Laser precision fabrication offers the ability for the surface and in-volume patterning, at the micro- and the nano- lengthscales, of practically all classes of solid materials, including biomaterials. The inhomogeneous energy absorption along with material resolidification and related self-assembly phenomena, are the key factors towards precise control of the morphological features for various applications, including tailoring of wettability, controlling fluid transport, tuning of adhesion and friction, tailoring optical properties, as well as improving the biocompatibility and bioactivity of tissue scaffolds. Apart from self-assembled, (pseudo)periodic and hierarchical structures formation, laser precision micro/nano fabrication can be employed for direct writing via material ablation, welding and sintering.
In SEM a beam is scanned over a sample surface while a signal from secondary or back-scattered electrons is recorded. SEM is used to image an area of the sample with nanometric resolution, and also to measure its composition, crystallographic phase distribution and local texture.
This techniques offers a multi-scale theoretical framework that allows for the estimation of structural and phase changes when materials are exposed to extreme irradiation conditions generated by various types of electromagnetic sources (e.g. synchrotron sources, pulsed and free-electron lasers).
VUV/UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy is the measurement of the attenuation of a beam of light after it passes through a sample or after reflection from a sample surface. It is useful to characterize absorption, transmission, and reflectivity of a variety of technologically important materials, such as gases, film, pigments, coatings, windows, and filters.
The “Live Cell Imaging” facility is equipped with advanced imaging microscopy techniques (based on two- or multi- photon excitation), which are appropriate for the all-optical minimally invasive, high-resolution (<500nm), deep (>500μm) monitoring of living cells and tissues for long periods of time.
AFM is a surface sensitive technique permitting to obtain a microscopic image of the topography of a material surface and certain properties (like friction force, magnetization properties…). Typical lateral image sizes are within a range of only a few Nanometers to several Micrometers, and height changes of less than a Nanometer.
