Materials Characterisation Laboratory
The Materials Characterisation Laboratory (MCL) at ISIS offers a broad range of instrumentation for the characterisation of material structure, composition, purity, and magnetic and electrical properties.
Overview
The instruments in the MCL are equipped with several options to expand their capabilities, matching the beamlines themselves and providing a full complimentary dataset to the neutron experiments.
The laboratory is multi-purpose and has several main areas which are the focus of the work, however the primary workload of the laboratory is highlighted below.
- Sample screening
- Complimentary measurements/studies to neutron and muon beamtimes
- Research for upcoming proposals
- Collaboration research with various institutes
It is also equipped with some general lab equipment as well as the more specialist instruments.
Location & Contacts
The MCL is located in R53 next to TS2 (R80).
Access Policy
Users are encouraged to contact the laboratory manager Dr Gavin Stenning in advance of their visit to enquire about equipment availability and training, as well as for any other questions.
Online Bookings
To book time on an instrument in the MCL, please use the online portal.
Instrument list
X Ray Diffraction
- Laue Crystal Orientation System
- PANalytical Epsilon3 XL
- Rigaku Miniflex
- Rigaku SmartLab
- Rigaku XtaLAB Synergy-S Single Crystal Diffractometer
- Xenocs Small Angle X-ray Scattering Nano-inXider
Physical Properties / Magnetometry
- Bruker Veeco Dimension 3100
- Ferroelectric Test Rig
- Ferromagnetic Resonance
- NanoMOKE3
- Quantum Design Magnetic Property Measurement System-3
- Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System-9
- Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System-DynaCool
Acknowledging the MCL
Please note it is mandatory to acknowledge the Materials Characterisation Laboratory for all users. Please include one of the options below. If unsure, please discuss with Gavin Stenning which option would be most appropriate.
Option 1 – ISIS Users and Lab Use:
‘We gratefully acknowledge the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) for access to neutron beamtime at ISIS, and also for the provision of sample preparation, XX facilities.’
(XX – insert instrument name)
Option 2 – Lab Use Only:
‘We would like to thank X.XXX for help on the XX instrument in the Materials Characterisation Laboratory at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.’
(X. XXX – insert name of scientific support person; XX – insert instrument name)
Option 3 – Collaborative Work:
For collaborative work we would request co-authorship of the publication with the following affiliation:
ISIS Neutron and Muon Source,
Science and Technology Facilities Council,
Didcot,
OX11 0QX,
United Kingdom.