Facilities:       

 The Department of materials science has impressive facilities both for undergraduate teaching and research. These include laboratories for spectroscopy and chromatography, semiconductor packaging, processing and testing of materials, thermal characterisation of materials, physics and chemistry. Besides these on-site facilities, the academic staffs have on-going collaborative programmes with local and overseas universities and institutions, among which are the Universiti Sains Malaysia and the University of New South Wales. Besides participating in public awareness programmes, the Department is also actively involved in forging links with agencies and institutes as well as suitable industry partners to help establish a strong presence in materials technology in the Northern Triangle.

 

General facilities available in the Department of Materials science
* Excellent facilities - Class-rooms with AV equipment
* Well equipped labs with modern instruments
* Web databases like Science Direct, WebOPAC, ENGnetBASE, Engineering Village 2 (EV2), Materialnetbase and    Scopus are also available.
 

Research and experimental facilities

The Materials Science Department is equipped with a range of sophisticated instruments for:
 

  ·        Thermal analysis of materials

Instrument

Model

Application

1.      TGA

Perkin Elmer Model Pyris 7.0

to determine the weight loss and number of components in a substance

2.      DSC

Perkin Elmer – Model Diamond DSC

to determine the melting point, and glass transition temperature and thermal transitions of polymers, ceramics and metals

  ·        Materials characterisation

Instrument

Model

Application

1.      AAS 

 

Perkin Elmer Analyst 700

Analysis of metal cations (K, Ca, Li, Na, Pb, Cu, As, Hg, Fe, Cd, Al, Zn, Mn, Mg, Se) by flame, graphite furnace  and FIAS techniques.

2.      FTIR

Perkin Elmer Spectrum GX

Analysis of organic and inorganic compound by transmission and ATR techniques

3.      HPLC

Agilent

Normal Phase & Reverse Phase:  for testing of drugs, metabolites, flavonoids and other active ingredients

4.      GC

Agilent 6890N

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic compounds/mixtures

5.      UV-vis

TU-1800PC Split-Beam UV-VIS Spectrophotometer

1100 nm-200 nm wavelength scan for photometric measurement, spectrum scanning and kinetic measurements

   ·        Materials testing (physical & mechanical properties)

Instrument

Model

Application

1.   Universal Testing Machine (UTM)

LR 10KN

1 ton capacity

LLOYDS, U.K

Tensile test, compression test, bending test, tear resistance etc.

2.   Two Roll Mills

Eurotech, Malaysia

Compounding of thermoplastics

3.   Hot Press

Eurotech, Malaysia

Sheet preparation for making test specimens

4.   Bench Top Extruder

Dr.Collins, Germany

For extrusion of wires; preparing polymer blends; and pellets.

5.    High Temp Furnace

Gero HTRH 100-600/16

Heat treatment of sample up to 1600°C

6.    Orbital Polisher

Struers LaboForce3 & Struers LaboPol-5

Lapping and polishing of glass, ceramics & metals to mirror finish

7.   Rotary Diamond  Saw

Struers Minitom

 

Sample cutting 

8.   Surface Profiler

Surfcorder ET350

Surface topology measurements by stylus method

9.   Laser and Optical System

Edmund E54-156

Optical spectroscopy

10. Large Particle Analyzer

Home-made

Light scattering off particles > 1 mm

We are in the process of sourcing for more equipment namely, electrospinning set up, electrical testing system, melt flow index tester and a laser system.
 

Apart from collaborative research with academic institutions, the Department is also offering consultative services and tailored training programmes to industries, in particular the manufacturing sector in the northern region of the country.