Ceramics

Composite materials are innovative solutions that blend ceramics with other materials to create products with superior and tailored properties. By overcoming the brittleness and other limitations of traditional ceramics, these composites expand the utility of ceramic materials into areas requiring high performance under demanding conditions.

• Cermets (Ceramic-Metal Composites): Combines the hardness of ceramics with the ductility of metals, suitable for cutting tools, aerospace engine components, and heat exchangers.
• Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs): Known for their lightweight durability and high-temperature capability, crucial for jet engine parts, space vehicle components, and advanced braking systems.

Chemical Composition and Purity Analysis

Ensuring the correct elemental makeup of ceramic materials and detecting impurities within them is crucial for their performance, quality, and reliability.

• X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) provides precise elemental analysis to ensure that the composition of ceramics meets required specifications. XRF is essential for quality control and material verification, helping to detect any deviations or impurities that could affect the performance and reliability of the final ceramic product. Fast mapping distribution can help the understanding of the sample, complementary to SEM-EDX without any specific prior sample preparation.
• Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectroscopy offers highly sensitive analysis of trace and ultra-trace elements to distinguish impurities at very low concentrations. This technique is crucial for assessing the purity of high-performance ceramics where even minute impurities can significantly impact properties.
• Fluorospectroscopy identifies fluorescent impurities that may affect material performance and by characterizing ceramics doped with rare-earth elements or transition metals, which are crucial for luminescent materials and devices. This technique provides valuable information on the optical quality, purity, and performance of ceramics used in photonics, optoelectronics, and other optical applications.
• Particle Characterization Analysis (PCA) is used to better understand ceramics’ chemical composition, optimize their purity, and control the properties of finished ceramic products. By precisely controlling particle size, it is possible to manipulate the physical and chemical properties of the material to meet specific requirements in terms of strength, durability and aesthetic quality.
• Raman Spectroscopy detects defects and impurities within the material's structure by identifying characteristic vibrational modes. This non-destructive technique can assess the homogeneity of the chemical composition throughout the material and can observe changes happening during processing which can introduce impurities.
• Cathodoluminescence (CL) Spectroscopy is a powerful non-destructive technique for detecting traces of impurities and defects at high spatial resolution by combining fast imaging and spectral analysis in a broad wavelength range.
• Elemental Analysis is a technique that measures key elements such as carbon, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, ensuring optimal performance by identifying and quantifying impurities that can impact material properties. It is an essential tool for controlling the purity and quality of ceramic materials in research and production.
   

Phase and Structural Analysis

Understanding the crystalline phases, polymorphs, and internal stresses within ceramic materials is essential for optimizing manufacturing processes, improving material properties, and ensuring product consistency.

• Raman Spectroscopy identifies different crystalline phases and polymorphs in ceramic materials by detecting characteristic vibrational modes of molecules, and can also detect stress and strain within ceramics by observing shifts in Raman peaks. Raman spectroscopy helps in understanding how these factors influence the material's mechanical strength, thermal stability, and overall performance.
• Particle Characterization Analysis (PCA) controls powder properties critical for processing and final product performance by measuring particle size distribution and morphology. By optimizing particle characteristics, manufacturers can achieve better consistency, reduce defects, and enhance the material's structural integrity.
• Atomic Force Microscopy-Raman (AFM-Raman) provides nanoscale surface imaging to study texture, roughness, and morphology, combining topographical and chemical information. This technique allows for high-resolution mapping of surface features and the identification of structural variations at the nanoscale.
• Cathodoluminescence (CL) is sensitive to variations in crystal structure and composition, so it can identify phase composition, detect structural defects at high spatial resolution, and reveal areas of stress or strain that affect luminescence. This technique is particularly useful for materials used in optical and electronic applications, where defects and variations in crystal structure can significantly impact performance.
   

Surface and Interface Characterization

Analyzing thin films, coatings, and surface treatments of ceramic materials is essential for understanding and optimizing their performance, especially in applications where surface properties play a critical role.

• Ellipsometry determines the thickness of thin ceramic films and coatings with nanometer precision. This optical technique measures changes in the polarization of light reflected from the surface, and optical constants such as refractive index and extinction coefficient. By providing detailed information on both thickness and optical properties, ellipsometry is invaluable for quality control and the development of thin-film ceramic applications.
• AFM-Raman offers molecular and crystallographic information through simultaneous mapping of the surface topography and the chemical composition at the nanoscale. AFM-Raman can provide insights into the relationships between surface structure and material properties.
• Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES) provides elemental composition analysis as a function of depth from the top surface, making it highly useful for studying layered structures, coatings, and surface treatments using ceramics. GDOES is essential for verifying coating thickness, detecting interfacial diffusion, or ensuring the integrity of layered ceramic systems. Applications of GDOES include sapphire (Al₂O₃) and other oxides films and substrates, nitride coatings (TiN, CrN, ZrN, etc.), carbides such as SiC, and more complex structures such as PZT or ceramic layers used in high temperature oxide fuel cells.
• Cathodoluminescence (CL) enhances surface characterization by revealing microstructural features and defects in thin films and coatings through luminescence mapping. This technique is particularly valuable for materials used in optical and electronic applications, where surface defects can adversely affect performance. By mapping luminescence variations, CL helps in identifying and correcting issues related to fabrication processes, ultimately improving material quality.