Shared facilities, located at our four core institutions of Duke, Howard,
Virginia Tech and Carnegie Mellon, and academic partners include unique visualization facilities, controlled field sites (mesocosms), microcosm facilities and extensive analytical and nanofabrication capabilities. Individually, these facilities are exceptional. As a combined resource, complemented by the capabilities present at government labs and user facilities we work with, they offer students and researchers opportunities for research on the environmental implications of nanotechnology available nowhere else in the world.
Nano-characterization and fabrication facilities
Our shared instrumentation for nanoscience research includes Duke's Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF), the Duke NanoFabrication Facility, the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory at VA Tech, Howard's Nanomaterials Characterization Science Center, CMU's nanofabrication facility, PPG Industries Colloids, Polymers and Surfaces Laboratory (CMU), x-ray scattering facility (CMU), the Center for Molecular Analysis, and the electron microscopy facilities. Through these resources, CEINT accesses state-of the art clean rooms and instrumentation for nanotechnology research including SEM, TEM, XPS, NMR, NSOM, X-ray facilities, AFM and variations there-on (e.g. cryo-TEM, flow through AFM, etc.). Each facility is staffed with trained personnel, used for both research and educational purposes, and nearly all are open to all trained students, staff, and faculty.
In addition, extensive instrumentation is available in the labs of individual CEINT researchers ranging from advanced multi-angle dynamic light scattering, ellipsometers, and electrokinetic and surface area analyzers for nanomaterial characterization to PCR, Real-Time PCR, DGGE, Gel-Doc, confocal scanning laser microscopes and IMARIS and COMSTAT software to analyze and quantify confocal microscope images, and related equipment for molecular microbiology work. We also have substantial access to X-ray and synchrotron facilities at DOE labs including SSRL/SLAC, PAS/ANL, ALS/LBNL, and EMSL/PNNL and associated sample preparation instruments at each facility.
Field Mesocosms at Duke Forest and the Duke Wetland Center
The Duke Forest comprises just over 7,000 acres of land adjacent to the Duke University campus. 
CEINT is developing 32 tightly controlled and highly instrumented ecosystems (aka mesocosms) that are located in Duke Forest. These mesocosms (3 ft x 12 ft.) are areas where researchers are adding nanoparticles and studying the resulting interactions and effects on plants, fish, bacteria and other elements within these contained systems. The mesocosms serve as a unifying resource for experiments across all of CEINT’s six thrusts. Twelve mesocosms have been constructed thus far and serve as a research site for ongoing research. They feature a parallel Internet platform and database infrastructure, associated to the data flow designed to allow a real interactive environment for partner researchers worldwide.
The Aquatic Research Facility is located in the Duke Forest approximately one mile from Duke's West Campus. It is comprised of approximately 1,500 square feet of AAALAC-approved space for holding and performing experiments with aquatic organisms. The facility contains static and flow-through systems for both holding and exposing fish and is approved for research with hazardous chemicals and for research with radiolabeled (H-3 and C-14) compounds. The Duke University Wetland Center, headed by Professor Curtis Richardson, has offices and labs on the main campus at Duke University in the 300,000-sq. ft. Levine Science Research Center. The Wetland Center has chemical analysis labs, an ultra clean room, microbial labs and dedicated radioisotope facilities. The lab maintains 2 full-time technicians and is an approved QA/QC lab. The Wetland Center's Stream and Wetland Assessment Management Park (SWAMP) is a 14-ha site consisting of a stream-wetland lake complex that includes 2 ha of wetland research plots that can be used to assess hydrologic and biogeochemical interactions, and 6 (100m2) isolated treatment wetland cells (macrocosms) that can be used to test for the effects of introduced nanomaterials into the environment. SWAMP was designed to provide background data on soil, plant, macroinvertebrates, and fish in order to assess the effects of various stressors by monitoring through the various stages of research activities. The site is fully instrumented with ISCO water samplers, YSI Sondes, Star flow meters, a weather station, calibrated input and output weirs, and automate
Microcosms. On Duke’s main campus in the Nicholas School, sixteen 4000-ml sealed microcosms are available each with pH, Eh and temperature sensors and a data acquisition system that allows the microcosm to be maintained at set points for pH and redox or allowed to vary with soil/water/organism interactions. Redox potentials can be controlled by addition of pressurized air or nitrogen through a series of computer controlled solenoid valves. An immersion bath system is used to regulate temperature.
Additional Facilities
The Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies (CAPS) at CMU houses an air quality laboratory with state of the art nanoparticle generation, measurement, and analysis equipment. A smog chamber and associated equipment to introduce particles and observe their transformations is also available. Major equipment includes an aerosol carbon analyzer, an aethelometer for measurement of elemental carbon concentrations, two Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers that can measure particle concentrations and sizes from a few nanometers to tens of microns, a Differential Mobility Analyzer to measure concentrations and diameters in the nanoparticle size range, a Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer for measurement of volatile organic compounds, a Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance for measurement of particle size distributions by mass, and an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer for determining simultaneously the size and chemical composition of volatile and semi-volatile particles.
Washington DC offices of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and those of CMU's DC office in the AAAS building (150-person auditorium, conference space, etc.) are available for CEINT activities in policy translation and outreach.
