Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility

Characterization

SMIF’s characterization tools help visualize and analyze samples at the micro- and nano-scale. SMIF facilitates investigation of a variety of sample types with a wide array of equipment: SEM, TEM, Mass Spec, Micro-CT, Optical Spectroscopy, AFM, along with Soft Materials and X-ray Characterization Equipment.

Cryo-TEM

SMIF’s state-of-the-art cryo-TEM microscopes allow the analysis of biological samples under cryogenic conditions, enabling the determination of high-resolution 3D structures.

Outreach

SMIF Outreach Team visits classrooms, hosts lab tours, and let kids play with expensive equipment (supervised!). It’s SMIF’s way of showing them how fun and fascinating STEM can be.

Staff

SMIF staff hold expertise across a wide range of fields and will help you with your nano-characterization and fabrication needs.

Cleanroom

A variety of lithography, deposition, and etching tools in the SMIF cleanroom enable micro- and nano-scale fabrication of electronics, optics, microfluidics, metamaterials, and more! SMIF can facilitate your research and development fabrication needs.

The Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) at Duke University is an interdisciplinary, shared resource open to Duke University researchers from all schools and departments—as well as to users from other universities, government laboratories and industry.

Give Us Feedback

Publications

Turcotte, C. M., A. Raghunath, T. M. Ryan, L. J. D. DeMars, E. Siracusa, S. K. Patterson, M. L. Platt, L. J. N. Brent, N. Snyder-Mackler, S. E. Bauman, M. J. Montague, M. I. Martinez, S. A. Williams, S. C. Antón, J. P. Higham and S. Kuo (2025). Variation in trabecular bone microarchitecture across rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) load-bearing joints. J Anat.

https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.70069

Instrument used: MicroCT

Dziewior, C. S., B. Cole, Y. Qian, K. Coaker, A. G. Nackley, A. D. Franklin and M. L. Becker (2025). Thermally Driven Release of Oxycodone from Poly(ester urea) Thin Films by Printed Microheaters for Transdermal Delivery. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c16045

Instruments used: SEM, DSC

Fedor, J. G., R. Kandasamy, C. G. Park, Y. Suo, M. Weisel, N. B. Rankl, A. Nesterov and S. Y. Lee (2025). Visualizing insecticide control of insect TRP channel function and assembly. Nat Commun. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67287-2.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67287-2

Instruments used: Krios, Vitrobot