Our laboratory is located on the 3rd floor of the Drake research complex and is equipped with a double-glove box (with a microscope), capable of maintaining inert and dry atmosphere at the sub-ppm levels, a custom-made arc-welder/melter with high frequency Miller power generator, a high vacuum line, three vacuum pumps, eigth high temperature furnaces (both tube and muffle type, capable of continuous operation up to 1100°C).   All furnaces are equipped with thermocouples and programmable controllers.  Recently, we expanded our capabilities and added a 1700°C muffle furnace, also with a programmable controller.  The Bobev group operates a bench-top Rigaku MiniFlex powder diffractometer with a computer-aided data acquisition/analysis system.  The group also maintains and runs a Quantum Design SQUID magnetometer for its own research needs and for the needs of the students and post-doctoral fellows in the Department (acquired through a donation and refurbished using start-up funds).  Computer hardware and software to carry out the proposed structural studies is available as well.  The group members have an access to four Macintosh computers with PowerPC or Intel-based CPU’s for data-processing (EnCIFer), crystal structure visualization (Crystal Maker) and desktop publishing (MS Office, Adobe CS).  There are four IBM-compatible computers running under Windows XP, which are used for structure solutions and refinements (SHELX, GSAS, JADE), database access (ICSD), Huckel calculations (CAESAR), etc.  Data storage and back-up is done on a network server.
Laboratory Equipment
Rigaku MiniFlex powder X-ray diffractometer...
...operated inside a nitrogen-filled glove-box
IT double glove-box for air-sensitive work
Double-manifold vacuum line with a diffusion pump
Barnstead 1100°C tube furnaces
Lindeberg-Blue tube furnaces
Lindeberg-Blue muffle furnaces
Barnstead 1200°C muffle furnaces
1200°C top-loading furnace
Optical microscope
Torches and basic glass-blowing equipment,
including a band-saw for cutting silica tubes
Arc-welding chamber with high-freq. generator
1 Tesla MPMS SQUID magnetometer
Bruker APEX I  s.c. X-ray diffractometer (shared)
Work-stations for data processing and desktop publishing
Surround sound, a bit old-school and not fully functional...
...and a view...