Infrastructure
AMGC - X-ray Fluorescence Lab (Micro-XRF; pXRF) Vrije Universiteit Brussel
AMGC - Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (IRMS) (IRMS lab) Vrije Universiteit Brussel
AMGC Triple-Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (QQQ-ICP-MS), coupled with excimer-based nanosecond laser ablation (LA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (HR-ICP-MS; LA-ICP-MS; ICP-QQQ; HPLC-ICP-MS) Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometers (NMR) Ghent University
The NMR Expertise Center (NMR EC) currently (December 2022) has 5 NMR spectrometers of different field strengths going from 300MHz to 700MHz. Each spectrometer is equipped with one or more detection probes that allow to interrogate organic molecules in solution about their molecular structure, behavior in solution, internal dynamics, intermolecular interactions, ... . Examples of these organic molecules include natural and synthesis products, polymers, metabolites, complex peptides, nucleic acids and sugars. Each probe has multiple channels where a diversity of atomic nuclei can be ...
Time-of-Flight ICP - Mass Spectrometer (ToF-ICP-MS) Ghent University
ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is the most powerful technique for the determination of elements at the (ultra)trace level. Most ICP-MS instruments are equipped with a quadrupole filter for mass analysis. With a quadrupole filter, the intensity for only one nuclide can be measured at any given time because at any given time only ions are transmitted within a narrow mass range (about half an atomic mass unit). For multi-element determination, scanning (continuous shifting of the mass window) or peak jumping (discontinuous shifting of the mass window) must be used. ToF-ICP-MS is a version of ...
Ultrafast tandem ICP mass spectrometer for interference-free and high-sensitivity monitoring of transient signals (ICP-MS/MS) Ghent University
ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a particularly powerful technique for the determination of elements at trace and ultrasonic levels. When using a quadrupole filter to separate the ions from each other according to their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio, only modest mass resolution is obtained. Ions differing by less than half an atomic mass unit are not separated from each other, so spectral interference occurs. To avoid spectral interference, a tandem ICP-MS (ICP-MS/MS) device is equipped with a collision/reaction cell (CRC) preceded by a quadrupole filter (Q1). In an MS/MS mode, Q1 selects ...
Dual Belgian Beam Lines at the ESRF (DUBBLE-ESRF) Ghent University
Synchrotron X-rays are produced when charged particles circulate in a storage ring close to the speed of light and are much more intense compared to the X-rays used for example in hospitals. By studying the interaction of a synchrotron X-ray beam with living or non-living matter, the matter structure and structural changes are revealed down to atomic lengths scales and at sub-millisecond time intervals. This project finances research at DUBBLE, the two Flemish research stations installed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, ESRF, in Grenoble. Through experiments at the ESRF, ...
Volumetric 3D printer Tomolite (CAL) Ghent University
The Tomolite is the first, and currently the only, volumetric 3D printer on the market. Volumetric 3D printing, also known as computed axial lithography (CAL), was invented by Taylor and collaborators at Berkeley, who published a paper on the technology in Science in 2019. In CAL, a fully three-dimensional object is built simultaneously using the same scientific approach as SLA and DLP (namely, the spatially controlled photocrosslinking of a liquid resin). However, through the combination of this approach with the principles of inverse computed tomography (CT), a three-dimensional dose ...
Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) Ghent University
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) – is technology, which is typically used for measuring both nanoscale topography and their mechanical properties. An attractive and unique operating modality of AFM is the so-called BioAFM, in which the head of atomic force microscope is positioned on top of an optical/fluorescence microscope. Recent developments in the area of atomic force microscopy enable implementation of various modalities, which permit investigation and measurement of specific characteristics. This infrastructure consists of extension to the already existed BioAFM and includes extension ...