Corrosion

Corrosion of metals and alloys results in oxidization or selective removal of a material from a surface. Preventing and repairing corrosion is a multi-billion dollar business that affects many industries, particularly those where materials are used in highly stressed environments. The industries include: automotive, aerospace, biomedical devices, paints & coatings, and semiconductors.

Materials characterization and surface analysis tools are typically used to:

• Identify corroded products
• Detect minor impurities that may be related to the root cause
• Determine the thickness of oxide layers

Primary Analytical Techniques

• Auger Electron Spectroscopy (Auger)
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS)
• X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA)
• X-ray Diffraction (XRD)

Secondary Analytical Techniques

• Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)