Facilities - Physical Properties

About the Facility

The Physical Properties Facility focuses on equipment to measure and manipulate the magnetic moment. The facility boasts a DynaCool PPMS, the latest generation Physical Property Measurement System from Quantum Design. Other equipment includes a MPMS squid magnetometer, which offers advanced performance in all areas of magnetometry, and a 4.5 T magnetic annealing system for sample modification. The system combines high temperature annealing with a high magnetic field to potentially modify the magnetic properties of thin film and alloys. It makes use of exchange interactions at high temperature to form new magnetic properties and/or control the crystal growth. Also, the facility provides easy access to liquid nitrogen to various research groups in NCMN, MRSEC, and other groups at UNL such as the athletic department.
In general cryogenics are vital and used by research groups for many purposes. There are several superconducting magnets that require a significant amount of liquid helium and liquid nitrogen to operate and many of the high vacuum systems and detectors use liquid nitrogen. Also cryogenics are used in various experiments to measure materials properties at low temperatures. All undergraduates and graduate students involved in low temperature measurement and vacuum systems use the facility. This facility enables all of our research on magnetism and magnetic materials, as well as nanoelectronics, solid-state chemistry, etc. It is thus an integral part of NCMN’s research portfolio.

Equipment

PPMS DynaCool

The DynaCool PPMS is the next generation Physical Property Measurement System from Quantum Design. The DynaCool comes equipped with a 9 T conduction-cooled superconducting magnet system. This system allows for fast and precise control of the ± 9T magnetic field. The DynaCool offers an array of measurement options: A VSM for magnetometry measurements such as hysteresis loops, Magnetization Vs temperature curves. An electrical transport option (ETO) to measure Resistance, IV Curves, and Differential Resistance. A Horizontal Rotator Option which allows for the ETO measurements on samples rotating a full 360° in the presence of a 9 T applied magnetic field. The temperature range of the DynaCool is 1.8 K to 400 K for most measurements such as the VSM option. The DynaCool also comes with a Helium 3 option that allow for sub-Kelvin measurements for the ETO option to down 0.4 K but with a maximum temperature of 350 K.

Liquid Nitrogen

A 230-liter supply of liquid nitrogen is maintained at this facility. Researchers can transfer LN2 to their own dewars (typically 1-30 L) as needed and are billed on a per-liter basis.

MPMS Squid

The MPMS XL SQUID magnetometer from Quantum Design offers advanced performance in all areas of magnetometry. The Quantum Design MPMS Xl uses a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer to monitor very small changes in magnetic flux and to measure the magnetic properties of samples. The system offers a user friendly automated software, a dynamic range in temperature and a sensitivity of 1x10-8 emu. Data can be collected as magnetic moment vs temperature measurement (ZFC-FC, susceptibility) or moment vs magnetic field (hysteresis loops).

4.5 T magnetic annealing system

This annealing system combines high temperature annealing with a high magnetic field to potentially modify the magnetic properties of thin film and alloys. The system makes use of exchange interactions at high temperature to form new magnetic phases and/or control the crystal growth.