The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research is an interdisciplinary research organization with the mandate to develop, support and co-ordinate all materials research-related activities at McMaster. The facilities of the Institute and its pool of expertise are also available to industry and organizations that require assistance with materials research and development or material analysis.

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The Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) provides world-class electron microscopy capabilities and expertise to Canadian researchers and industry working in a broad range of fields. Our vision is to be one of the leading electron microscopy facilities in the world for the quality of the scientific research, to be the go-to provider of electron microscopy services to Canadian industry and to play a leading role in promoting interactions amongst researchers in various fields nationally and internationally.

Director(s)

Dr. Nabil Bassim

Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Gianluigi Botton

Professor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Marek Niewczas

Professor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Kathryn Grandfield (Bernar)

Associate Professor, Associate Chair – Graduate

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

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The Centre for Advanced Nuclear Systems (CANS) is a regional research centre unlike any
other at a university worldwide. The Centre provides a unique world-class capability to advance
research in three focus areas:
1) nuclear materials,
2) nuclear safety thermalhydraulic behavior, and
3) health physics.
Funding to establish the facility was obtained as grants awarded in 2009 by the Canada
Foundation for Innovation (CFI) – New Infrastructure Fund (NIF) and the Ontario Ministry of
Research and Innovation (MRI). The total budgeted cost is $24M. Prof. J. Luxat is the project
leader.

CANS is comprised of four primary facilities, namely:
1. POST IRRADIATION EXAMINATION OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS: an irradiated
materials examination facility consisting of a suite of custom designed, fabricated and
installed hot cells. There are 5 separate workstations for receiving, machining, sample
preparation, mechanical testing and optical microscopy examination of material samples.
Each work station has its own shielded window and pair of remote manipulators. At the
end of the hot cell suite is an instrument room containing a shielded dual beam
Scattering Electron Microscope/Focused Ion Beam (SEM/FIB) and a Transmission
Electron Microscope (TEM). Two fume hoods are located in this room for handling and
etching of small active samples. This facility is located at McMaster University in a room
within the McMaster Accelerator Laboratory building and will be operated by McMaster’s
Nuclear Operations and Facilities organization. (Construction complete and initial
commissioning will start in April 2015)
An equipment sharing agreement has been established between CANS and the
CANMET- Materials Technology Laboratory (MTL) in the McMaster Innovation Park.
2. NUCLEAR MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION FACILITY: a materials characterization
and analysis facility that will be used to investigate the mechanical behaviour of existing
and newly developed materials (including irradiated in-reactor core components, GEN IV
materials and technology). The facility includes a Three Dimensional Atom Probe
(3DAP) and Scattering Electron Microscope/Focused Ion Beam (SEM/FIB) and is
collocated in the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research (BIMR) adjacent to the
Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster University. (Facility operational)
3. THERMAL TESTING FACILITY to obtain experimental data to develop and test nuclear
safety thermalhydraulic models. This facility include a heated Flow Loop, upgraded
power supply with 265 kW capacity, cooling heat exchangers, a new heat transfer test
section and 3-D Tomography and High Speed Video instrumentation for state-of-the-art
visualization. This facility is located in the Nuclear Research Building (NRB) at McMaster
University. (Facility operational)
4. HEALTH PHYSICS DOSE RESPONSE FACILITY containing a Neutron Generator and
Gamma Imaging devices to conduct research in mixed radiation fields (neutron +
gamma). This is located at University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). (Facility
operational)

Director(s)

Dr. John Luxat