The Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF) is a central facility of the university, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India and was set up at Department of Instrumentation and USIC, Gauhati University in 1986 at the beginning of the Seventh Plan as a National X-ray Facility with a view to extending moderns sophisticated analytical facility to scientific community and to cultivate instrumentation culture. SAIF Facilities: Power X-ray Diffractometer The present working XRD is a fully Automated Computerized Powder X-ray Diffractometer, was installed in 2020 and has the following specifications. Model: Empyrean Make: PANalytical X-ray Tube: Ceramic Angular resolution: 0.026° FWHM on LaB6 Smallest increment: 0.0001° Angular reproducibility: < 0.0002° Applications: The output consists of X-ray Diffractogram, Peak Position, d values and relative intensity data. Phase Identification, Quantitative analysis of minerals, Grazing incidence XRD of thin film, determination of unit cell parameters, particle size measurement. Samples for XRD: Solid samples in the form of dry Powder of 300 mesh about 3g of sample on glass slide of size 2cm x 3.5 cm and thickness 0.2cm with uniform layer of size 2cm x 1.5cm on one side is required. XRD of less amount of sample or user specific sample is also possible in special cases. Power X-ray Diffractometer The present working XRD is a fully Automated Computerized Powder X-ray Diffractometer, was installed in 2002 and has the following specifications. Model: X’Pert Pro Make: Phillips X-ray Tube: Cu Angular Range (2θ): 1° to 167° Programmable Divergence Slit Programmable fixed slits: 1/4°, 1/2°, 1°, 2° & 4° High Temp. Attachment of range upto 1600 °C Thin film Attachment Applications: The output consists of X-ray Diffractogram, Peak Position, d values and relative intensity data. Phase Identification, Quantitative analysis of minerals, Grazing incidence XRD of thin film, determination of unit cell parameters, particle size measurement. Samples for XRD: Solid samples in the form of dry Powder of 300 mesh about 3g of sample on glass slide of size 2cm x 3.5 cm and thickness 0.2cm with uniform layer of size 2cm x 1.5cm on one side is required. XRD of less amount of sample or user specific sample is also possible in special cases. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer The present working XRF is a Computerised Sequential X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, was installed in 2021 and has the following specifications. Model: Zetium Make: PANalytical Range: Sodium to Americium Customized SDD detector for high X-ray flux environment Applications: Qualitative analysis: Qualitative elemental analysis are done for detection of elements present in the sample. Detectable elemental range is from oxygen to uranium. Lower limit of detection varies from element to element and depends upon nature and compositional matrix of the sample. Quantitative analysis: Quantitative analysis of silicate rocks, cement and limestone are being done. Quantitative analysis of silicate rocks for 10 major & minor oxides : SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3(T), MnO, MgO, Na2O, CaO, K2O, TiO2, P2O5 and 32 trace elements Ag, As, Ba, Br, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, La, Mn, Nb, Nd, Ni, Mo, Pb, Rb, S, Sb, Sc, Sn, Sm, Sr, Th, Tl, U, V, Y, Zn, Zr are being done on routine basis. Samples for XRF: Sample in the form of dry powder about 200 mesh, about 10g is required for estimation of major & minor element oxides and qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis may be possible with less amount of sample in some cases. In case of non-powder sample, the sample should be in suitable form. For trace element analysis, 20 g of sample is required. Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer The present SCXRD is a fully Automated Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer was installed in 2011 and has the following specifications. Model: Smart Apex II CCD Diffractometer Make: Bruker X-ray Tube: Mo Kryoflex liquid N2 attachment Color Video Camera for crystal mounting Stereo zoom microscope with polariser Applications: 3D intensity data collection for unit cell determination, structure solution, refinement and molecular graphics with packing diagram can be determined. Samples for SC-XRD: Crystalline sample in solid form in the shape of needle, block, spherical etc. is required. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) The present Differential Scanning Calorimeter was installed in 2019 and has the following specifications. Model: DSC 3 Make: Mettler Toledo Temperature range: -150 to 700 °C Applications: Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is the most frequently used thermal analysis technique. DSC measures enthalpy changes in samples due to changes in their physical and chemical properties as a function of temperature or time. Thermo-Gravimetric Analyser (TGA) The present Thermo-Gravimetric Analyser was installed in 2019 and has the following specifications. Model: TGA 2 Make: Mettler Toledo Temperature Range: 30 °C - 1,100 °C Temperature accuracy (±): 1 K Applications: Thermogravimetry (TGA) is a technique that measures the change in weight of a sample as it is heated, cooled or held at constant temperature. Its main use is to characterize materials with regard to their composition. Application areas include plastics, elastomers, thermosets, mineral compounds and ceramics, as well as in a wide range of analyses in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Sample Preparation Accesories: Stereo zoom Microscope with polarizer Precision Electronic Balance Fused bead making facility Pulveriser Pressed pellet making facility Muffle furnace Prev Next
