selective backscattered electron detector (BSE), placed above the In-lens detector,
• ASB - angle selective backscattered electron detector for low-angle backscattered electrons revealing orientation contrast which is built into a pool of the objective lens,
• STEM detector which offers bright field and orientated dark field detecting modes
• CCD camera with infrared illumination in the chamber
• Device for the charge compensation on the surface of the sample by locally injecting the dry nitrogen,
• SDD detector with working surface area of 50 mm2 for the analysis of emitted X-ray light and INCA software package for the processing of the results.

Configuration of the microscope enables high-quality analysis of virtually any non-volatile solid samples and processing and preparation of the analysed data for publication. 

Diffractometer Nonius

Equipment:
Single Crystal X-Ray Diffractometer Nonius Kappa CCD

Person, responsible for the equipment:
dr. Andrej Pevec, Assistant Professor
+386 1 479 8527

Purpose of the equipment:
Single Crystal X-Ray Diffractometer Nonius Kappa CCD is equipped with molybdenum X-ray tube (MoKα, 0.71072 Å) and CCD detector (90 mm).

The diffractometer is equipped with cryostat Oxford Cryosystem 700 for Liquid Nitrogen.
Thus, the diffraction data collection of single crystals is possible in a temperature range between 100 K and ambient temperature.

It enables the structural analysis of small molecules.

Face- indexing and orientation of single crystal is also possible. 
From the diffraction data, a structural analysis is possible yielding the publishable results.
 

Diffractometer Agilent

Equipment:
Single Crystal X-Ray Diffractometer Agilent SuperNova

Person, responsible for the equipment:
dr. Amalija Golobič, Associate Professor
+386 1 479 8521

Purpose of the equipment:
Single Crystal X-Ray Diffractometer Agilent SUperNova is equipped with two microfocus sources, i.e. molybdenum X-ray tube (MoKα, 0.71072 Å) and copper (CuKα, 1.54184 Å), and 
 Atlas CCD detector (135 mm).

Diffractometer is equipped with Liquid Nitrogen Cryojet (Oxford Instruments). Thus, the diffraction data collection of single crystals is possible in a temperature range between 100 K and ambient temperature.

It enables the structural analysis of small molecules as well as macromolecules.

A simulation of powder pattern can be obtained by a diffraction on single crystal. Face- indexing and orientation of single crystal is also possible. 

From the diffraction data, a structural analysis is possible yielding the publishable results.

Powder Diffractometer

Equipment:
High-resolution X-Ray Powder Diffractometer PANalytical X'Pert PRO MPD

Person, responsible for the equipment:
dr. Marta Počkaj
+386 1 479 8521

Purpose of the equipment:
High-resolution X-Ray powder diffractometer PANalytical X'Pert PRO MPD is equipped with primary monochromator to obtain CuKα1  with wavelength 1.5406 Å.
Diffraction data collection of polycrystalline materials is possible in standard reflection mode.
For unstable samples or to avoid preferential orientation, also transmission mode is enabled (in this case, samples are put into glass capillaries).
Diffractometer enables qualitative and quantitative phase analysis of the polycrystalline samples, leading to publishable results.

Coupled system for thermal analysis

Equipment:Coupled system for thermal analysis: thermogravimetry ‒ gas storage interface ‒ gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Person, responsible for the equipment:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Romana Cerc Korošec
+386 1 479 8513

Purpose of the equipment:

Coupled system for thermal analysis: thermogravimetry ‒ gas storage interface ‒ gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is equipped with:

1.)    Mettler Toledo Thermoanalyzer TGA/DSC3, which, additionally to the measurement of mass changes, enables the detection of enthalpy changes in the sample during heating. The temperature range is from 25 to 1500 oC. An auto-sampler with 34 positions enables automatic sample change. During the analysis, the furnace can be purged with one of the selected gasses: argon, nitrogen, air, oxygen, mixture of argon/hydrogen, ammonia and carbon dioxide.

2.)    A gas storage interface which enables the collection of up to 16 gas samples, evolved during different stages of thermal decomposition.

3.)    Gas chromatography analyser with ion selective detector (Agilent) for the analysis of each of the collected gas samples. This instrument enables separation of the separate components and their further analysis with a mass spectrometer. Analysis of the collected gas samples is performed after thermogravimetric measurements.

Configuration of the coupled system enables high quality analysis of complex thermal decompositions together with the analysis of the evolved gasses, as well as the evaluation and preparation of the analysed data for publication.

Quroum Q150T ES

Equipment:
Quroum Q150T ES – turbo pumped high resolution sputter coater for FEG-SEM

Person, responsible for the equipment:
Dr. Tina Skalar, 
+386 1 479 8587

Purpose of the equipment:
The Q150T ES is a compact turbomolecular-pumped coating system suitable for SEM, TEM and many thin-film applications.

Short description:
Q150T ES is equipped with high vacuum turbo pumping system which allows sputtering of a wide range of oxidising, non-oxidising metals and carbon
coating – suitable for SEM and high resolution FE-SEM purposes.

Q150T ES allows precise thickness control using the film thickness monitor.

Q150T ES has fully automatic touch screen control. It allows multiple, customer defined coating schedules (protocols can be stored).