Facilities at SMSD Lab

At our lab, we take pride in housing a fully indigenously developed gas-sensing characterization system—designed with versatility, precision, and user-friendliness in mind. This state-of-the-art setup allows researchers to study gas sensors under a wide temperature range, from 0°C to 400°C, making it ideal for exploring how sensor resistance changes with temperature—a fundamental aspect known as the effect of temperature study. One of the standout features of this system is its integration of three Mass Flow Controllers (MFCs), which makes it possible to mix and control multiple gases with precision. This level of control is rarely found in conventional gas-sensing platforms and opens up exciting opportunities for simulating real-world multi-gas environments.

The system is seamlessly integrated with the Keithley 2450 Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer, enabling a wide array of electrical characterizations such as I-V measurements, resistance vs. time tracking, and temperature-dependent resistance profiling. Additionally, the system is equipped with a built-in humidity sensor, unlocking new insights into how moisture affects sensor performance—an often overlooked but crucial variable in many real-world applications.

To further expand experimental capabilities, the setup includes multiple colored illumination sources, allowing researchers to study sensor behavior under varied lighting conditions. This is particularly useful for investigating photoresponsive or optoelectronic sensors. What truly enhances the experience is the custom-built software interface—thoughtfully designed to be both powerful and intuitive. It simplifies complex measurements and offers special features like real-time logging and plotting of resistance and temperature, along with dynamic VI characteristic analysis.

Altogether, this system reflects our commitment to innovation and our belief in building accessible, cutting-edge tools that support deep scientific inquiry into gas sensor technologies. 

The laboratory fume hood is a critical safety and workbench system designed for conducting chemical experiments in a controlled and ventilated environment. Built with durable materials and an ergonomic design, this fume hood ensures user protection from hazardous fumes, vapors, and particulate matter by actively filtering and venting air away from the workspace.

Equipped with ample lighting and multiple power points, the hood facilitates the safe operation of various lab instruments such as hot plates, magnetic stirrers, and ultrasonic cleaners. The spacious working chamber accommodates a wide range of experimental setups involving solvents, acids, and reactive compounds. The under-bench storage cabinets provide easy access to frequently used labware and chemicals, while the side controls ensure quick and safe operation.

In our lab, this fume hood plays a vital role in the synthesis of nanomaterials, sol-gel preparations, wet chemical reactions, and sample handling requiring air filtration. It allows researchers to carry out sensitive procedures with confidence, maintaining both safety and cleanliness in compliance with laboratory best practices. 

The DC sputtering system in our laboratory is a robust and reliable thin film deposition platform, designed to support a wide range of research and material synthesis applications. Built by Vacuum & Lab Technologies, this unit provides precise control over film thickness, composition, and uniformity, making it ideal for fabricating high-quality thin films on various substrates.

Equipped with a high-vacuum stainless steel chamber featuring multiple viewports, the system ensures optimal visibility and control during deposition. The integrated power supplies and controllers allow for stable DC sputtering, ideal for depositing conductive materials like metals and doped oxides. This system is further supported by a closed-loop chiller unit, ensuring thermal stability during long deposition cycles—crucial for repeatable and defect-free films.

Multiple gas inlets enable reactive sputtering with controlled gas flow (e.g., argon, oxygen), while the spacious chamber allows for flexible target and substrate arrangements. Its intuitive interface and modular design make it user-friendly for students and researchers alike, whether for routine coatings or advanced materials development.

This sputtering unit plays a key role in our lab’s pursuit of innovation in nanoelectronics, sensors, energy devices, and surface engineering—delivering consistent performance and high-quality results across a broad spectrum of thin film research. 

The spin coater in our laboratory is a precision tool designed for uniform thin film deposition, particularly suited for sol-gel processing and other solution-based techniques. Manufactured by Holmarc, this instrument offers fine control over spin speed and duration, enabling the deposition of consistent, high-quality films across a variety of substrates.

Equipped with a digital touchscreen interface, the system allows users to program custom spin profiles, making it highly adaptable for materials research and device fabrication. The integrated vacuum chuck ensures stable substrate placement, while the enclosed chamber design helps maintain safety and reduces contamination during high-speed rotation.

This spin coater is widely used in our lab for preparing films of metal oxides, polymers, and hybrid materials, often as part of sensor development, optoelectronic devices, or dielectric layer formation. Whether it's for basic coating trials or advanced multilayer structuring, the system delivers excellent repeatability and user-friendly operation, making it a valuable asset in our thin-film fabrication suite. 

The hydrothermal synthesis facility consists of a microprocessor-controlled laboratory oven integrated with a stainless-steel autoclave reactor, designed for synthesizing advanced materials at elevated temperatures and autogenous pressure. In this technique, precursor solutions are sealed inside the autoclave, typically using a chemically resistant inner liner, and subjected to controlled heating for a specified duration. The closed reaction environment facilitates enhanced solubility, nucleation, and crystal growth, enabling the formation of materials that may be difficult to obtain under conventional atmospheric conditions.

Hydrothermal processing is widely employed for producing nanoparticles, nanorods, nanosheets, hierarchical structures, and highly crystalline powders with controlled morphology and relatively high purity. The sealed autoclave environment also allows reactions to proceed above the solvent's normal boiling point, thereby promoting rapid nucleation and improved crystal growth. Such controlled synthesis is especially valuable in research areas including gas sensing, photocatalysis, energy storage and conversion, electronic materials, environmental remediation, and advanced functional coatings.  

The facility supports both fundamental materials development studies and application-oriented research, providing a versatile platform for optimizing synthesis parameters and structure–property relationships.