Bruker XRF Webinar December 6th

Bruker Tornado doors open

Bruker will be hosting a webinar on quantitative XRF this coming Tuesday. The MCF will be playing the webinar in the lobby of Characterization Facility in Marcus.

In this webinar, Bruker will present potentials for quantification from simple to complex specimens, from infinitely thick to thin, from ideal to non-ideal samples. The possibilities to optimize the analytical output will be elaborated on using example cases. A discussion on detection limits and develop potential improvements and parameter optimization will also be had.

If you would like to register to watch it at your own concenience, you can sign up for it here.

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) at the MCF

Elemental map of a chip

The MCF is pleased to announce the installation of its latest X-Ray tool, the Bruker Tornado XRay Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. Featuring two sources, two detectors, and an automatic stage with micron-level positioning accuracy; the XRF is capable of measuring elements from C to U with a spot size down to 20um for high resolution elemental mapping of materials and devices.

In addition, advanced software packages: XMethod – for layer thickness calculation and AMICS – for automated mineral determination are available to users for sample analysis. 

More information about the instrument and its capabilities will be updated on its webpage.

The tool is currently available for use and is available for requests for training on SUMS.

If you have questions about its capabilities please contact David Tavakoli: atavakoli6@gatech.edu

Webinar: Cold and Colder, Nanoindentation Down to -120°C

This webinar will be presented in the lobby of the MCF in the Marcus Building on Thursday, April 19th


8AM PDT | 11AM EDT | 15:00 GMT

Materials behavior is often dominated by highly localized phenomena, and the ability to probe these local properties for engineering devices is critical. Often these devices are operating in environments with large differences in temperature and pressure: from the high vacuum and cold of space to the high temperature and high pressure inside a deep-water oil well. This webinar will focus on testing from room temperature down to -100°C on a variety of materials classes;

Metals/Composites:
A fundamental study in a low carbon, 1018, steel is presented. This material is non-exotic, but plays a large role in the nuts and bolts of everyday life. 1018 steel is a two phase steel, containing both ferrite and pearlite phases that are easy to distinguish both via in contact SPM and high speed mapping of the steel, with the high C pearlite being much harder than the ferrite. This material also exhibits a ductile to brittle temperature transition at -5°C via Charpy impact testing. However, when the individual phases can be examined separately, the DBTT can be described to each phase. Besides a rapid increase in hardness, as the ability to cross-slip decreases, there is a change in the behavior of the load-displacement curve from smooth to heavily serrated flow dominated by pop-in behavior in the ferrite phase.

Polymer Films:
Determining the glass transition temperature of polymer films can be difficult due to specimen geometry that does not conform to typical macroscale test algorithms. Here, determination of polymer thin films is demonstrated by varying both temperature and frequency using a nanoscale equivalent test, nanoDMA III. Control of operating conditions below room temperature here is critical to understanding materials performance in a cold weather environment.

To find out more information or to sign up independently, you can click here.

Webinar: Nanoscale Tribology – Understanding Mechanical and Tribological Surface Modification in Lubricated Contacts

Webinar on Nanoscale Tribology: Understanding Mechanical and Tribological Surface Modification in Lubricated Contacts

This webinar will be on display in the lobby of the MCF in the Marcus Building at 11:00AM on March 15th.

Tribological properties play a critical role in the proper function, longevity, and energy efficiency of mechanical systems. The ability to quantitatively characterize surface interactions over the nanoscale and microscale provides a new understanding of how to better control friction and wear behavior in bulk material systems and thin tribological films.

In this webinar we will discuss the theory and applications of tribological and mechanical characterization over the nanometer to micrometer length scales. Practical applications will be presented relating to the field of lubricated sliding materials found in pistons, bearings, rubber gaskets, and other interacting components used in engines and power trains. We will demonstrate how nanoscale indentation and scratch testing provides powerful information for studying localized changes due to tribological processes and how these complimentary techniques provide greater insight to optimize tribological performance.

You can find more information and sign up for it to watch it at your desk here.

 

XRF Webinar to play in Marcus Lobby – July 14th

We will be presenting a Webinar about XRF (X-ray fluorescence) from Bruker on the large monitor in Marcus on July 14th at 10:00AM.

XRF  is a non-destructive analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of materials. XRF analyzers determine the chemistry of a sample by measuring the fluorescent (or secondary) X-ray emitted from a sample when it is excited by a primary X-ray source.

The webinar will describe how the M4 TORNADO can be used to identify high and low angle grain boundaries as well as twin boundaries in crystalline materials. From polycrystalline silicon wafers to aluminum samples and welding joint, the method presented in this webinar allows the user to obtain information on the crystals such as size and distribution.

csm_polycrystalline-silicon-wafer_w380px_76b61d2674

More information can be found here.

If XRF is a technique that your research group is particularly interested in, please contact me at david.tavakoli at mse.gatech.edu.