Where to start with materials characterization?
Is it a technique that answers your question or is it the one that you favor because it is already in your lab? We wish it were the latter, but in many cases, scientists will favor the instrumentation that is already available and at the right cost (FREE).
Most people like to use what they know and don’t like change. At CArtLab Solutions, we do not own any capital equipment and rent from surrounding universities and mHub, so our clients can trust our techniques are optimized to answer their questions. Plus Dr. CC loves learning new toys..ahem..techniques, so she takes every opportunity to get trained in various testing equipment.
Materials Characterization is about digging deeper to save time and money!
If we had an endless budget, sample, and time, we could baseline every material on every test, but no one wants to pay for that, so here are some questions to consider:
What level/scale is this problem? As in, does it impact the full composite product or just one component?
What phase is the material in and what phase is the issue occurring?
Does the sample need to be manipulated before analysis, i.e. sputter coating or surrounded by resin at angle for cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), or captured with headspace solid phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) tubes for a certain exposure time before analysis with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS)?
Does the problem involve the joining or interaction of material components?
Does the issue involve one material on the nanoscale?
Is there a process involved? Can you compare two different samples and a control to explain the issue?
Does it prove a failure? Is the failure able to be identified by a specific marker that can be measured?
Is there a product requirement or field specific property that must be measured by following an ASTM or ISO method? Does it need to be validated by a certified user?
Is there enough sample available to do destructive analysis and create a statistical relevant dataset?
Can non-destructive analysis like imaging or microscopy provide the answer?
Does the sample material available interact with any of the sample preparation steps in a way that will impact the interpretation of the data?
Can it be answered by elemental or molecular analysis?
Does it need multiple techniques to answer the issue- both chemical and structural?
Can certain measurements be inputs for simulations to solve the problem without extensive laboratory time?
What other problems have you (my audience) come across when looking to collect data from different materials characterization techniques?