The Methods of Materials Analysis

Tascon USA is an analytical services and consulting company specializing in material analysis. Essentially, materials analysis involves identifying the chemical and structural composition of a material in order to understand its derived properties (e.g. optical and electrical properties, wettability, catalytic effect, solderability, roughness, color, ...). This rather general definition of material characterization can be made more tangible by looking at typical materials that are routinely examined in our laboratory.

Materials Analysis Application Areas

Materials that are frequently examined in the field of materials analysis include polymers (e.g. polyolefins (PE, PP)), polymeric laminates and organic coatings (paints, coatings, adhesion promoters), metals and all kinds of inorganic coatings, inorganic-organic hybrid systems, optics and high-purity glasses or semiconductor materials. While the last two are often examined in volume or on the surface (surface analysis) for the slightest contamination (ultra-trace analysis), materials characterization of coatings often carried out to answer questions about the layer structure, layer thickness and material diffusion or unintentional accumulations or impurities Interfaces (layer analysis, interface analysis) in the foreground. In the field of materials analysis of polymers, the focus is often not only on the determination of the base polymer, but also on the detection of additives (aggregates), the diffusion or migration of moving components (e.g. blooming of additives) or the detection of unwanted impurities.

Tascon – Your Partner in Materials Analysis

A number of analysis techniques have been established in our laboratory for use in materials analysis. In addition to classic light microscopy for sample assessment, these include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX, EDS), photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, ESCA), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS and ToF-SIMS), low-energy ion scattering (ISS, LEIS), interferometry (WLI) and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). In addition, there are many other analysis methods that are used in the field of materials analysis and are accessible to you via our laboratory network.

Our expertise is to select the appropriate analysis method, to carry out the analytical tests in our laboratory, to present the results of the material analysis to you in an understandable way, and to be available for any questions at any time. In addition, we support you in adapting production processes, in discussions with customers and suppliers, through expert statements in the event of legal disputes or through training courses in the field of material analysis. Get in touch with Tascon for a no-obligation consultation today.