Analytical lab

Equipment for Analytical Chemistry and for Research

Scanning Electrochemical Microscope (SECM)

Measures variations in current at an electrode as it is scanned over a surface.  Can be used to detect active corrosion, for example at a damaged coating or weld.  Most important is the electroide size, 250 micrometers, which limits resolution to around 500 micrometers.

Potentiostats

Allow the application of a voltage to an electrode in solution.  This turns out to be very difficult to do accurately.  Used for electrodeposition, measurement of corrosion, in combination with QCM to control potential fot whatever reason.

Thin Film Deposition

Vacuum chamber with thermal evaporators and sputter sources.  Used to deposit different materials onto surfaces, from simple metallisation to complex coatings.  Contains a quartz microbalance to determine thicknesses online.  Substrates must be vacuum hard.

• Not yet in use

ICP-OES

Analytical device for measuring elements in solution.  Often used to measure metals in water, but also for food analysis (after a preparation step).  Can detect most elements, but is fully destructive and gives no information on how the atoms were connected to one another.  This means it can give an accurate account of mercury content, but cannot tell ethanol from sugar.

• • Not yet in use