The Solid State and Elemental Analysis Unit (SSEAU) specialises in elemental analysis of bulk samples, surface analysis, and molecular and microstructural analysis using X-ray techniques:
Elemental Analysis: Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, combustion/oxidation analysis of C, N, S, and O.
Surface Analysis: elemental analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).
Structural Analysis: crystallography and use of X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to analyse microstructure of powders and thin-films.
ACCESS COSTS
Access costs can be found under "related documents" to the right of this page.
For XRF and LECO costs please contact Irene Wainwright
EXPERIMENTS AND ANALYSES AVAILABLE IN THE SSEAU
XPS, UPS, stylus-profiler (outi.mustonen@unsw.edu.au ).
XPS or inorganic/semiconductor ToF-SIMS (b.gong@unsw.edu.au ).
ToF-SIMS imaging of organic/biological samples (s.cheong@unsw.edu.au ).
Elemental analysis of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur in solids. Oxygen in metal alloys using LECO (i.wainwright@unsw.edu.au ).
XRF chemical analysis of solids from % to ppm (i.wainwright@unsw.edu.au ).
Dissolved organic carbon analysis (DOC, LC-OCD, k.chinu@unsw.edu.au ).
Chemical analysis of acid-digested solutions using ICP-OES and ICP-MS down to ppb (d.yu@unsw.edu.au ).
Chemical analysis of solids using laser ablation ICP-MS (r.akter@unsw.edu.au ).
Anion chromatography, flow injection analysis (FIA) spectrophotometry (r.akter@unsw.edu.au ).
XRD thin-film analysis of crystallographic phase, stress, texture, reflectometry (yu.wang@unsw.edu.au ).
XRD bulk microcrystalline phase analysis (saroj.bhattacharyya@unsw.edu.au ).
Variable temperature (VT) XRD analysis (saroj.bhattacharyya@unsw.edu.au ).
XRD in situ analysis for monitoring rapid structural changes over time (yu.wang@unsw.edu.au ).
Chemical crystallography for molecular structure determination (m.bhadbhade@unsw.edu.au ).
See specific lab pages on this website for more information.
RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS (NOTE: NO MORE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE FOR 2017)
We offer 1-2 scholarships per year, each valued at up to $2,000 in analysis costs, to UNSW Honours, Masters and PhD students who require access to our instruments. Preference is given to early career researchers, but we encourage any researcher to apply. Supervisors should send a 1 page application to the Manager of the SSEAU covering:
The project outline, indicating the research goals, and instrument(s) required
Any sample preparation requirements within the Centre
Likely training requirements for instrument operation or sample preparation
Start/end dates and estimated number of samples for the project
Name, student number and contact details of the student, if possible
Previous scholarships are shown below:
2009: Heavy metal contamination of Brown Algae
2010: (1) Macroalgae as biomonitors of metal contamination (2) Analytical Chemistry of Functionalised Nanoparticles
2011: The effects of Pittosporum undulatum on Wolli Creek vegetation.
2013: Groundwater quality changes in a coastal aquifer.
2014: Morphology control of polymer bulk heterojunction organic solar cell.
2015: (1) A new route to heavy group 13 hydride complexes (2) An investigation of the differences between plant defences on islands and mainlands.
2016: (1) XPS and ToF-SIMS depth profiling of a conductive polymeric patch to determine the doping state (2) XRF to help determine processes leading to primary mineralisation, oxide zone and clay materials in the carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag Manuka deposits in central NSW.
2017: Investigating the geological characteristics of silver deposits at White Rock in North Eastern NSW using XRF analysis.
