Pittcon 2026 was a strong and energizing week for our team, with high booth traffic and steady engagement throughout the show. The event provided an excellent opportunity to connect with customers, partners, and peers while highlighting new developments that support evolving laboratory needs.
A key focus this year was simplifying laboratory workflows and enabling more efficient, reliable analysis. Conversations across the show floor reflected growing interest in reducing sample preparation, improving automation after synthesis, and delivering quality control solutions that integrate easily into existing lab environments.
At Pittcon, we officially introduced LabLinc Studio, our newest software and hardware platform designed to support seamless integration of analytical instruments into AI-driven autonomous materials discovery processes. The launch prompted thoughtful discussions around workflow clarity, automation readiness, and how software can better support day‑to‑day lab operations. LabLinc Studio was selected as "Product of the Show" by Instrument Business Outlook. Read more in IBO Volume 34, Issue 23.
We also debuted the NEX QC II Series, our latest EDXRF solution tailored for fast, reliable quality control. The launch drew strong interest, particularly from customers looking for dependable elemental analysis tools that balance performance with operational efficiency.
Beyond technology, Pittcon remains an important space for building and strengthening relationships. Reconnecting in person with customers, distributors, and long‑time partners reinforced the value of collaboration and the role the Pittcon community plays in advancing analytical science.
Thank you to everyone who visited the booth and shared time with us during the week. We look forward to continuing these conversations throughout the year.
Upcoming Events
ACS Spring 2026 | Atlanta, GA |Mar 22 - 26, 2026 |Website
International Battery 2026 | Orlando, FL | Mar 23 - 26, 2026 |Website
Join Rigaku Europe SE at analytica 2026 in Munich to meet our experts and explore advanced analytical solutions supporting research and development, process control and quality control. Discover how Rigaku technologies deliver reliable insights across key industries.
Plan your visit and meet the Rigaku Europe team at Hall A2 Booth 506.
Without a proven interface and workflow, you can lose months performing custom scripting and debugging. The LabLinc Studio is designed to support seamless integration of analytical instruments. With two years of customer implementations, we can help you integrate XRD/XRF into the loop faster and more reliably.
Open Python orchestration interface for seamless integration and safe testing: Run experiments from your code via Rigaku Automation Interface (RAI). Critical settings are exposed through SmartLab Studio II Flow Templates or Python API. All data collection and detailed analysis workflows can be managed in a single platform. Sandbox and digital-twin testing to de-risk deployment and scale faster.
Easily scripted, repeatable measurement and analysis:
You can clearly see details in high-resolution up to true 3-micron spatial resolution achieved by the variable SOD and SDD for the resolution flexibility and the high-voltage X-ray source for reduced beam hardening artifacts.
Automation-ready hardware for autonomous sample handling and robot compatibility:
Modular sample handling, sample changer, 96-well plate, and robot-compatible doors and/or enclosures are available for smooth integration.
The NEX QC II Series is a benchtop XRF (EDXRF analyzer) designed for fast elemental testing in industrial quality control environments.
Built for routine, everyday QC work, the NEX QC II simplifies elemental analysis with an intuitive touchscreen interface and fully integrated design. The compact system features a built-in computer and printer, allowing operators to run tests and generate reports without external accessories or complex setup.
February 11, 2026: Researchers have developed a “nano sandpaper” that uses vertically aligned carbon nanotubes embedded in polyurethane to polish semiconductor surfaces with near–atomic-scale precision. Unlike conventional sandpaper, where abrasive particles can detach, or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), which relies on slurry, the nanotube abrasives are fixed in place, reducing risk of surface damage and eliminating slurry waste. In planarization tests, the method cut “dishing” defects—critical for interconnect reliability in advanced chips like high-bandwidth memory—by up to 67% compared with CMP, while also simplifying the process flow.
February 19, 2026: Researchers report a simple way to improve sodium-ion batteries: don’t drive water out of the cathode material. Instead of heat-treating sodium vanadium oxide to remove water, they kept it hydrated as nanostructured sodium vanadate hydrate and found it stored nearly twice as much charge, charged faster, and stayed stable for more than 400 cycles. The result points to lower-cost, more accessible sodium-ion storage that could also pair energy storage with water treatment in specialized applications..
March 10, 2026: Researchers have developed a new aluminum alloy, RidgeAlloy, designed to turn contaminated end-of-life car body sheet scrap into high-value structural castings for new vehicles. Recycled automotive sheet often pick up iron and other impurities during shredding, making it too unpredictable to meet strict strength, ductility, corrosion-resistance, and crash-safety requirements. RidgeAlloy is engineered to tolerate higher iron and silicon levels. This approach could unlock a major domestic stream of recycled aluminum for structural parts and sharply cut the energy required versus primary aluminum production.
March 13, 2026: A team reports a catalyst design that boosts CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol by “spatially decoupling” the key active functions on the catalyst surface. The approach uses a strong metal–support interaction to form an overlayer structure that steers CO₂ to adsorb and activate primarily on zirconia (ZrO₂), while copper sites remain highly effective for H₂ dissociation—reducing the usual trade-off where higher temperature increases activity but drives the reverse water–gas shift to CO.
March 15, 2026: Researchers report a new ambient-pressure record for high-temperature superconductivity: a mercury-based cuprate ceramic that transitions to a superconducting state at 151 K, surpassing the long-standing 133 K benchmark. The advance relies on first applying high pressure to enhance superconducting behavior, then cooling and rapidly releasing the pressure to “lock in” the higher transition temperature so it remains stable under normal conditions.
Featured Application Notes
Accurate Quantitative Analysis of Ferrosilicon by the Fusion Method
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 analysis of lateritic clay rich in the rare earth elements La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Y using NEX CG II+. Also shown is a demonstration of analyzing an expanded REE group in the more concentrated forms during processing and extraction.
Applicability of X-ray Fluorescence Analysis for Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Materials
By Yiqun Wang, and Hikari Takahara
The recycling of rare metals from used lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is important and the demand for compositional analysis of LIB recycling materials is increasing. In this report, the composition of black powder (BP) and black mass (BM), which are LIB recycling materials, was analyzed by XRF and the agreement with ICP-AES analysis values was confirmed. BP samples showed good agreement with ICP-AES analysis results using the balance estimation model with the scattering fundamental parameter method.
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