Resources

Experimental and computing resources.

Shared infrastructure supporting M3 Lab experiments, simulations, data analysis, and computational materials research.

Experimental Resources

Customized and lab-developed experimental platforms supporting Xu group studies of field-assisted processing, in-situ microscopy, thermal-mechanical coupling, and rapid high-temperature testing.

Real benchtop ENP system overview with pulsed-current supply, fixture board, monitoring electronics, and oscilloscope. — Real lab image: full benchtop ENP setup with pulsed-current supply, fixture board, measurement electronics, and oscilloscope.

Electro-Nano-Pulsing (ENP) Advance 4X Platform

Nanosecond pulsed-current processing for grain-boundary engineering.

The Xu group develops customized electro-nano-pulsing platforms for grain-boundary engineering in metallic materials. The ENP Advance 4X system applies programmable nanosecond-scale current pulses to small metallic specimens to probe localized electrical, thermal, and electron-wind effects at grain boundaries.

Ultra-intense nanosecond pulsed-current processing
Four-pair copper feed-plate architecture on alumina-ceramic PCB
Removable central chamber for inert Ar or liquid-nitrogen operation
Designed for small metallic strip specimens
Supports studies separating Joule-heating and electron-wind effects

Real thermal-straining SEM tester with heating stage, sample position, and force-capacity label. — Real lab image: thermal-straining SEM tester with heating stage, sample zone, and mechanical loading hardware.

Custom SEM In-Situ Thermo-Mechanical Testing Device

Lab-made fixture for direct SEM observation during thermal-straining.

The group has developed a customized SEM-compatible mechanical testing device for in-situ thermal-straining studies. Paired with an SEM heating stage, the fixture supports direct observation of deformation and microstructural evolution under coupled thermal and mechanical loading.

Lab-made SEM-compatible mechanical fixture
Compatible with in-situ SEM imaging workflows
Pairs with a heating stage for thermal-straining experiments
Supports observation of strain localization, cracking, and interface evolution
Adaptable to customized specimen geometries and loading configurations

Real SEM hot-stage assembly installed inside an SEM chamber with heater surface and electrical connections. — Real lab image: SEM hot-stage assembly installed in the SEM chamber for elevated-temperature experiments.

SEM High-Temperature Heating Stage / Furnace Capability

Elevated-temperature SEM observation and thermal-processing studies.

The group uses high-temperature SEM-stage capabilities to observe microstructural evolution during thermal exposure and coupled thermal-mechanical loading. These resources support SEM-based high-temperature and flash-sintering studies of ceramic and metallic materials.

SEM-based observation during controlled heating
Integrates with customized mechanical loading hardware
Supports thermal exposure, thermal-straining, and flash-sintering studies
Tracks morphology, cracking, and grain-boundary behavior
Apreo 2-compatible heating-stage path with detector compatibility considerations

Real rapid-heating furnace assembly mounted in an Instron mechanical testing frame. — Real lab image: custom rapid-heating furnace integrated with an Instron frame for coupled thermal-mechanical testing.

Custom Rapid-Heat Tube Furnace / ENP-Compatible Rapid Heating System Integrated with Mechanical Testing

Fast high-temperature experiments under mechanical loading.

The Xu group operates a custom rapid-heat tube furnace designed for thermal-elastic processing and high-temperature mechanical testing. The system integrates with an Instron universal testing machine to enable coupled heating and mechanical loading of small cylindrical specimens.

Custom-built compact rapid-heat tube furnace
Designed to bolt directly to an Instron universal testing machine
Four silicon-carbide heating elements with SCR power control
Watlow PM6+ PID control with Type N thermocouple
Can also operate as a standalone table-mounted furnace

Computing Resources

The Xu Research Group uses high-performance computing resources at San Diego State University to support computational materials science, atomistic simulations, molecular dynamics, data analysis, and simulation-driven materials design.

SDSU High Performance Computing Cluster

The group uses SDSU High Performance Computing Cluster resources for CPU- and GPU-based computational research. SDSU HPCC infrastructure provides shared high-performance computing nodes, GPU-enabled resources, and networked storage capacity that support large-scale simulations and data-intensive post-processing.

Resource overview

SDSU TIDE Research Cluster

The group also uses SDSU Technology Infrastructure for Data Exploration (TIDE) research cluster. TIDE provides SDSU researchers access to research-class CPU, GPU, and storage resources. These resources support containerized research workflows, including computational materials modeling, atomistic simulations, data analysis, and machine-learning-assisted materials research.

Resource overview