Research Facilities

Clemson University provides a diverse and extensive computing infrastructure supported locally within the chemistry department and by CCIT — Clemson Computing and Information Technology. Various laboratories in the department have high-speed SGI, Sun and Linux workstations as well as a 28-processor cluster for parallel computations. Windows-based and Macintosh computers are available in all departmental research labs and in many computer labs across campus.

Clemson University is also a participant in the high-speed Internet 2 project and partners with the Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films which has a state-of-the-art virtual reality laboratory and received a $1.3 million grant from the Keck Foundation to create a virtual visualization and design lab.

The laser laboratory is managed by Ya-Ping Sun and his research group. The laboratory is equipped with a CW-mode locked Nd:YAG laser, a 20 Hz Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, and two synchronous pumped dye lasers. The laser configuration is capable of conducting pump probe experiments in the nanosecond time scale region up to the sub-picosecond timescale region.

Clemson’s Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Resource Center affords easy access to modern high-resolution NMR instruments for students, postdoctoral scientists and faculty. The primary instrumentation includes four multinuclear high-field spectrometers — modern JEOL and Bruker NMR instruments with the proton frequency ranging from 300 to 500 MHz — that are used for routine measurements, as well as for advanced one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments in molecular structure determination, molecular dynamics, and chemical kinetics and thermodynamics. One of the instruments, the Bruker Avance 500, includes gel and solid-state NMR capability.

Aleksandr Kitaygorodskiy is the center’s director. In addition to maintaining the instruments, he provides assistance, training and consultation on NMR-relevant subjects. He teaches a graduate course on applications of NMR spectroscopy in chemistry with emphasis on modern experimental techniques. All NMR users receive support through training and assistance in setting up experiments and interpreting results.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy is a versatile and nondestructive analytical method that can give structural and dynamical information from ongoing chemical processes without influencing the processes. EPR spectroscopy measures the resonance frequencies of unpaired electrons that are typically found in samples with:

• Inorganic species containing metal ions with unpaired electrons.
• Organic radical species often containing C, N or O.

The EPR spectrometer in the Department of Chemistry is a Bruker EMX EPR X-band spectrometer equipped with an ER 4131VT variable temperature accessory. Spectra can be acquired in a range from ambient temperature to approximately 100 degrees Kelvin. Samples can be either dissolved in solution or in the solid state.

EPR spectra can be analyzed using WinEPR software for data manipulation and analysis. The Department of Chemistry EPR spectrometer is available for users at Clemson University and outside institutions who work with paramagnetic or radical samples. For more information on instrument training or capabilities, contact Julia Brumaghim.

Clemson’s Electronic Imaging and Analytical Services Group is one of the Southeast’s premier analytical imaging and surface analysis facilities. Area researchers both on and off campus can take advantage of a broad range of capabilities, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high-vacuum surface analysis.

The EIAS facility is widely used in a number of areas but particularly in nanomaterial and nanotechnology research, which depend critically on the availability of tools that can characterize materials with submicrometer to subnanometer spatial resolution. Staff can provide training and run samples depending on project needs. Training is provided through several formal courses and short courses offered both for credit and as training vehicles.

The Molecular Structure Center, under the direction of Colin McMillen, serves the Department of Chemistry by providing several methods of X-ray diffraction analysis, the most reliable and unambiguous means for determining the structure of ordered materials.

The center features a Bruker D8 Venture dual source (Mo and Cu) single-crystal diffractometer. The high-flux microfocus X-ray tubes and sensitive Photon 100 CMOS detector allow data acquisition and high-throughput structural analysis of inorganic, organic, organometallic, MOF and solid-state crystals. Data collection can be performed under ambient conditions, or utilizing an inert nitrogen atmosphere from 100-400 K.

Powder X-ray diffraction analysis can be performed using the center's Rigaku Ultima IV diffractometer. This system uses a Cu sealed tube source to assist in phase identification, crystallinity, and particle size evaluations, among other analyses. This diffractometer features a ten sample automatic changer to allow multiple samples to be run consecutively.

The center provides access to the Cambridge Structural Database, the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database and the Powder Diffraction File. The Department of Chemistry regularly offers a graduate course and laboratory on the applications of X-ray diffraction methods, as well as various workshops to supplement other coursework or student and faculty research interests.

Students are encouraged to get hands-on experience using the state-of-the-art instrumentation in the laboratory. Assistance in data collection, data interpretation, structure determination and manuscript preparation, as well as training for new users, is available.

The Clemson University Biosystems Research Complex is a programmatically focused research facility that includes three components: the laboratory, headhouse and greenhouses. The Clemson University Biosystems Complex is a portal to South Carolina's future.

The focus is science put to use, fostering research programs that accelerate the discovery and application of economically significant new technologies in agriculture, the environment and human health. It is in place to help fulfill the University’s land-grant mission and the Clemson commitment to engagement with the people and the society it serves. The goals are collaborative research that extends humankind's knowledge; education that prepares our young to make substantial contributions to society; and outreach that transfers research to improve the health, wealth and safety of South Carolinians, Americans and the peoples of the world.

Advanced materials research is about making products smarter, better and faster. The Clemson University Advanced Materials Center, an innovative campus and technology park located in nearby Anderson, is poised to become a powerful magnet for the advanced materials industry. The research done here will have a positive global impact and will help bring world-renowned companies to the Upstate.

Inside Clemson University’s 111,000 square foot Advanced Materials Research Laboratory are some of the world’s brightest researchers, using state-of-the-art equipment. The National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and NASA have all recognized the laboratory’s work and have offered funding to fuel future innovation.

Learn more about the AMRL and the Innovation Campus.