Materials Characterization Archives - Page 3 of 7

Why light poles failed in Hurricane Ian despite meeting design standards

A new University of Florida study reveals how hidden flaws in design and installation of aluminum light poles on a Central Florida bridge contributed to their unexpected collapse when Hurricane Ian moved across Florida in 2022, even though wind speeds remained below the structures’ design limits.

Scientists develop inexpensive, high-quality lenses for super-resolution microscopy

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, U.K., have shown that consumer-grade 3D printers and low-cost materials can be used to produce multi-element optical components that enable super-resolution imaging, with each lens costing less than $1 to produce. The new fabrication approach could broaden access to fully customizable optical parts and enable completely new types of imaging tools.

Using ultrabright x-rays to test materials for hypersonic flight

A research team at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to test thin yet durable materials for hypersonic flight using an upgraded source of ultrabright x-rays.

Detecting ‘hidden defects’ that degrade semiconductor performance with 1,000X higher sensitivity

A joint research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N.Y., has developed a new analysis method that can detect “hidden defects” in semiconductors, electronic traps that interfere with electrical flow, with approximately 1,000 times higher sensitivity than existing techniques.

New sensor measures strain, strain rate, and temperature with single material layer

Researchers from the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an innovative flexible sensor that can simultaneously detect strain, strain rate, and temperature using a single active material layer, representing a significant advance in multimodal sensing technology.

New nanoprobing platform for high voltage applications

Imina Technologies SA, Switzerland, released a new Nanoprobing High-Voltage Platform designed to safely apply voltages up to 1 kV through both nanoprobing tips and the backside of the sample, addressing the growing need for reliable electrical characterization of wide-bandgap and high-power semiconductor devices such as SiC- and GaN-based MOSFETs, IGBTs, and other devices.

Oxford Instruments wins prestigious Institute of Physics business award

Oxford Instruments, UK, has been awarded a prestigious Institute of Physics Business Innovation Award for the development of BEX, a breakthrough analytical technique in scanning electron microscopes, enabling new capabilities and accelerating time to results by at least an order of magnitude.

Tescan announces Carlyle agreement with Shimadzu Corporation

Tescan, Czech Republic, announces that Carlyle, together with the other shareholders, has entered into a definitive agreement with Shimadzu Corporation, Japan, for the sale of the company, resulting in a change in Tescan’s shareholding structure.

Observing gold’s atomic structure change at extreme pressures

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and their collaborators conducted experiments with gold to learn more about the unexpected structures and properties it would adopt under high pressure. The results, which show gold switching structure at 10 million times the Earth’s atmospheric pressure, are essential for planetary modeling and fusion science.

Diamond exhibits surprising nanoscopic heat traps

New research shows that diamond—although known for being the best natural heat conductor on Earth—at the atomic scale it can briefly trap heat in unexpected ways. The findings could influence how scientists design diamond-based quantum technologies, including ultra-precise sensors and future quantum computers.

High-precision analysis of 2D materials microstructures achieved using electron microscopy and machine learning

A research team led by National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, has, for the first time, produced nanoscale images of two key features in an ultra-thin material: twist domains (areas where one atomic layer is slightly rotated relative to another) and polarities (differences in atomic orientation) by combining scanning transmission electron microscopy with artificial intelligence.

Machine learning automates material analysis and design using X-ray spectroscopy data

A research team from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, has developed an automated artificial intelligence-based approach for analyzing X-ray absorption spectroscopy data to establish a clear and objective link between a material’s spectral data and its underlying material properties.

Engineering defects could transform the future of nanomaterials

Materials scientists at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have found a way to create and control tiny internal “flaws” inside ultra-thin materials known as extended defects, that could give next-generation nanomaterials entirely new properties, opening the door to advances in nanotechnology.

Hitachi High-Tech announces the SU9600: Next-generation ultrahigh-resolution SEM with high throughput

Hitachi High-Tech Corporation, Japan, has launched the Ultrahigh-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope SU9600, which allows for highly accurate and precise observation of substances down to the sub-nano level.

Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp. launches stRAMos — a breakthrough SRS, Stimulated Raman microscope based on photothermal detection

Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp., Santa Barbara, Calif., released stRAMos, a next-generation Raman microscope based on photothermal detection of Stimulated Raman scattering that delivers unmatched speed, sensitivity, spatial resolution, and multimodal imaging capabilities for life science and materials research.

AI-generated nanomaterial images fool experts in new study

Microscopy images are indispensable in nanomaterials science. Yet scientists now fear that generative AI is diluting the significance of these images by polluting the pool with fake, AI-generated photos that are indistinguishable from the real ones. Even seasoned researchers find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real microscopy images of nanomaterials and those created by AI as shown in a new study.

Electron microscopy reveals new process for developing exotic metal alloys

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a new way to produce high-entropy alloys (HEAs), at near-room temperatures. Their technique gives users much more control of the alloy’s crystal structure and overall morphology compared with existing methods, opening the door for a new paradigm of custom-made HEAs.

New inspeXio 7000 microfocus X-ray CT system delivers advanced imaging, powerful filters, and support for large components across multiple fields

Shimadzu Corporation, Japan, launched the inspeXio 7000 microfocus X-ray CT system, a high-end industrial model that builds on the high-resolution, high-contrast imaging capabilities of its predecessor while offering improved image quality through new scanning modes and a larger maximum sample capacity.

Researchers peer inside an atom’s nucleus using a new molecule-based method

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, have developed a new way to probe inside an atom’s nucleus, using the atom’s own electrons as “messengers” within a molecule.

X-ray technique offers additional tool for nuclear forensics investigations

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) now have a new technique in their toolkit for nuclear forensics examinations, which is the art and science of extracting information about the provenance and history of nuclear materials.

Discovering short-range order in semiconductor materials

A team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and George Washington University have confirmed that atoms in semiconductors will arrange themselves in distinctive localized patterns that change the material’s electronic behavior.

Oxford Instruments launched witec360 Raman microscope with Hexalight spectrometer

Oxford Instruments’ Raman imaging team in England announced a refreshed core microscope line and a groundbreaking new spectrometer, Hexalight, which together with the witec360 microscope constitute the most advanced confocal Raman imaging system yet devised.

Imagic and MECS launch technology partnership for AI-supported microstructure analysis

Imagic Bildverarbeitung AG and the Materials Engineering Center Saarland (MECS) of Zürich and Saarbrücken, respectively, entered into a strategic partnership in September. The collaboration combines MECS’s expertise in materials science, which bridges the gap between research and industry, with Imagic’s leading software expertise in microscopy, image analysis, and image data management.

3D real-time imaging of hydrogen’s effect on stainless steel defects

Researchers from University of Oxford and Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered how exposure to hydrogen atoms dynamically alters the internal structure of stainless steel. Their findings reveal that hydrogen allows internal defects in steel to move in ways not normally possible, which can lead to unexpected failure.

The world’s fastest microscope makes its debut

Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson have developed a laser-based microscope that snaps images at attosecond — or a billionth of a billionth of a second — speed.

New imaging technique bridges the gap in microscale tomography

A team of international researchers have discovered a novel photothermal coherence tomography technique—frequency-multiplexed photothermal correlation tomography (FM-PCT)—that brings infrared thermography (IRT) from limited 2D imaging to 3D tomography.

MoonRanger’s instruments to gather data during 2029 lunar mission

NASA has tapped a lunar rover built at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, to advance our understanding of water on the moon as it autonomously explores near the lunar south pole. MoonRanger will be among the payloads aboard a 2029 mission to the moon. The rover will carry a neutron spectrometer to study the lunar soil for traces of hydrogen, a good indicator of the presence of water, and demonstrate new levels of autonomous navigation on the moon.