XRD seminar in New-Isenburg, Germany, an on-demand webinar on failure analysis by X-ray CT, new XRF application notes, new Battery Podcast episode, and more
We've all owned things that have, for a variety of reasons, stopped working the way they should, sometimes far sooner than we'd like. Why do things break or break down? This is the subject of the broad category known as "failure analysis." Diligent companies are very interested in the things that might happen to their products to cause problems for consumers. Their reputation depends upon reliability. A recent viral headline revealed a glass coffee mug that broke whenever a hot liquid was poured into it. You'd think that would be one of the first things a manufacturer would check before sending the product into the marketplace! There are many ways to perform failure analysis, but X-ray CT has become one of the most useful because it is a non-destructive technique. If you have to cut something into smaller pieces to perform an analysis, it's possible you might destroy the information you're trying to discover. Because it's non-destructive, it also leaves open the possibility of passing the defective material along to another type of analysis to confirm your results. X-ray CT has become a practical application thanks to two fairly recent developments: storage devices with enormous capacity and ultrafast computers. An X-ray CT experiment can easily generate gigabytes or terabytes of data, and processing this data to create a three-dimensional rendering of the object under investigation requires a lot of computing power. Although the technology to do these experiments has existed for some time, using it routinely had to wait for computing and storage technology to catch up.
This month's video in the spotlight is the latest ina series about Failure Analysis Using X-ray CT.If it piques your curiosity and you would like to see inside other things (living or otherwise), do an image search on X-ray CT materials. The results are fascinating!
Upcoming Events
AFC 2024 (French Crystallography Meeting) | Montpelier, France | Jul 1, 2024 - Jul 4, 2024 |Website
ACA 2024 | Denver, CO, United States |Jul 6, 2024 - Jul 11, 2024 |Website
Texas Annual School Vendor Show | College Station, TX | Jul 6, 2024 - Jul 6, 2024 |Website
Arizona Fire Chiefs Association Conference | Glendale, AZ | Jul 14, 2024 - Jul 18, 2024 |Website
Protection & Maneuver Support Combined Industry Expo | Fort Leonard Wood, MO | Jul 21, 2024 - Jul 25, 2024 |Website
Webinar: The Support of Structural Science at Yale University | July 24, 2024 | Website
ICCC 2024 - International Conference on Coordination Chemistry | Fort Collins, CO | Jul 27, 2024 - Aug 2, 2024 |Website
Rigaku XRD Forum in Germany, September 3-5, 2024
Mark your calendar for the Rigaku XRD Forum - Semiconductors/Thin Films/Coatings, taking place at the headquarters of Rigaku Europe SE in Neu-Isenburg, Germany, from September 3-5, 2024.
Discover the latest in X-ray diffraction technology through hands-on experience with Rigaku SmartLab diffractometers and advanced software. Benefit from insights shared by leading experts in lectures and workshops, engage in discussions on XRD topics, present research in poster sessions, and network with peers and industry leaders.
Attendance is free but limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Automated Multipurpose X‑ray Diffractometer (XRD) With Guidance Software
Powder diffraction, thin film metrology, SAXS, in-plane scattering, operando measurements
Rigaku SmartLab is the newest and most novel high-resolution X-ray diffractometer (XRD) available today. Perhaps its most novel feature is the new SmartLab Studio II software, which provides the user with an intelligent User Guidance expert system functionality that guides the operator through the intricacies of each experiment. It is like having an expert standing by your side.
How can slight misalignments or functional deteriorations in a product, such as circuit shorting or reduced battery life, eventually lead to product failure?
In this episode, we discussed what a functional failure is and review how you can use X-ray CT to characterize various defects that can cause diminished or loss of function. Oftentimes, a material or product will exhibit diminished or partial loss of function before it becomes inoperative. Understanding why and how these initial problems occur is as important as understanding complete failure because it helps us understand the mechanisms of failures and improve manufacturing and production processes.
June 5, 2024: Researchers from the University of Cambridge used a method similar to charging a battery to instead charge activated charcoal, which is often used in household water filters. By charging the charcoal "sponge" with ions that form reversible bonds with CO₂, the researchers found the charged materialcould successfully capture CO₂ directly from the air.
June 11, 2024: Inspired by the material that makes up oyster and abalone shells, engineers at Princeton have createda new cement composite that is 17 times more crack-resistant than standard cementand 19 times more able to stretch and deform without breaking. The findings could eventually help increase the crack resistance of a wide range of brittle ceramic materials, from concrete to porcelain.
June 12, 2024: A team at Stanford University aims to improve options for renewable energy storage through work on an emerging technology:liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs). LOHCs can store and release hydrogen using catalysts and elevated temperatures, and could someday function as "liquid batteries," storing energy and efficiently returning it as usable fuel or electricity when needed.
June 19, 2024: Canon has reported the development of a high-performance semiconductor material that it expects willimprove the durability and mass-production stability of perovskite solar cells. Researchers developed a functional material to coat the perovskite layer by applying the material technology it cultivated through the development of photosensitive members, a component of multifunctional office devices and laser printers.
June 19, 2024: Students and researchers at USC Viterbi’s Laboratory for Complex Materials and Devices have uncovereda novel way to grow thin films of electronic materialsthat could prove essential for the future of semiconductors. They introduced a new technique called hybrid pulsed laser deposition, harnessing a non-corrosive organosulfur compound as the sulfur source for thin film growth.
Featured Application Notes
Accurate Quantitative Analysis of Ferrosilicon by the Fusion Method using ZSX Primus III NEXT
Ferrosilicon is one of the most basic materials used in the steel making process. The iron alloys with the content of silicon between 15% and 90% are called "ferrosilicon", and are used in the reduction of the iron, removing oxygen and adding silicon when cast iron or steel alloys are produced. As part of controlling the steel making process, analyses of slag and raw materials such as quicklime are also required. This application note describes accurate ferrosilicon analysis using ZSX Primus III NEXT, which is optimized for process control of steel making and ferrosilicon production.
This application note demonstrates the measurement of additive elements in new, fresh lubricating oils by ASTM D7751 using NEX CG II.Utilizing indirect excitation EDXRF and user-friendly QuantEZ software, results are reported using empirical calibration and Fundamental Parameters with Matching Library.
Performance Evaluation of the High Frame Rate Detector XSPA
by Yasukazu Nakaye, Yasutaka Sakuma, Takuto Sakumura, Satoshi Mikusu and Kazuyuki Matsushita
In recent years, Hybrid Photon Counting (HPC) detectors have been widely used in the field of X-ray measurement. These detectors display no readout noise and provide a large dynamic range, high frame rate, small point spread function and no blurring. By combining these advantages of HPC detectors with high-speed data readout systems, it is possible to realize a high-performance X-ray detection system with single-photon detection and high detection efficiency.
In this report, we evaluated the basic performance of the XSPA detector.
The Battery Lab is a podcast empowering the researchers powering the future. Every episode features insights from the industry experts, leading academics and cutting-edge research advancing batteries — and society — to the next level of safety and efficiency. From raw materials to analysis to state-of-the-art designs, if you care about fueling the future, you’ve come to the right place.
The Opioid Matrix is a podcast for anyone looking for the latest information in the illegal drug supply chain—beginning to end. Each episode will feature a discussion with industry experts about the current opioid crisis, including drug trafficking, drug manufacturing, drug identification, drug addiction, as well as the role of government, law enforcement, new health and social programs, and more.
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