“The thermodynamic punishment must fit the structural crime.”
Facilities and other Resources:
McCormack Lab:
The McCormack lab, in association with the Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory (PARTL), has access to a wide array of tools for ceramic (oxide, carbide, nitride) powder processing. These include powder synthesis, powder characterization, powder consolidation, and a series of advanced high-temperature calorimeters for thermochemical analysis.
Project Management (PM) Tools: The lab uses several PM tools to keep members connected and effective. These include: (i) Asana, (ii) Slack, (iii) LabStep and (iv) Google Drive.
Computer/Databases/Software: The laboratory has experience and access to multiple analysis software packages and databased for crystallographic and thermochemical analysis.
Crystallography: (i) the ICSD Crystallographic Database, (ii) VESTA - Crystallographic visualization tool, (iii) TOPAS - powder diffraction analysis suite, (iv) FOX - Powder diffraction structure solution tool, (v) RMC profile – Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) total scattering structure analysis tool, (vi) Isodistort.
Thermochemistry: (i) ACerS Ceramic Phase Diagram database, (ii) FactSage along with the pure substances database, solution database (FACT) and the high temperature materials database (SpMCBN), (iii) PyCalphad – CALculation of PHAse Diagram software, (iv) ESPEI a tool for thermodynamic database development coupled with PyCalphad
Major Equipment:
Powder synthesis: high-temperature tube furnace (1800 ˚C max), Deltech vertical furnace (1400 ˚C max), quartz tube furnace (1000 ˚C), calcination furnace (1200 ˚C max), fume hoods, drying oven.
Powder characterization: Micromeritics AccuPyc II 1340 density measurements, Archimedes density measurement kit, Micromeritics Gemini VII for N2 gas adsorption for surface area measurements, Setaram Sensys Calvet-type calorimeter (400 ˚C max) combined with the Micromeritics ASAP2020 gas sorption analyzer, Bruker D-8 Diffractometer, Bruker Pt strip in-situ heating stage (1700 ˚C max).
Powder consolidation: Spark Plasma Sinter (SPS) (2200 ˚C max), high temperature box furnace (1800 ˚C max), high temperature muffle furnace (1500 ˚C max), Lindberg tube furnace (1400 ˚C max), Deltech elevator furnace (1400 ˚C max), Electronic controlled uniaxial TOX PRESSOTECHNIK MC 020 press for powder compaction
Calorimeters: 4 x Calvet-type high-temperature drop solution calorimeters (800 ˚C), Setaram MHTC96 calorimeter (1500 ˚C), high temperature Setaram DSC Labsys (1600 ˚C max), high-temperature Netzsch 449 TGA/DSC (1500 ˚C max) with FTIR spectroscopy gas analysis, Setaram Setsys Evolution 1600 TMA (1600 ˚C max), Setaram Setsys Evolution 1600 TGA, Netzsch 404 DSC (1500 ˚C max) in argon-filled glove box.
Ultra-High Temperature Equipment: Environmentally controlled conical nozzle levitator (CNL) system equipped with dual 400W CO2 (10.7 um) laser and 500W (1.07 um) fiber laser. Operates up to ~4000 K.
Being acquired: Methane, nitrogen, hydrogen, argon compatible 1800 ˚C reactor connected to UHP argon glovebox and mass spectrometer
X-ray and Neutron Facilities (National Labs):
Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
The McCormack lab is a regular user of POWGEN for neutron diffraction experiments, including their mail-in program and NOMAD for in-situ high temperature (up to 3400 ˚C) diffraction and total scattering experiments.
Argonne National Lab (ANL) Advanced Photon Source (APS)
The McCormack Lab is a regular user of APS, specifically beamline 33-BM-C for in-situ high-temperature diffraction (up to 2000 ˚C), 6-ID-D for in-situ high-temperature diffraction (up to 3400 ˚C). and 11-BM's mail-in program.
Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLSII)
The McCormack Lab is a regular user of NSLSII, specifically beamline 28-ID-2 for in-situ high-temperature diffraction (up to 2000 ˚C).
Lab Values:
Innovation | Diversity | Comradery | Humility | Self-Improvement