Located at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, The Materials Characterization Center offers specialized services, on a fee basis, in the area of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) , Mass Spectrometry, Surface Microscopy and Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Confocal Imaging Microscopy, Nanoscopy, Functional Genomics Research Center, Sequencing and Genotyping to clients from industry, government and the academic community.

In offering these services, on a fee basis, which are not available elsewhere in Puerto Rico, the MCC seeks to strengthen industrial activity by providing expeditious and reliable solutions to problems faced by manufacturing operations that would otherwise require lengthy referrals to off-island R&D centers. It also seeks to reinforce the academic offerings of the public and private universities by making available to scholars and students services and facilities not available at any other institution. In this manner, the MCC also promotes closer interaction between industry and academia for their mutual benefit.

Some typical applications of the MCC's facilities include: determination of the chemical structure of unknown compounds, identification of foreign materials, determination of the elemental composition, analysis and identification of impurities, characterization of Out-of-Specifications deviations (OOS), trace compounds organic volatiles identification (OVI), particle size analysis, characterization of raw materials, identification of polymorphism in pharmaceutical solids, assay test (unexpected HPLC peaks) and characterization of chemical deposits on a surfaces, among others.

Our Mission:

The Materials Characterization Center (MCC) strengthens the relationship between industry and academia and thereby enhances the environment for scientific research and development in Puerto Rico, by providing state-of-the-art analytical services and scientific expertise, not readily available through commercial laboratories, to clients in industry, academia, and government.

Our Vision:

The Materials Characterization Center (MCC) envisions itself as a nonprofit, self-supporting entity which strengthens and improves Puerto Rico’s scientific and technological infrastructure. This infrastructure is important in retaining and attracting new high technology industries and thus contributing to the economic development of Puerto Rico.