If you can't find the resources that you are looking for in the MATFab facility, there are other university and regional partners that you can access to support your research needs.

Regional Resources

Northern Nano Lab Alliance - The University of Iowa MATFab facility is proud to be a member of the Northern Nano Lab Alliance (NNLA), which is a regional network of university fabrication facilities.  The NNLA mission is help each member improve their support of academic research in applied nanotechnology.  If there are tools or expertise that we do not currently have available in the MATFab facility, we can help you make connections with our partners to meet your research goals.

Iowa State University - The MATFab facility has partnered with the Materials Analysis and Research Laboratory at Iowa State University to offer additional materials characterization services that not currently available on the University of Iowa campus.  We are currently piloting this partnership with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) capabilities.  The benefit of working through the MATFab facility is that we will support sample intake, shipping, and facilitate data collection with ISU staff.  You will receive your data from ISU in 2-4 weeks and be billed through your established MATFab account.  This means that you don’t have to set up your own account at ISU or worry about getting your sample to Ames.  We also have the software for XPS analysis and processing available for MATFab users.  If you are interested in being part of our pilot program or want more details on instrument capabilities and cost, please contact us at matfab-staff@uiowa.edu.  

University Resources

Central Microscopy Facility - The Central Microscopy Facility is another core facility on the UI campus that specializes in the imaging of biological tissues and soft materials.  The facility has a range of optical microscopes as well as a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope that are optimized for biological media.  They also have technical staff that can provide sample preparation and collect data on your materials.

High Resolution Mass-Spectrometry Facility - The Mass spectrometry equipment in the MATFab facility is for trace element analysis, with an emphasis on metals analysis.  If you are looking for elemental compositions of new synthetic molecules, metabolites, and natural products, then the High Resolution Mass Spectrometry facility will be able to support your research needs.