Focus on materials Free

Bruker’s Innova-IRIS tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy system combines the company’s proprietary TERS probes with high-performance atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nano-Raman spectroscopy capabilities. Its high TERS signal enhancement and spectral sensitivity allow researchers to study challenging samples nondestructively. The Innova-IRIS features a closed-loop, ultralow-noise AFM system with integrated Raman spectroscopy software, no-drift mechanical system stability, and open optical access to the microscope head. Although TERS is an important technique for materials science research, few TERS probes have been commercially available. Bruker now provides a full range of TERS–AFM probes for scanning tunneling microscopy and tuning-fork-based frequency force feedback to address a wide range of samples, including both transparent and conductive types. Bruker Nano Surfaces Division, 3400 East Britannia Drive, Suite 150, Tucson, AZ 85706, http://www.bruker.com

Oxford Instruments’Asylum Research has announced a new nanomechanical imaging technique, AM–FM viscoelastic mapping mode, for its entire line of Cypher and MFP-3D atomic force microscopes. It quickly images viscoelastic properties, including storage modulus and loss tangent, with nanoscale spatial resolution. Suitable for quantitative nanomechanical measurements on materials such as polymers, composites, biomaterials, ceramics, and metals, it operates using two cantilever resonances simultaneously. The first resonance is used for amplitude modulation (AM), while a higher resonance mode is operated in frequency modulation (FM). At resonance, the cantilever frequency and phase respond sensitively to changes in sample properties such as stiffness, adhesion, and loss tangent. Asylum Research, 6310 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, http://www.asylumresearch.com

Goodfellow has added natural gemstone powders to its product offerings. Powders of emerald, multicolor moonstone, opal, peridot, yellow imperial topaz, and turquoise are currently available from stock in quantities as small as 10 g. The company can also supply dozens of other gemstone and mineral powders by special order. The powders are made from natural, not synthetic, gemstones. Due to the fine size of the particles, the powders do not necessarily resemble the gemstones. Goodfellow Corporation, 125 Hookstown Grade Road, Coraopolis, PA 15108-9302, http://www.goodfellowusa.com

Lake Shore has introduced the model 372 temperature controller and AC resistance bridge. Among improvements on the previous model are a new dedicated sensor input to provide continuous temperature monitoring and control and full quadrature measurement on all channels to better characterize materials under test. According to the company, the model 372 makes it easier to perform tasks previously difficult to carry out reliably at very low temperatures. Those tasks include temperature, device, and sample impedance measurements and automatic and manual temperature control. Patented noise-rejection technology ensures stable, reliable measurements. A dedicated input can be used for continuous sub-100-mK dilution and adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator applications. Lake Shore Cryotronics Inc, 575 McCorkle Boulevard, Westerville, OH 43082, http://www.lakeshore.com

Mad City Labs’ SPM-M kit combines the MadPLL instrument package with high-resolution nanopositioning systems to form a high-performance, closed-loop, scanning Akiyama probe or tuning-fork atomic force microscope. Integrated hardware combined with built-in automated control simplify operation. Suitable for research and teaching laboratories, the SPM-M kit can be used for nanoscale characterization and fabrication applications such as optical antennas, nano-optics, semiconductors, and data storage. The SPM-M kit includes the MadPLL package with a digital phase-lock loop controller, software, a sensor amplifier board, a resonant probe mounting board, and the XY and Z nanopositioning stages. Mad City Labs Inc, 2524 Todd Drive, Madison, WI 53713, http://www.madcitylabs.com

Suitable for applications in the electronics, aerospace, and OEM industries, Master Bond EP3SP5FL is a single-component epoxy that cures in one to two minutes at 300 °F. Since it requires heat curing, the epoxy essentially has an “unlimited” working life at room temperature. With a flowable, moderate viscosity, the EP3SP5FL adheres well to various substrates, including metals, composites, glass, ceramics, and many rubbers and plastics. It has a tensile lap shear strength higher than 2000 psi at room temperature when bonding aluminum to aluminum. An effective electrical insulator that withstands thermal cycling, impact, and shock, the EP3SP5FL resists water, oils, and fuels. It has low shrinkage upon curing. The service temperature range for the system is −60 °F to 200 °F. At ambient temperatures, the EP3SP5FL has hardness greater than 85 Shore D, but it softens above 200 °F to 25–30 Shore D. It is available in syringes and in half-pint, pint, and quart containers. Master Bond Inc, 154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, http://www.masterbond.com

The PIA series of piezo shockwave generators from piezosystem jena are specially adapted systems that can generate high accelerations of up to 5 × 10⁵ m/s² for materials testing with impact methods. Shock source and sample are in contact before the impact. The exact triggering of an impact event based on a non-ballistic principle is achievable in the microsecond range; impact repetition rates up to 1 kHz are possible. Impact parameters such as energy, acceleration, and pulse width are adjustable. Applications include impulse generation in inaccessible areas and micro-impulse generation by miniaturized shock generators, such as for the calibration of accelerometers. The PIA series generators can be used under extreme operating conditions such as shock generation in cryogenic environments. They can produce forces of several kilonewton. piezosystem jena Inc, 2B Rosenfeld Drive, Hopedale, MA 01747, http://www.piezosystem.com

The next generation of the Helios NanoLab DualBeam instrument for materials science research has been released by FEI. Offered in two workflow-specific configurations, the G3 DualBeam has high image contrast and resolution and a new user interface. The CX configuration includes versatile sample handling and positioning for fast, flexible analysis, sample preparation, and characterization. The UC configuration delivers excellent imaging capability with increased sensitivity to surface detail and improved performance on soft, nonconductive, and beam-sensitive materials. The DualBeam’s ability to see structure and composition and add and remove material at the nanometer scale allows materials scientists to explore fundamental relationships between structure and function and prepare ultrathin samples for atomic-scale analysis in transmission electron microscopes. FEI, 5350 Northeast Dawson Creek Drive, Hillsboro, OR 97124, http://www.fei.com

The Rapid NX from Coherent is designed to deliver ultrafast laser materials processing, including pulse-on- demand and burst-mode operation. It offers up to 7W of average power at 1064 nm and a pulse width of less than 15 ps. Pulse energy is adjustable from 7 µJ to 50 µJ, and the repetition rate can be varied over a wide range from 50 kHz to 1 MHz. The Rapid NX is suitable for diverse precision applications, including surface structuring for friction reduction, photovoltaics manufacturing, and thin-film applications. Many microstructuring and microprocessing tasks yield superior results when performed with an industrial ultrafast laser rather than with a longer-pulse-width nanosecond laser. According to the company, Rapid NX makes such applications economically viable and expands the application range for ultrafast microprocessing. Coherent Inc, 5100 Patrick Henry Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054, http://www.coherent.com

Coated laser optics are used to optimize the characteristics of an emitted laser beam. Since losses are produced at each glass surface, the number of optics should be kept to a minimum. To keep that number low, Laser Components now offers laser optics with complex coatings on both the front and the back. Coating designs are manufactured on user request; many combinations are possible. Laser optics coated on both sides are often used in resonators and polarizers. Optics with a dichroic coating on the front are useful for resonator applications; for example, a coating highly reflective for 1064 nm simultaneously allows the passage of pump light. The back can be highly or partially reflective for the same or another wavelength. Optics with two-sided polarization coatings are needed when the polarization effect has to be increased and the highest extinction ratios that are required cannot be achieved with an optic with one-sided coating. It is also possible to combine a polarization coating on one side and a mirror coating on the other. Laser Components USA Inc, 9 River Road, Hudson, NH 03051, http://www.lasercomponents.com

Anomet corrosion-resistant clad conductors have an oxygen-free, high conductivity copper core to provide uniform current distribution and a metallurgically bonded clad exterior layer to meet specific environmental performance capabilities. Metallurgical bonding ensures better ductility, formability, and weldability than electroplated wire. Designed for various energy technologies requiring high-current-carrying capability in corrosive or hostile environments, the conductors can be customized with cladding thickness from 10% to 90%. Configurations include nickel clad copper to withstand up to 1400 °F, stainless steel clad copper for high strength, and titanium cladding for optimum corrosion resistance. The conductors are available as rods with diameters from 3/16 inch to 1-1/4 inch and wires from 0.004 inch up. Anomet Products, 830 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA 01545, http://www.anometproducts.com

Precision Glass & Optics has introduced a polarizing beamsplitter cube that splits up the s- and p-polarization of light with an extinction ratio of T_p/T_s 200:1 and higher. The thin-film coating innovation is especially important for high-power pulsed-laser applications up to 10 J/cm². The entrance and exit faces are coated with the company’s high-power, antireflection coatings to improve the cube’s overall performance. The cubes are suitable for applications in which the two polarization components are to be analyzed or used simultaneously. The advanced optical coatings operate at wavelengths ranging from 200 nm to 2500 nm and can be customized to meet user wavelength and angle requirements. Precision Glass & Optics, 3600 West Moore Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92704, http://www.pgo.com

Retsch’s new high-energy ball mill E_max is capable of ultrafine grinding down to the nanometer range. The combination of high friction and impact yields extremely fine particles in a short time. The high-energy input results from a speed of 2000 rpm and a novel jar design. The design also allows for narrow particle-size distribution, which improves mixing of the sample. A water cooling system lets the high-energy input effectively perform the grinding process without overheating the sample, and it makes cooldown breaks unnecessary. Retsch GmbH, Retsch-Allee 1-5, 42781 Haan, Germany, http://www.retsch.com

The newest member of Universal Laser Systems’ XLS product family is the XLS10MWH multiwave hybrid laser materials processing platform. It combines into a single beam the 9.3-µm or 10.6-µm laser energy from a carbon dioxide laser and the 1.06-µm energy from a fiber laser. The ability to control the lasers individually or simultaneously provides infinite laser energy combinations. That offers advantages in the processing of aerospace, automotive, electronic, and other engineered materials, including reinforced polymers, composites, nanocomposites, and hybrids. Using laser configurations of multiple wavelengths can potentially open up new possibilities for laser materials processing. The XLS10MWH offers a wide range of processing capabilities, including cutting, marking, and engraving both organic and inorganic materials. Universal Laser Systems Inc, 7845 East Paradise Lane, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, http://www.ulsinc.com

Thin-film solderable coatings and face metallization are now available on a wide variety of substrates from Deposition Sciences. Although silicon is the most frequently used substrate, the coatings can be applied to virtually all commonly used optical materials. The new thin-film coating capabilities are enabled by the company’s proprietary MicroDyn sputtering deposition technology. The face metallization and solderable coatings are typically used to hermetically seal sensitive packages. They can be combined with antireflective, bandpass, and precision custom coatings from UV to long-IR wavelengths. Applications include IR detectors, cameras, and focal plane arrays. The new coatings can be patterned at wafer scale by enhanced photolithography to make them compatible with various wafer-level packaging operations. Deposition Sciences Incorporated, 3300 Coffey Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, http://www.depsci.com

Hiden Analytical has released a product catalog highlighting its full range of application-specific standard systems for gas and vapor analysis in diverse environments. The catalog addresses measurement of samples at pressures from millibars to 30 atmospheres and with sample quantities down to less than 0.1 scc. It includes information on the company’s QIC and HPR gas analyzers. The QIC series provides users with general-purpose laboratory instruments for continuous analyses which are not limited by sample size requirements and with sample consumption rates down to 1 scc/min. The HPR series is designed for researchers who work on specialized applications such as evolved gas, gas-reaction and fast event studies, small-sample analysis with aliquot sizes to 0.1 scc, measurement of flame and atmospheric plasma composition, and top-gas and dissolved gas monitoring from and in aqueous solution. The catalog is available at http://tinyurl.com/HidenGasAnalysis. Hiden Analytical Inc, 37699 Schoolcraft Road, Livonia, MI 48150, http://hideninc.com