Compositional Characterisation
Our team can help determine compositional variance in your materials. Bulk elemental and crystallographic composition determination provides insight into manufacturing processes whilst compositional mapping techniques help understand homogeneity in final products.
About Compositional Characterisation
Compositional characterisation is the study of the elemental and chemical makeup of a material, determining what it is made of and in what proportions, which is fundamental to materials science. This capability is a core element of the Imaging and Characterisation theme at the Henry Royce Institute and the University of Sheffield.
Royce at the University of Sheffield's facilities utilise powerful techniques like Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to precisely measure trace and bulk elemental composition in various materials. Furthermore, Electron Microscopy techniques, specifically when equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) or Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (WDS), provide spatially-resolved compositional mapping.
Understanding a material's composition is crucial for optimising performance in Royce's key areas, such as Advanced Metals Processing and the development of new alloys. Therefore, compositional characterisation is essential for both materials discovery and quality control across academic and industrial projects hosted at the Royce Translational and Discovery Centres.
Key Equipment
| Equipment | Location | Expert Lead |
|---|---|---|
| Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) using the Scanning Electron Microscope | Sorby Centre | Stuart Creasey-Gray |
| High Energy Xray Diffractometer (Empyrean) | Xray Lab (RDC) | Dr. Robert Moorehead |
| Hyperprobe Electron Probe Microsanalyser (EPMA) | Sorby Centre | Stuart Creasey-Gray |
| Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry | Immobilisation Science Lab (Hadfield) | Dr. Sarah Pepper |
| Transmission Xray Diffractometer (Stadi P) | Xray Lab (RDC) | Dr. Robert Moorehead |
| Xray Diffractometer (Aeris) | Xray Lab (RDC) | Dr. Robert Moorehead |
| Xray Diffractometer (X'Pert) | Xray Lab (RDC) | Dr. Robert Moorehead |
| Xray Fluorescence (Puma) | Xray Lab (RDC) | Dr. Robert Moorehead |
Key Case Studies
Enquiries
All enquiries regarding access can be made via email to royce@sheffield.ac.uk
Further information about Equipment Access Schemes and Subsidies can be found here.