IMAKS lab primarily serves NCSU research groups but is also available to scientists from other universities and industries. To offset the cost of instrument maintenance IMAKS charges user fees. To request information about the current rates please contact IMAKS Director, Dr. Evgeny Danilov (danilov@ncsu.edu ).
| Instrument | Hourly rate, USD |
| Subpicosecond UVVIS-NIR Time-resolved Transient Absorption Spectrometer | |
| Subpicosecond Mid-IR Time-resolved Transient Absorption Spectrometer | |
| Subpicosecond Time-resolved Fluorescence Up-conversion Spectrometer | |
| Nanosecond UVVIS Time-resolved Transient Absorption Spectrometer | |
| Edinburgh Instruments Mini-Tau Fluorescence Lifetime Spectrometer | |
| CW UVVIS Edinburgh Instruments FLS980 Fluorescence Spectrometer | |
| Multi-purpose CW Raman/Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectrometer | |
| CW General Purpose Mid-IR Bruker Alpha FTIR Spectrometer | |
| Zeiss LSM Pascal Laser Scanning Inverted Confocal Microscope | |
| Zeiss Axiovert 35 Inverted Fluorescence Microscope | |
| Zeiss Axioplan 2 Upright Fluorescence Microscope | |
| Leitz Diavert Inverted Microscope |
IMAX Lab Usage Policies
Getting started
First time users must contact IMAKS Director, Dr. Evgeny Danilov (danilov@ncsu.edu ) to discuss the feasibility of the experiment and for an introduction to the facility procedures and sample requirements.
User levels
If it is determined that the IMAKS instrument specs match your requirements and your sample satisfies the requirements of the instrument, you will be given time on the instrument. At this point you become a guest user. You will be guided through the experiment by a member of the PI’s group or IMAKS staff. The explanation given by your guide will be your initial training. If after the pilot experiment and data analysis it is determined that the instrument works for you but you need to run more experiments (more samples) you may become a regular user. Extensive training – reading instrument manuals and SOPs and demonstration of proficiency with the instrument is required at this level. Proficiency is demonstrated in a friendly conversation with a member of PI’s group or IMAKS Director. A formal requirement to work independently on instruments using lasers is a completion of NCSU EHS Laser Safety Training. Some of the regular users might desire to become an advanced user. This level bears more responsibilities for maintaining instruments but also more user privileges. This concept is described in more detail in the FAQ section.
Scheduling an experiment
After you have reached a regular user level, you may book time on the instrument. Normally, an instrument should be reserved for up to 3 (three) days so other people do not have to wait for weeks for their turn. Exceptions are experiments needed to finish dissertation work or to respond to reviewers’ comments. Currently booking is done using a Google calendar. This system has its own pluses and minuses. We are working on finding a universal scheduling system that could work successfully for the variety of instruments in the Department of Chemistry. You will learn the scheduling details after having completed the regular user level.
Safety
All general NCSU Laboratory safety rules and guidelines as well as chemistry-specific laboratory safety guidelines. Instruments in laboratories equipped with lasers as indicated on the door signs require users to complete NCSU EHS Laser Safety Training
General rules
In most cases, instruments at IMAKS lab are very delicate and extremely expensive. Any of them (damage to them) can easily cost tens- to hundreds of thousand dollars. It took substantial effort and many years of work to acquire them. For the benefit of all users and to ensure the instruments longevity, rules including but not limited to the following apply
- Any time you use an instrument you must sign the log book. Not signing the instrument’s log book is a serious offense. You might completely lose instrument privileges even after the first incident. If you cannot locate the log book or there is no more room for records, please seek assistance from a PI’s group member or IMAKS staff.
- Every instrument has a manual and an SOP. Following them to the letter is a must. If you have any doubts, questions, or difficulty understanding, please ask a PI’s group member of IMAKS staff.
- Users are expected to take notes during training and use them when working on an instrument – to train you, PI’s group members of IMAKS took time out of their own research, please be respectful of that.
- Please do not alter the instrument, wiring, optical layout or attempt to “fix” a problem. This includes moving a single optical element (a mirror, a lens) that you think is in the wrong place. The instruments have been made by very qualified people to fit the experiment needs the best. If you think something is incorrect, chances are that you misunderstood something. Please ask and /or seek assistance.
- Always cleanup after yourself! What you bring to the facility should go home with you. We do not have any designated personnel to clean your mess after you.
Records and data
At some point during the course of your project we require, in addition to the name of the primary instrument user the name of the PI, your Department, a brief description of the project, and the instrumentation used or instrumentation you wish to use. This is done best via the “Request to use IMAKS facility” form on the My IMAKS page. This information will be used for our records. Later on if the project has yielded a publication, we require that you inform us about that. We use this information for accountability for use of NCSU, State, and Federal funds and as a critical performance measure when reporting annual accomplishments and productivity. This information will be used to obtain funding to maintain and improve IMAKS. Users are required to make a copy of their data but are not allowed to delete them from the instrument computer’s hard drive. The data will be kept for a reasonable time and then deleted when storage room is needed. Your data will be used only for assessment of instrument’s performance, calibration, comparison, etc. or sometimes to illustrate the annual report. We will not use the data for anything else without your permission.
Acknowledging IMAKS’ work, giving appropriate credit, and citing
Citing the support of an instrumentation facility is a critical performance measure when reporting annual accomplishments and productivity. It is also required for accountability for use of NCSU, State, and Federal funds and will help us obtain funding to maintain, improve, and build new instruments at IMAKS. For any research project that received any support or benefit from IMAKS Facility (including data, consult, method development, manuscript preparation support etc.), we require that you acknowledge IMAKS in your grant applications, reports, and publications. We suggest you use a phrase like these – “The (e.g. ultrafast transient absorption) measurements were performed in the NCSU Chemistry IMAKS lab, Director – Dr. E. O. Danilov”, or “This study made use of instrumentation in the NCSU Chemistry IMAKS lab, Director – Dr. E. O. Danilov”. If the instrument you used was owned by a PI, please obtain from them grant information. Co-authorship is always appreciated and sometimes required. The decision is made by the PI of the user together with the IMAKS Director.
Enforcing the policies
In the interest of all users and the protection of the IMAKS instruments, we will enforce the policies in a baseball fashion. The first incident will result in a written complaint to user’s advisor, the second warning will result in suspension from all IMAKS instruments for a time to be determined by the IMAKS Director and the third incident will result an “out”. The exception is when you were seen working on an instrument but no record in the log book could be found. This is an immediate “out”.