Characterization

New framework strengthens link between a ceramic’s structural hierarchy and its properties

By Lisa McDonald / September 1, 2023

Materials scientists often use grain size as the determining variable when correlating a ceramic’s structure with its properties. But the morphology and orientation of the grains can also significantly affect a material’s properties. Researchers in China developed a framework that can correlate a material’s structural hierarchy with its properties, and their latest paper explores the potential of linking this framework to Vickers hardness.

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Ultrafast deposition reveals true shape of lithium

By Lisa McDonald / August 15, 2023

The complex feedback loop between solid electrolyte interphase formation and lithium deposition means researchers have struggled to develop a general framework for understanding and predicting lithium morphology. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, modified the electrodeposition process to decouple lithium deposition from interface growth and thus reveal the intrinsic deposition morphology of lithium.

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High-throughput automated testing platform saves time and energy by placing dozens of samples on same substrate

By Lisa McDonald / July 28, 2023

Automating experiments can help speed up the materials development process. Researchers led by North Carolina State University developed a new high-throughput automated testing system that deposits multiple samples on the same substrate, thus saving time and energy.

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Video: Computer vision method demonstrates potential of rapid and automated quality control for cements

By Lisa McDonald / July 26, 2023

Testing the durability of building materials is typically a slow, tedious, and labor-intensive process. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used computer vision to develop a fast and affordable method for testing cement durability, demonstrating the potential to improve quality control in the cement industry through automated methods.

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‘SiC’ new analytical protocol offers affordable purity analysis of silicon carbide

By Lisa McDonald / May 30, 2023

Verifying the purity of ultrahigh-purity materials can be a challenge. Researchers in Italy and Norway developed a new analytical protocol based on laser ablation paired with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine the purity of silicon carbide.

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Freely available deep learning method ‘fills in the blank’ of unknown internal material structures

By Lisa McDonald / May 9, 2023

What if you could predict a material’s internal microstructure based solely on its external surface characteristics? A new deep learning method developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides such a capability, and all data and codes used for the study are freely available for anyone to use through GitHub.

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Thermal properties of cemented carbides: Regression model offers predictions using reliable and readily measurable material characteristics

By Lisa McDonald / March 31, 2023

The accuracy of models for predicting thermal properties of cemented carbides has been limited by dependance on unreliable conductivity data or time-consuming grain size measurements. Two researchers at a Sweden-based tooling company formulated a regression model that offers fairly accurate predictions using only reliable and readily measurable material characteristics.

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New solid-state NMR strategy cracks open the ‘black box’ of crystal nucleation in glass

By Lisa McDonald / March 28, 2023

The process by which a crystal nucleates and grows within a glass during heat treatments remains a conceptually ill-understood phenomenon. Researchers in Brazil developed a nuclear magnetic resonance strategy combined with atomistic computer simulations that allowed them to shed unprecedented light on the structural changes that take place in a glass during relaxation and crystal nucleation.

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Finding trees within the forest: Deep learning network detects individual carbon nanotubes in SEM images

By Lisa McDonald / March 21, 2023

For researchers to improve the properties of carbon nanotubes grown en masse, they must first be able to measure and characterize how individual nanotubes are assembled within carbon nanotube “forests.” In a recent paper, researchers at the University of Missouri outlined a deep learning technique to segment these forests in scanning electron microscopy images.

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Video: Multiyear study provides vast data on materials wear in marine energy technologies

By Lisa McDonald / March 15, 2023

As marine energy technologies mature, there is a risk that companies will learn the hard way that their devices will not last long in salt water. A new multiyear study provides much-needed data on the benefits and pitfalls of about 300 different specimens built from materials commonly used in marine energy devices.

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