TESCAN LYRA3 FEG-SEM

KLA iMicro Nanoindenter

The KLA iMicro nanoindenter provides high-resolution nanomechanical characterisation of materials through instrumented indentation, enabling local measurements of hardness, elastic modulus and deformation behaviour.

Capabilities

Nanoindentation for hardness and elastic modulus
Continuous stiffness measurement (CSM)
Load resolution down to ~1 nN
Displacement resolution below 1 nm
Maximum indentation depth of approximately 5 µm
Interchangeable Vickers, Berkovich, conical and spherical tips
Nanomechanical property mapping
Scratch and fracture-related micromechanical testing

Equipment webpage:

https://www.kla.com/videos/imicro

Vickers indentation of MOF monoliths

Nanomechanical mapping by nanoindentation

Related Publications

M. El Skafi, H. Vondracek, J.D. Taylor, G. Cinque, J.-C. Tan. Mechanical behavior of metal-organic framework monoliths with enhanced fracture toughness. Materials Today Nano 33 (2026) 100760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtnano.2026.100760

M. Tricarico, S. Mollick, V. Kachwal, D.A. Sherman, J.-C. Tan. Exploring the photophysical and mechanical behavior of fluorescent metal-organic framework monoliths. Chemistry of Materials 36 (2024) 8247–8254. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c00963

OXIMS Research Facility (2026) · Engineering and Technology Building (ETB), Room 00.12 · Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford · Enquiries: