Research Facilities

Our group hosts a number of state of the art experimental and analytic instruments and has access to research facilities at USU campus and USTAR Nanofabrication Center at University of Utah. We have advanced skills and techniques to handle solid materials and molecule (both organic and inorganic) synthesis and characterization.  

We offer technic services and solution consultation to external users (please contact Professor Liu directly).

Our broad technical capacities are illustrated in photos below. 

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Synthesis Platform

Multifunctional glovebox

• O2 (< 1 ppm) and water free (< 1 ppm) synthesis and operations
• Temperature control: -196 to 150 C
• Battery assembling
• Integrated operando tests: UV-Vis, IR, E-chem, battery studies

Automatic solvent purification system:

• THF, DME, Toluene, CH3CN, CH2Cl2, Pentane, Methanol
• O2 free and water < 20 ppm

Manual distillation pots to generate highly pure organic solvents, O2 free and water < 10 ppm

Home designed Schlenk line (6 lines):

• Water and O2 free synthesis 
• Ar/N2 atmosphere operation
• High vacuum operation
• Integrated temperature control: -190 to 300 C

Tube furnace:

• ​Solid (and gas) phase synthesis
• Temperature control: up to 1500 C

Vacuum oven:

• High vacuum operation
• Temperature control: up to 200 C
• Solid sample drying

Rotovap (3 units):

• High vacuum and temperature control
• Liquid sample drying

Drying oven (5 units):

• Temperature control up to 300 C
• Drying glassware, lab supplies, sold samples
• Hydrothermal and solvent thermal synthesis

Temperature controller

• Reaction temp control: -50 to 150 C

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Electrochemical Testing Platform

Multifunctional potentiostats (5 units):

• Physical Echem: CV, DPV, LSV, BE, CA, EIS etc.
• Energy tests: batteries, fuel cells, electrocatalysis, and sensors

Rotation electrode controller

• Physical Echem: RDE, RRDE
• Electrochemical kinetics: diffusion coefficient, electron transfer rate, catalytic rates etc.

Conductivity meter and pH meter

Multi-channel battery testers (12 units, 96 channels):

• Solid battery tests: 1 uA to100 mA, -5 to 5 V
• Flow battery tests: 10 mA to 5 A, -5 to 5 V
• Integrated temperature control: -50 to 200 C

Coin cell crimper:

• Installed in glovebox
• Easy assembling CR 2032 coin cells and other types

Home designed redox flow battery platform:

• 5 units for 10 battery testing simultaneously 
• Integrated temperature control: -50 to 200 C
• Scalable modules