Applications

Introducing CIQTEK tungsten filament Scanning Electron Microscope SEM3200 provides researchers with clear nanoscale images, allowing them to examine the microstructure and morphology of the coating layers visually. Additionally, the equipped Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) enables precise analysis of material composition and element distribution, effectively guiding process optimization in research and development. - Dr. Zhang, Head of Major Customers/Quality Director Coating: Giving Products a "Super Nanocoating"   The development of coating technology not only showcases the depth of materials science but also demonstrates the precision manufacturing processes. Dr. Zhang explains, "Our company has developed superior-performing coatings such as diamond-like carbon (DLC)/ titanium-aluminum-carbon (TAC) films, nitride films, carbide films, high-density metal/alloy films, and optical films. These coating layers are like giving products a 'super nanocoating'."     CIQTEK Scanning Electron Microscope Enhances the Quality of Nanocoating Layers   Dr. Zhang states, "With the SEM3200, we can readily detect the total thickness of the coating layers, as well as the thickness and composition of each designed layer (substrate layer, transition layer, surface layer) in the samples provided by customers. Our in-house research and development can quickly provide design solutions. This enhances the efficiency of coating process development."   The SEM3200 plays a crucial role in research and development and also acts as a key tool in quality control. "We can use it for failure analysis," says Dr. Zhang."Through comprehensive testing and characterization, we can identify the root causes of defective products, continuously improving product quality and yield."   Scanning Electron Microscopes Facilitate the High-quality Development of Manufacture    Dr. Zhang expresses that the SEM3200 not only operates in good condition with a user-friendly interface and high automation but also receives prompt responses from the CIQTEK after-sales team, solving many practical problems. This not only reflects the outstanding performance of CIQTEK products but also demonstrates the significant role of high-end scientific instruments in supporting the development of high-tech enterprises.   In the future, CIQTEK will continue to provide first-class research solutions for more high-tech companies like coating, jointly promoting the flourishing development of the scientific and technological industry.

Hydrogen energy is the clean energy that drives the transformation from traditional fossil energy to green energy. Its energy density is 3 times that of oil and 4.5 times that of coal! It is the disruptive technology direction of the future energy revolution. The hydrogen fuel cell is the key carrier to realize the conversion of hydrogen energy into electric energy, and countries around the world attach great importance to the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. This has put forward higher requirements on materials, process technology, and characterization means of hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell industry chain. Gas adsorption technology is one of the important methods for material surface characterization, and plays a crucial role in the utilization of hydrogen energy mainly in hydrogen fuel cells.   Application of gas adsorption technology for characterization in the hydrogen production industryHow to produce hydrogen is the first step in harnessing hydrogen energy. Hydrogen production from electrolytic water with high purity grade, low impurity gas, and easy to combine with renewable energy sources is considered the most promising green hydrogen energy supply in the future [1].To improve the efficiency of hydrogen production from electrolytic water, the development and utilization of high-performance HER electrode catalysts is a proven way.  Porous carbon materials represented by graphene have excellent physicochemical properties, such as rich pore structure, large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity, and good electrochemical stability, which bring new opportunities for the construction of efficient composite catalytic systems. The hydrogen precipitation capacity is enhanced using co-catalyst loading or heteroatom doping [2].   In addition, a large number of studies have shown that the catalytic activity of HER electrode catalysts depends largely on the number of active sites exposed on their surfaces and the more active sites exposed, the better their corresponding catalytic performance. The larger specific surface area of porous carbon material, when used as a carrier, will to a certain extent expose more active sites to the active material and accelerate the reaction of hydrogen production.   The following are examples of the characterization of graphene materials using CIQTEK V-Sorb X800 series specific surface and pore size analyzer. From Figure 1, it can be seen that the surface area of graphene prepared by different processes has a large difference of 516.7 m2/g and 88.64 m2/g, respectively. Researchers can use the results of the specific surface area test to make a judgment of the basic catalytic activity, which can provide a corresponding reference for the preparation of composite catalysts.     Fig. 1 Test results of the specific surface area of graphene synthesized by different processes   In addition, many researchers have improved the electrocatalytic ac...

Ceramic capacitors, as a kind of basic passive components, are an indispensable member of the modern electronic industry. Among them, chip multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) occupy more than 90% of the ceramic capacitor market due to their characteristics of high temperature resistance, high voltage resistance, small size, and wide range of capacitance, and are widely used in the consumer electronics industry, including home appliances, communications, automotive electronics, new energy, industrial control, and other application areas.   The use of CIQTEK SEM can assist in completing the failure analysis of MLCC, finding the origin of failure through micro-morphology, optimizing the production process, and achieving the goal of high product reliability.   Application of CIQTEK SEM in MLCC   MLCC consists of three parts: inner electrode, ceramic dielectric and end electrode. With the continuous updating of the market demand of electronic products, MLCC product technology also presents the development trend of high capacity, high frequency, high temperature and high voltage resistance, high reliability and miniaturization. Miniaturization means the need to use smaller-sized, more uniform ceramic powders. The microstructure of the material determines the final performance, and the use of scanning electron microscope to characterize the microstructure of ceramic powders, including particle morphology, particle size uniformity, and grain size, can help in the continuous improvement of the preparation process.      Scanning electron microscope imaging of different types of barium titanate ceramic powders /25kV/ETD   Scanning Electron Microscope Imaging Different types of barium titanate ceramic powders /1kV/Inlens   High reliability means that a deeper understanding of the failure mechanism is required, and therefore failure analysis is indispensable. The root cause of MLCC failure is the presence of various microscopic defects, such as cracks, holes, delamination, etc., either externally or internally. These defects will directly affect the electrical performance and reliability of MLCC products, and bring serious hidden danger to product quality. The use of scanning electron microscope can assist in completing the failure analysis of capacitor products, find the origin of the failure through the microscopic morphology, optimize the production process, and ultimately achieve the goal of high reliability of the product.   MLCC's internal is a multi-layer structure, each layer of ceramics whether there are defects, multi-layer ceramics thickness is uniform, whether the electrodes are covered uniformly, all of these will affect the life of the device. When using SEM to observe the internal multilayer structure of MLCC or to analyze their internal failures, it is often necessary to perform a series of pre-treatments on the samples before they can be tested. These include resin embedding, mechanical grinding, ...

Li-Ion Batteries (LIBs) are widely used in electronic devices, electric vehicles, power grid storage, and other fields due to their small size, lightweight, high battery capacity, long cycle life, and high safety.Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR or ESR) technology can non-invasively probe the inside of the battery and monitor the evolution of electronic properties during the charging and discharging of electrode materials in real-time, thus studying the electrode reaction process close to the real state. It's gradually playing an irreplaceable role in the study of the battery reaction mechanism.     Composition and Working Principle of Lithium-ion Battery   A lithium-ion battery consists of four main components: the positive electrode, the negative electrode, the electrolyte, and the diaphragm. It mainly relies on the movement of lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes (embedding and de-embedding) to work.   Fig. 1 Lithium-ion Battery Working Principle   In the process of battery charging and discharging, the changes of charging and discharging curves on the positive and negative materials are generally accompanied by various microstructural changes, and the decay or even failure of performance after a long time cycle is often closely related to the microstructural changes. Therefore, the study of the constitutive (structure-performance) relationship and electrochemical reaction mechanism is the key to improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries and is also the core of electrochemical research.     EPR (ESR) Technology in Lithium-ion Batteries   There are various characterization methods to study the relationship between structure and performance, among which, the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique has received more and more attention in recent years because of its high sensitivity, non-destructive, and in situ monitorability. In lithium-ion batteries, using the ESR technique, transition metals such as Co, Ni, Mn, Fe, and V in electrode materials can be studied, and it can also be applied to study the electrons in the off-domain state.   The evolution of electronic properties (e.g., change of metal valence) during the charging and discharging of electrode materials will cause changes in EPR (ESR) signals. The study of electrochemically induced redox mechanisms can be achieved by real-time monitoring of electrode materials, which can contribute to the improvement of battery performance.   EPR (ESR) Technology in Inorganic Electrode Materials   In lithium-ion batteries, the most commonly used cathode materials are usually some electrodeless electrode materials, including LiCoO2, Li2MnO3, etc. The improvement of cathode material performance is the key to improving the overall battery performance.   In Li-rich cathodes, reversible O redox can generate additional capacity and thus increase the specific energy of oxide cathode materials. Hence, the s...

The modern tobacco industry uses a large number of advanced technologies in the production process. For example, the physical structure of tobacco, such as specific surface area and true density, is analyzed by gas adsorption instruments to provide technical support for the optimization of process parameters.     Gas Adsorption Analyzer in the Tobacco IndustryTobacco, generally refers to tobacco products that are cut into shreds, grains, flakes, ends, or other shapes, then added to auxiliary materials, fermented, stored, and ready for sale for smoking without being rolled, also known as shredded tobacco. The physical moistening properties of tobacco are important factors that affect its toughness, combustibility, aroma, and smoking comfort. When the moisture loss of tobacco is fast and the moisture content is low, it is easy to cause shattering during the production process and dryness and irritation during cigarette smoking. It was found that the differences in physical moisture retention properties of tobacco exist not only between different varieties but also between different parts and grades of the same variety of tobacco. Generally speaking, for the same type of tobacco, the moistening properties of upper and middle tobacco are better, and the lower tobacco is the worst; the higher the grade, the better the moistening properties of the tobacco.   Tobacco physical moisture retention refers to the ability of tobacco leaves to regulate the inhibition of moisture loss when tobacco is exposed to low moisture conditions. The equilibrium moisture content is a common index used in the tobacco industry to evaluate the physical moistening properties of tobacco. The physical moistening property of tobacco depends largely on its physical structure. From the physical structure, tobacco is mostly a porous material containing a large number of capillaries, and the pore structure not only affects the amount of water condensed inside tobacco but also affects the diffusion characteristics of water inside tobacco; the specific surface area, true density, pore capacity and pore size distribution of tobacco are important indicators of its physical structure. The pores are large in specific surface area and can strongly absorb water from the air. In addition, some researchers have inferred the moisture absorption curve of tobacco based on its pore size distribution; all of the above provide a theoretical basis for a comprehensive understanding of the self-moisture retention properties of tobacco.   In addition, the true density measurement can provide the basic physical data required for the analysis of heat and mass transfer properties and particle flow characteristics of tobacco materials, and provide technical support for the optimization of process parameters.   Gas adsorption is one of the most important methods for characterizing the physical properties of material surfaces. Using the CIQTEK V-sorb X800 ser...