The ability to create research apparatus that either do not exist or are simply beyond budget constraints greatly enhances the functionality of a laboratory. Here are our labs latest achievements.
Water-cooled photodiode mount
(It's not a gate valve but this one's for you GMS) The photodiode signal to noise ratio was too small to detect the signal emitted from the sample being studied. While commercial air-cooling models were available, they were expensive. Dr. Tim Gfroerer and I came up with the idea of a water cooled unit. The compact design is based on an aluminum block, which allows a quick transfer of heat between the photodiode mounted in the block and the water which circulates through the block. The picture shows the device in its operational state. The mounting plate between the cooling block and the monochromator is tilted at 45 degrees to allow the use of the original mounting screw holes on the monochromator. After initial testing the mount was installed as shown and run continuously for about three months. The S/N ratio was improved by a factor of 10. This enabled the group to measure signals far smaller than would have been achievable with a commercial device.
Sol-gel dip-coating apparatus
This project is currently under development. The current state will be reported on at the North Carolina Academy of Science meeting, March 24. A copy of the talk can be viewed here.