Labs

QNC Nanotechnology Engineering Lab

 
Three students working in the lab.

Waterloo's Nanotechnology Engineering students work in world class labs, guided by professional Lab Instructors and teaching assistants. These facilities are constantly being upgraded to keep pace with the rapidly progressing discipline, allowing students to fully explore things at the nano scale (click the image to enlarge and view the slideshow).

Two people working in the lab.

This is the nano-bio lab where students learn techniques related to microfluidics, DNA replication using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and growth of a bacteria that can produce a specific green fluorescent protein that is used in a biosensor. Pictured above are people running gel electrophoresis which can show the results of a PCR experiment.

The Nanotechnology lab facilities, fume hoods and analytical instruments.

The top pictures show one of the wet chemistry labs where students complete chemical reactions, polymerization and preparation of different nanomaterials. Most of the experiments in this lab are done in a fume hood which allows the safe handling of chemicals. The bottom picture is of our instrument room that has equipment used to characterize the materials that are produced. This allows for the exploration of the properties and functionality of each material.

Two people running samples on Nanotechnology Engineering instrumentation.

Here we are working with a microfluidic setup and the 3D printers.

3-D printing facilities

These pictures provide a closer look at a 3D printers that can be used to print plastics into any shape. In first year students are taught how to use SolidWorks, a computer-aided design (CAD) program that can be used to draw objects in 3D and then translated to the 3D printer to produce their design.

Two people running tests in the lab.

Here we show a sputter coater found in the wet chemistry lab that is used to deposit different metals onto a substrate. You can see the plasma glow that causes ionization of the metal.

Samples fluorescing different colors in the dark and under natural light.

In a third year lab the students synthesize quantum dots and we are showing the results under fluorescence and natural light. Different size quantum dots produce different coloured solutions.

Microscope facilities

This is the nanoelectronics lab where students have hands-on experience with circuits, electromagnetism and semiconductor devices. Students work in pairs at a workstation which are equipped with power generators and oscilloscopes. This lab also has 4 point probing stations that allow for examination of a chip that can be viewed in detail under the microscope and different areas probed.

Facilities for viewing nano materials.

Additional pictures of the electronics lab. The top picture shows an integrated circuit that the students work with in a fourth year lab.

Two people working in the lab.
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This is the nano-bio lab where students learn techniques related to microfluidics, DNA replication using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and growth of a bacteria that can produce a specific green fluorescent protein that is used in a biosensor. Pictured above are people running gel electrophoresis which can show the results of a PCR experiment.
The Nanotechnology lab facilities, fume hoods and analytical instruments.
2 / 8
The top pictures show one of the wet chemistry labs where students complete chemical reactions, polymerization and preparation of different nanomaterials. Most of the experiments in this lab are done in a fume hood which allows the safe handling of chemicals. The bottom picture is of our instrument room that has equipment used to characterize the materials that are produced. This allows for the exploration of the properties and functionality of each material.
Two people running samples on Nanotechnology Engineering instrumentation.
3 / 8
Here we are working with a microfluidic setup and the 3D printers.
3-D printing facilities
4 / 8
These pictures provide a closer look at a 3D printers that can be used to print plastics into any shape. In first year students are taught how to use SolidWorks, a computer-aided design (CAD) program that can be used to draw objects in 3D and then translated to the 3D printer to produce their design.
Two people running tests in the lab.
5 / 8
Here we show a sputter coater found in the wet chemistry lab that is used to deposit different metals onto a substrate. You can see the plasma glow that causes ionization of the metal.
Samples fluorescing different colors in the dark and under natural light.
6 / 8
In a third year lab the students synthesize quantum dots and we are showing the results under fluorescence and natural light. Different size quantum dots produce different coloured solutions.
Microscope facilities
7 / 8
This is the nanoelectronics lab where students have hands-on experience with circuits, electromagnetism and semiconductor devices. Students work in pairs at a workstation which are equipped with power generators and oscilloscopes. This lab also has 4 point probing stations that allow for examination of a chip that can be viewed in detail under the microscope and different areas probed.
Facilities for viewing nano materials.
8 / 8
Additional pictures of the electronics lab. The top picture shows an integrated circuit that the students work with in a fourth year lab.