Highly Corrosive / Radioactive Materials

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCL) offers a unique combination of experience and instrumental capability to the field of corrosion analysis. The value of these capabilities can best be recognized when studies are performed in order to obtain a fundamental understanding of corrosion mechanism under a variety of existing conditions with a view to formulating an efficient and cost effective control strategy. Conduct of such corrosion studies requires experience and instrumentation capability in both physical and chemical analysis.

MCL experience dates back to the 1980’s when our investigators began corrosion study on cylinders containing depleted uranium hexafluoride. In more recent years, MCL researchers have investigated corrosion mechanisms for a variety of materials.

MCL’s 25,000 square-foot laboratory is equipped with instruments needed for the chemical analysis of corrosion products, corrosion films, and deposits. Four large environmental chambers are available for simulating corrosive conditions. Modern optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy equipment is utilized to observe and characterize corrosion material and associated substrates and to define corrosive rates.

Our corrosion services are supported by:

 

Instrument

Capabilities

X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS)
  • Surface analysis at 20-40Å
  • Chemical speciation
  • Depth profiling

Scanning Electron Microscope/Electron Probe Microanalyses, SEM/EPA
  • Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS)
  • Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (WDS)
  • Sample composition and microstructure
  • Elemental analysis
  • Backscattered Electron Imaging (BEI) (distinguishes high atomic numbered elements)
  • Elemental mapping

Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM)
  • Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS)
  • Ultra high resolution microscopy identifies extremely small particles
  • 0.6 nanometer resolution

Environmental Scanning electron Microscopy (ESEM)
  • Operates at 20 TORR
  • Capable of EDS
  • Large sample holder
  • Heating and cooling stage

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
  • Small area electron diffraction of submicron crystalline phases
  • Chemistry of interfaces at high magnifications and ultra small particles (EDS)

X-ray Diffractometer (XRD)
  • Identifies crystalline phases
  • Can be used to determine phase concentrations
  • Determine crystallite sizes
  • Uses a zero diffractions sample mount

X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)
  • Chemistry of sample
  • Can be used to identify elements in the parts per million range

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
  • Monitor reactions in the various states