Getting Started

The Electron Microscopy and Materials Characterization Core (EMC) serves the entire University of Kentucky community. To begin, you will need a valid UK account number – this number must remain valid until the billing process has been completed. Check the online calendar and email or call either Dali Qian or Nico Briot to set up an appointment. It would be to our mutual benefit if you familiarize yourself with the techniques/equipment you plan to use as well as with the center’s policies in advance, by reading this website (see links to electron microscopy guides in paragraphs below) and searching the relevant scientific literature. Also, if there is a specific technique you want to apply to your sample, it would be helpful for you to bring research papers that show what you are trying to accomplish.

Users outside the University of Kentucky are encouraged to utilize our Center, either as customers or as users themselves. The EMC can provide training on any instrument you anticipate using repeatedly. The center’s staff can also perform analysis on your samples if you cannot travel to the University of Kentucky. In some cases, external users are required to bring a valid PO number for the cost of their time in advance. Contact us for more details. Typically, external users can only use the Center during normal business hours, but we can make special arrangements for someone to assist you after hours. The information required on your arrival will be:

• Account Number
• Address where invoice is to be sent
• Contact person in your business office who will handle payment
• Your own contact information

Industrial users who require confidentiality and intellectual property agreements should contact the EMC regarding this need.

The Electron Microscopy and Materials Characterization Corer functions primarily as a research and teaching center. For internal (university) users, the EMC can perform microscopy services on a job basis, but these services are typically limited due to time constraints – in most cases, internal users will be expected to complete training so they can perform the work themselves. In cases where new techniques need to be developed or sophisticated analysis needs to be performed, we are open to discussing collaborative arrangements. For external (non-UK) users, the EMC can provide microscopy services for a fee and/or training so that you can perform the work on your own.

• After demonstrating proficiency on a particular instrument, you may be granted after-hours access by being issued a key code. This key code is for your use and should not be shared with other users.
• There is currently no charge for using the EMC sample preparation facilities, but this equipment use is nominally intended only for samples that will be analyzed at our center. Please discuss your sample prep needs with EMC staff.
• You should use the EMC equipment only in ways you have been instructed – before using new/unfamiliar features of the equipment, ask EMC staff to teach you how to perform the new tasks properly.
• If you notice any equipment problems or find that supplies have run out, please inform EMC staff.
• Sample preparation equipment and supplies are to remain in the EMC. Contact EMC staff if you have special circumstances, e.g. long sample preparation procedures that must continue after normal working hours.
• Typically, external users may use EMC equipment only during regular work hours, when EMC staff are available for consultation. If you need after-hours access, please discuss this with EMC staff.