Facilities

ISU features a wide range of laboratory equipment spread across the research laboratories of ICD faculty participants and in multi-user facilities. In particular, the ICD oversees the operation of the Roy J. Carver Laboratory for High Resolution Biological Microscopy and the W. M. Keck Laboratory for High Throughput Atom-Scale Analysis. Examples of the equipment and facilities used by the ICD faculty include:

1. W.M. Keck Laboratory for High-Throughput Atom-Scale Analysis
2. Roy J. Carver Laboratory for Ultra-high Resolution Biological Microscopy
3. W. M. Keck Laboratory for the Fabrication of Microminiaturized Analytical Instrumentation
4. Bessey Microscopy Facility
5. Microarray Facility
6. Chemical Instrumentation Facility
7. Other Campus Facilities

Within the many labs that Iowa State University has to offer, we are most proud of the following instrumentation.

· High Performance Liquid Chromatographs
· Column Packer, Fiber Optic Sensor Technologies
· UV/Visible Spectrophotometers
· Fluorescent Spectrophotometer
· Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer, with Specular and Diffuse Reflection Accessories
· Scanning Tunneling and Atomic Force Microscopes, including custom-fitted systems for implementing advanced nanopositioning control strategies
· NSOM System
· Raman Spectrometer with Microscope and CCD Camera
· Epifluorescence Microscopes with CCD Camera and Micromanipulators
· Optical Ellipsometer and Surface Profilometer
· Vapor Deposition Units
· Thin Film Preparation Laboratories
· Fully Equipped Synthesis Laboratories
· Tissue Culture Laboratories
· Self Assembled Monolayer and Other Surface Chemistry

The following shared facilities are also available for ICD activities.

W.M. Keck Laboratory

Fabrication of Microminiaturized Analytical Instrumentation

Microfabrication Laboratory: The W. M. Keck Laboratory for the Fabrication of Microminiaturized Analytical Instrumentation (Keck Lab) of the Institute for Combinatorial Discovery provides access to state-of-the-art microfabrication technologies which will be used for library design. With its approximately 1,000 square feet of class 10/100 clean rooms, the Keck Laboratory supports all phases of microfabrication and its use in fields ranging from analytical chemistry to cell biology. Drawing from affiliates across campus and its resident support staff, expertise in micromechanics, microfluidics, microchip arrays, biology, chemistry, physics, and microelectronics can be integrated in translating research ideas into experimental reality. Research capabilities in the laboratory include developing microanalysis systems, chip-scale chromatography, microelectrode assemblies, biochips, and cell culture platforms. The laboratory also houses equipment for optical lithography, wet and dry chemical etching, and thin film deposition. Analysis and testing equipment, computer workstations, and drying and vacuum annealing ovens also are available.

High-Throughput Atom-Scale Analysis

The mission of the W.M. Keck Laboratory for High Throughput Atom-Scale Analysis is to drive the frontiers of combinatorial science and atom-scale materials research. The Keck Lab houses approximately 1,600 ft 2 of state-of-the-art space in Sweeney Laboratory. The centerpiece of this interdisciplinary research Laboratory is a Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP ® ) microscope, the most advanced analytical tool available for compositional mapping of materials. The LEAP ® can resolve and identify millions of individual atoms in three dimensions, resulting in quantitative spatial maps of materials with atom-by-atom resolution. The Laboratory also houses complementary instrumentation enabling the fabrication of material libraries and subsequent high throughput analysis of properties. The library design instrumentation includes systems for vapor deposition, chemical/liquid printing, and gradient/composition spread synthesis and assembly Fi . High throughput analysis capabilities include instrumentation for high speed scanning probe, electrochemical, and spectroscopic mapping techniques.

Atom probe capabilities : The atom probe functions by removing atoms from a conductive specimen surface by field evaporation and then imaging them with a time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. Ions are selected from a small region on the specimen surface and spatially mapped on a detector array.
	When combined with a depth resolution of one atomic layer, the atom probe provides the highest spatial resolution of any microanalysis technique. The Imago LEAP microscope possesses a number of technological innovations that will be exploited for a variety of applications. The LEAP uses a small extraction electrode that is scanned over the specimen to remove atoms. Surface atoms are extracted by field evaporation using timed voltage pulses. The atoms are then accelerated into a position-sensitive, time-of-flight detector. The scanning extraction electrode is an improvement over previous formats for several reasons. It uses relatively low voltage pulses to remove atoms, such that sustained data acquisition rates of 20,000 atom/s can be achieved, which surpasses previous instruments by more than two orders of magnitude.
Further, a larger field of view (>100 nm) diameter) is provided by this geometry, allowing relatively large sample features to be imaged. These capabilities provide a unique opportunity to study chemical clustering over technologically significant length scales and directly test and refine molecular modeling studies. With our LEAP also having pulsed laser capabilities, we are in a unique position to also explore low-conductivity materials. The laser mode can also be used for multiphase/composite materials such as the materials involved in the proposed project.

User Fees and further information.

Roy J. Carver Laboratory for Ultra-high Resolution Biological Microscopy

Ultra-high Resolution Biological Microscopy

Roy J. Carver Laboratory for Ultrahigh Resolution Biological Microscopy: The Carver Lab, in the Molecular Biology Building, houses a variety of instrumentation to aid research at the cellular level. The laboratory has a wide range of computer controlled imaging systems, including a workstation that is equipped with confocal microscopy, epifluorescent microscopy, light microscopy, including Normarski optics, and digital imaging. The workstation houses software to conduct electrophysiological experiments and image analysis. The laboratory also has a PerSeptive Biosystems Expedite Nucleic Acid Synthesis System to expand the use of aptamers in biology and analytical chemistry, which will allow experimentation in the detection of specific structures, disease treatments, and analytical tools. In addition, the Carver Lab has a fully equipped cell culture facility, a data processing center where experiments can be analyzed and the results can be copied onto CDs for use in researchers' home laboratories. The Lab also houses a Prairie Technologies scanning confocal microscope as part of an optical workstation attached to an inverted Nikon Eclipse 200 microscope. Excitation wavelengths of 488, 568 and 633 nm are provided by an Argon, Argon/Krypton, and He/Ne lasers. The instrument is completely computer controlled including choice of dichroic mirrors, filters, pinhole size, scan size, integration time, photomultiplier voltage, and z-focus. Images are stored on a hard drive and available for export via the Internet and CD. Image software is available that allows 3D reconstruction of confocal images generated with the confocal microscope.

The Carver Laboratory also houses the three state-of-the-art Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) Workstations to aid in rapid screening and evaluation of surface physical and chemical properties of materials on the micro/nanoscale. Two DimensionTM SPM systems from Digital Instruments are available: a D3000 system with a NanoScope IIIa controller provides digital tracking and feedback control to insure accuracy and speed at all scan sizes and positions on the sample and a D3100 system with a Nanoscope IV controller, which comes with a closed loop X-Y scanner that allows precise and error-free control of the probe position for accurate locationing of probe on the nanoscale as well as for nanolithography. The NanoScope IV controller features up to ten-times faster scanning, as well as increased functionality, bandwidth, flexibility and expandability. These SPMs bring together in a single platform a wide range of sample sizes and types. Samples up to eight inches in diameter can be scanned in ambient air or fluids. Integrated top-view video optics with motorized zoom and 1.5 µm optical resolution help identify areas of interest for detailed scanning quickly and easily. Changing scanning techniques, for example, from AFM to STM, requires no tools. In addition, the lab also houses a Digital Instruments MultiMode with a Nanoscope IIIa controller for smaller samples featuring multiple scanners that permit the user to tailor the system for individual research.

User Fees and further information.

Bessey Microscopy Facility

The Bessey Microscopy Facility (BMF) provides a variety of instrumentation, technical assistance, consultation and training to individuals and groups of life sciences and biotechnology researchers who want to use photo/digital macrography, light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy cryopreservation, cytochemistry, autoradiography, X-ray microanalysis and image analysis. In addition to the round-the-clock open hours, the BMF carries out service work for both on- and off-campus researchers. The director and assistant scientist of the BMF are available for consultation and individual help.  The BMF is supported by funds and services from the Office of Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Liberal Arts and Sciences College, Office of Provost, and the Plant Sciences Institute.

User Fees and further Information.

Microarray Facility

The facility, part of the Center for Plant Genomics, provides access to instruments that can be used to determine the expression patterns of thousands of genes in parallel. Users provide their own gene targets for spotting on microarray chips. The Microarray Facility includes a Cartesian PixSys 5500 Arrayer with an automated microtiter plate stacker/destacker for generating microarrays, all of which are housed in a controlled humidity chamber. The Facility also includes an MJ Research, Inc. PTC-225 DNA Engine Tetrad Cycler, and a General Scanning ScanArray 5000 capable of detecting four fluorescent signals per slide. Software available for microarray data capture and analysis include Biodiscovery, Inc.'s CloneTrackerT and ImaGeneT software products.

User Fees and further information.

Chemical Instrumentation Facility

The ICD participants also have access state-of-the-art chemical instrumentation run by five highly qualified staff members. Research facilities include seven NMR spectrometers (VARIAN and BRUKER) of varying frequencies from 60 to 500 MHz are available. Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy allows the use of atomic nuclei as magnetic probes within a molecule to determine chemical analysis and spatial orientation. A fully equipped EPR system (BRUKER) also is available. The mass spectrometry lab is equipped to provide both low- and high-resolution GC-MS on mixtures and high resolution measurements for determining the elemental composition of pure samples. In addition, electrospray and APCI are used for the ionization of higher molecular weight compounds, particularly those of biological origin. A dedicated LC-MS is now available for special projects. MSMS (parent-daughter relationship) experiments are routine. A fully equipped MALDI-TOF for the analysis of biopolymers also is available. A fully equipped X-ray diffraction laboratory provides instrumentation for the study of the molecular structures of small molecules and powders. The equipment includes a Bruker SMART 1000 CCD single-crystal diffractometer equipped with low temperature devices and a Scintag SDS-2000 powder diffractometer available for general use. In addition, a variety of spectrophotometers are available for routine use. These instruments provide "fingerprint" spectra for characterizing and identifying compounds. These instruments currently include a Bruker IFS 66V FT-IR/RAMAN, a Digilab FTS-7 FT-IR, Bomem MB100 FT-IR, and a Hewlett-Packard HP-8452 Diode Array UV-Vis.

User Fees and further information.

Other Campus Facilities

There are other campus facilities that exist to function in the research conducted by the Instute of Combinatorial Discovery and they may be found at the link below.

User Fees and further Information.