Materials Science and Engineering Research Solutions

Interested in improving your materials science research and engineering knowledge with our analytical solutions? Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a professor, we’ve got a wide range of useful articles on the most relevant application examples of our ceramics, metals, and polymer research solutions.

The materials researched and analytical equipment used often overlaps with Chemistry and Applied Chemistry, Electronic Engineering and Semiconductor Materials, and Physics and Applied Physics, so you can also find useful information on those pages. The method abbreviations are explained at the bottom of this page.

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New brochure

Take a look at our new Paints and coatings brochure!

If you're working on ceramics, paints or inks, smart coatings or polymers, you might like reading about this range of analytical solutions for paints and coatings. It includes an introduction to particle measurement for pigments, elemental and phase analysis, dispersion stability, polymer molecular weight characterization, and more...

Ceramics

Ceramics can have many different structures and compositions, and they may contain any element from the periodic table. Ceramics are also studied in Chemistry and Applied Chemistry for synthesis and chemical characterization. Here are just a few examples of how our instruments are used in ceramics research. Take a look to find out more!

Ceramics	Method	Sample	Application Note Title (Link)
Abrasives - particle shape and size	IMG	Diamond and Abrasive grains (A2O3), (SiC), SG, and CBN	Particle shape characterization for abrasive quality control
Colloidal processing - Zeta potential	ELS	Zirconia (m-ZrO2), Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and ammonium poly(methacrylate) (APMA) in dilute KNO3	The importance of zeta potential in ceramic processing (2) Zirconia
Inclusions - elemental analysis	XRF	Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Zn, Zr, and Na	Practical small spot mapping. Analysis of a ceramic inclusion using SumXcore technology
Nanomaterials - elemental analysis, trace elements	XRF	Ceramic nanomaterials (TiO2 and ZnO) with catalyst residues Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Fe, Zr, Nb, and Pb	Easy, cost-effective, and non‑destructive quantification of ceramic nanomaterials
Polishing slurries - particle shape and size	IMG	Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) slurries, SiO2 or Al2O3 particles	Analysis of wire saw abrasive slurries to facilitate recycling using the FPIA-3000 automated dynamic image analysis system
Polishing slurries - Zeta potential	ELS	Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) slurries, SiO2 or Al2O3 particles	Zeta Potential Measurement of Highly Concentrated CMP Slurry Dispersions
Processing - Zeta potential	ELS	α-alumina, Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and ammonium poly(methacrylate) (APMA)	The importance of zeta potential in ceramic processing (1) Alumina
Refractory materials - particle size	LD	Refractory suspensions (alumina, bauxite, chromite, dolomite, magnesite, silicon carbide, and zirconia mixes)	Using particle size distribution measurements to control the properties of refractory materials
Spray-dried powders - particle shape and size	IMG	Al2O3 and W-/Ni-/Fe-based spray-dried particles	Using the Morphologi to evaluate ceramic granules produced by spray drying

Metals

Despite its ancient origins, metals research and the study of metals and their refining (Metallurgy) is still advancing today. In particular, additive manufacturing is a hot topic for novel manufacturing of metallic and composite components. Understanding metals also requires an understanding of mining and refining – you can find out more about this on our Geological Sciences, Minerals and Mining page. Below, you can find application notes for our solutions in metals research – enjoy exploring!

Metals	Method	Sample	Application Note Title (Link)
Aluminum alloy production - elemental composition	XRF	Aluminum Alloys	Zetium - Analysis of aluminum alloys
Aluminum alloys - elemental composition	XRF	Mg, Al, Si, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al-Si, and Al-Mg alloys	Wide-range calibration for aluminum alloys
Cadmium in lead and brass - elemental analysis	XRD	Cd and Pb in Brass	Analysis of Cd and Pb in Brass for RoHS, WEEE and ELV compliance
Cast iron - carbon content	XRF	C, Si, P, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Nb, and Mo in cast iron	Carbon analysis in cast iron
Cast iron - elemental analysis	XRF	Cast Iron: Fe, Si, Mn, P, S, Cr, Mo, Ni, Cu, Ti, V, Al, and Mg	Analysis of major and minor elements in cast iron
Chromium coatings on steel - layer thickness and composition	XRF	Cr coatings on steel	Zetium - Analysis of Cr coatings on steel using Stratos
Chromium/zinc coatings on steel - layer thickness and composition	XRF	Cr/Zn coatings on steel	Zetium - Analysis of Cr/Zn coatings on steel using Stratos
Copper base alloys - elemental concentration	XRF	Copper Base Alloys: Sn, Zn, Ni, Al, and Pb alloyed in Cu	Cu-base-FP - analysis of copper alloys
Copper sheet - microstructure, crystallographic texture	XRD-M	Copper sheet (rolled)	Quantification texture analysis. Preferred orientation studies on rolled copper
Ferrochrome - elemental analysis	XRF	Ferroalloys, Ferrochrome, Fe, and Cr	Analysis of FeCr alloys as fused beads using the Zetium XRF spectrometer
Ferrosilicon alloys - elemental analysis	XRF	Fe, Si, Mg, Al, P, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Cu	Zetium - Analysis of major, minor, and trace elements in ferrosilicon alloys
Ferrosilicon alloys - elemental analysis	SPE	Ferrosilicon Alloys, Ferroalloys, silicon, and iron	The Preparation of Ferrosilicon Alloys Samples for XRF analysis
Ferrosilicon manganese - elemental analysis	XRF	Ferroalloys, FeSiMn alloys	Zetium - Analysis of major, minor, and trace elements in FeSiMn alloys
Granulates - particle size	LD	Metal granulates, foil waste	Process Optimization through Online Particle Size Analysis
Inconel – additive manufacturing part quality	XRD XRF	Metal powder and completed 3D additive manufactured components	Additive Manufacturing of Inconel 718: characterizing parts and powders
Low alloy steel - elemental analysis	XRF	Low-Alloy Steel, high strength	Zetium - Analysis of low-alloy steel
Metals sample preparation example - Fusion for XRF	SPE	Ag, Zn, Pb, Cu, and S	Determination of Silver and Volatile Elements in Metal Concentrates Samples Using Lithium Borate Fusion Followed by XRF Analysis
Ni coatings on steel - layer thickness and composition	XRF	Ni coatings on steel	Zetium - Analysis of Ni coatings on steel using Stratos
NiFeCo alloys - elemental analysis	XRF	NiFeCo alloys: Ni, Fe, Co, (Al, Si, P, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W)	Zetium - NiFeCo-FP - analysis of steels, high-temperature alloys, and super alloys
Powder, additive manufacturing - overview	LD	Metal Powders	Optimizing metal powders for additive manufacturing
Powder, atomization - particle size and shape	IMG	Atomized stainless steel	Comparing metal powders from different atomization processes using automated image analysis
Refining Iron (blast furnace slag) - elemental composition	XRF	MgO, Al2O3, SiO2, P2O5, S, K2O, CaO, TiO2, MnO, and Fe in slag samples	Quick and precise analysis of major and minor components of slag samples prepared as pressed pellets
Refining Iron (direct reduced) - phase identification and quantification	XRD	Iron Ore, Direct Reduced Iron, sponge iron	Analysis of Direct Reduced Iron for rapid process control
Refining, Alumina bath - phase identification and quantification	XRD	Aluminum, alumina	Electrolytic bath analysis for aluminum industries
Refining, Alumina powder - particle size	LD	Alumina powder	Using real-time particle size analysis to optimize aluminum smelting
Refining, Iron sinter - phase identification and quantification	XRD	FeO basicity - oxides	Analysis of iron sinter by X-ray diffraction reduces CO₂ emissions
Refining, Oxides - elemental composition	XRF	Oxides generally	Synthetic standard solution WROXI for the analysis of a wide range of oxides
Solder particles - particle size and shape	IMG	Solder Particles	QA/QC characterization of solder particles using the Morphologi G3 automated image analysis system
Stainless Steel production	XRF	Stainless Steel, C, Si, P, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, As, and Mo	Analysis of stainless steel with Axios FAST
Steel - crystallographic phase quantification	XRD	Steel and alloys of steel	State-of-the-art XRD analysis of steel and alloys
Steel - elemental analysis with spatial resolution	XRF	Ni, Cr, Mn, Mo, Si, and Fe	Small spot mapping – In situ elemental analysis of steel using SumXcore technology
Steel slab - process control, elemental analysis	XRF	Slab steel formed from continuous casting, Fe, Ni, Cr, and Mo as markers for segregation	Spot mapping - XRF as a process control tool for chemical characterization of macro-segregation occurring during continuous casting in steel
Tin coatings on steel - layer thickness and composition	XRF	Tin (Sn) coatings on Steel	Fast analysis of Sn coatings on steel using Stratos
Titanium alloys - elemental composition	XRF	Titanium Alloys	Wide-range calibration for titanium alloys
Titanium/Tin coatings on steel - layer thickness and composition	XRF	Titanium (Ti)/Tin (Sn) coatings on steel	Zetium - Analysis of thin layers of Ti/Sn coatings on steel using Stratos
Tool steel - crystallographic phase quantification	XRD	Tool steel - retained austenite	Quantitative determination of retained austenite (RA) - ASTM E975
Tool steel - elemental analysis	XRF	Tool steel - Cr, Mo, Co, V, and W	Analysis of tool steel
Weld analysis - elemental analysis	XRF	Fe, Nb, Ni, Mo, and Mn	Small spot mapping - In situ characterization of weld solidification using X-ray fluorescence
Zirconium alloy sheet - microstructure, crystallographic texture	XRD-M	Zr, Fe, and Ni - sheet used in nuclear reactor construction	ω-texture analysis on metals
Zn coatings on steel - layer thickness and composition	XRF	Zn coatings on Steel	Analysis of Zn coatings on steel using Stratos

Polymers

Polymers are studied for synthesis and chemical characterization in Chemistry and Applied Chemistry, as well as for recycling along with plastics. Using polymers in Materials Science and Engineering requires an understanding of their structure-property relationships. Below, you can explore how our analytical instruments can help with polymer research. Take a look to find out more!

Polymers	Method	Sample	Application Note Title (Link)
Aluminum coatings on polymer film - elemental analysis	XRF	Al coatings on thin polymer films	Analysis of Al coatings on thin polymer films using Stratos
Beads - particle size and shape	MDRS	Polymer beads	Characterizing the Monodispersity of Polymer Beads Using the Morphologi G3 automated image analysis system
Catalyst residues - elemental analysis	XRF	Catalyst residues in polymer defects (aluminum, titanium, phosphorus, and calcium)	Fast small spot elemental mapping of defects in polymeric samples
Flow Injection - molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity	GPC	Polypropylene (pp), ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR), and in xylene	Flow Injection Polymer Analysis for the measurement of Xylene Solubles
Inclusions in molded polymer - elemental analysis	XRF	Titanium (Ti) in polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)	Zetium - Analysis of sub-ppm level titanium in polyolefins using a ZETA technology-chromium anode X-ray tube
Paper - elemental analysis	XRF	Silicon on paper	Quick and accurate determination of silicon on paper in only 30 seconds
Paper-making fluids - Zeta potential	ELS	Stocks and additives, pulp, effluent, (Alum, Starch, and ash)	Zeta potential and paper manufacture
Polycaprolactone - molecular weight	GPC	Polycaprolactone (PCL)	Understanding and minimizing polycaprolactone degradation during processing using multi-detector GPC and rheology
Polyethylene and polypropylene - elemental analysis	XRF	Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP)	Rapid and easy identification of polyolefin types using FingerPrint software
Polyethylene and polypropylene, trace elements - elemental analysis	XRF	Mg, Al, P, Ca, Ti, and Zn in polymers (polyethylene and polypropylene)	Zetium - Trace element analysis of Mg, Al, P, Ca, Ti, and Zn in polymers using Zetium
Polyethylene stretched - crystal structure analysis	XRD	Polyethylene (PE) stretched	2D SAXS / WAXS measurements on the Empyrean
Polyethylene, trace elements - elemental analysis	XRF	Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Cd, Ba, Hg, and Pb in polyethylene	Zetium - Analysis of toxic heavy elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Cd, Ba, Hg, and Pb) in polyethylene using TOXEL standards
Polymers for fire protection - degradation, bromination	GPC	Linear polystyrene and brominated polystyrene	Brominated and surface fluorinated polymers
Polymers for fire protection - elemental analysis	XRF	Halogenated compounds (for example, tetrabromobisphenol) and antimony trioxide in Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins	Zetium - Analysis of flame retardants (Sb and Br) in Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) resins
Polymers, optimization for end-use – molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity	GPC	Polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), and polyvinylchloride (PVC)	Understanding the effect of polymer structure on its bulk properties: How to optimize for end-use application
Polymers, toxins, and safety - elemental analysis	XRF	Lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, and bromine in polymers	Polymer analysis in accordance with ASTM F2617-15 using TOXEL and RoHS Calibration standards
Polyolefins, toxins, and safety - elemental analysis	XRF	Cr, Br, Cd, Pb, Hg, As, Sb, Sn, and Zn in polyolefins	RoHS-2 small spot analysis of polyolefins in compliance with ASTM F2617-15
Polyolefins, toxins, and safety - elemental analysis	XRF	Cr, Br, Cd, Pb, Hg, As, Sb, Sn, and Zn in polyolefins	ROHS-3/WEEE/ELV analysis of polyolefins in accordance with ASTM F2617-15
Polypropylene film - crystal lattice expansion with temperature	XRD	Polypropylene film	In situ SAXS measurements at variable temperature
Polyvinyl chloride, toxins, and safety - elemental analysis	XRF	Cd and Pb in polyvinyl chloride (PVC)	Zetium - Analysis of Cd and Pb in polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Recycling - elemental analysis	XRF	RoHS elements: Cr, Br, Hg, Pb, and Cd in Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)	RoHS & WEEE compliance: Analysis of Poly Vinyl Chloride and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Styrene polymers

Abbreviations explained

Our products and technologies are described on the Products pages. Below you can find a quick reference to the properties measured by our instruments, together with the measurement name and its abbreviation. Click on each method to find out more about it!

Abbreviation	Method Name	Instrument(s)	Measured Property
DLS	Dynamic Light Scattering	Zetasizer	Molecular size, hydrodynamic radius R_H, particle size, size distribution, stability, concentration, agglomeration
ELS	Electrophoretic Light Scattering	Zetasizer	Zeta potential, particle charge, suspension stability, protein mobility
ITC	Iso-thermal Titration Calorimetry	MicroCal ITC	Binding affinity, thermodynamics of molecular reactions in solution
DSC	Differential Scanning Calorimetry	Microcal DSC	Denaturing (unfolding) of large molecules, stability of macromolecules
GCI	Grating-Coupled Interferometry	Creoptix WAVEsystem	Real-time binding kinetics and binding affinity, label free with fluidics
IMG	Automated Image Analysis	Morphologi 4	Imaging of particles, automated shape and size measurement
MDRS	Morphologically-Directed Raman Spectroscopy	Morphologi 4-ID	Imaging of particles, automated shape and size measurement, chemical identification and contaminant detection
LD	Laser Diffraction	Mastersizer Spraytec Insitec Parsum	Particle size, size distribution
NTA	Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis	NanoSight	Particle size, size distribution, and concentration
SEC or GPC	Size exclusion chromatography / Gel permeation chromatography	OMNISEC	Molecular size, molecular weight, oligomeric state, polymer or protein size and molecular structure
SPE	Sample preparation by fusion	Le Neo LeDoser Eagon 2 The OxAdvanced M4 rFusion	Fused Bead Sample preparation for XRF, Peroxide solution preparations for ICP, Flux weighing for beadmaking
UV/ Vis/ NIR/ SWIR	Ultra-violet / visible / near infra-red / short wave infra-red spectrometry	LabSpec FieldSpec TerraSpec QualitySpec	Material identification and analysis, moisture, mineral, carbon content. Ground truthing for airborne and satellite spectroscopic techniques.
PFTNA	Pulsed Fast Thermal Neutron Activation	CNA	In-line elemental analysis
XRD-C	X-ray Diffraction (crystallography)	Aeris Empyrean	Molecular crystal structure refinement, crystalline phase identification and quantification, crystalline to amorphous ratio, crystallite size analysis
XRD-M	X-ray Diffraction (microstructure)	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	Residual stress, texture
XRD-CT	X-ray absorption imaging by computed tomography	Empyrean	3D imaging of solids, porosity, and density
SAXS	Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering	Empyrean	Nanoparticles, size, shape and structure
GISAXS	Glancing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering	Empyrean	Nanostructured thin films and surfaces
HR-XRD	High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	Thin-films and epitaxial multilayers, composition, strain, thickness, quality
XRR	X-Ray Reflectometry	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	Thin films and surfaces, film thickness, surface and interface roughness
XRF	X-Ray Fluorescence	Epsilon Zetium Axios FAST 2830 ZT	Elemental composition, elemental concentration, trace elements, contaminant detection