We have a rich history supporting commercial companies in the analysis of their samples by:
Scanning Electron Microscopy to characterise the surfaces of samples
e.g. wear/damage/corrosion of surfaces, surface topography, debris and particle morphology.
Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with Back Scatter Electron (BSE) imaging to characterise the cross-section of samples.
e.g. phase distributions within the cross-section of the material, internal defects/bonding.
Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) to identify the elemental composition of components/phases (similar to XRF in principle, but able to select specific features at high magnification).
e.g. composition of surface layers/corrosion products, impurities, bulk alloy compositions, wear debris compositions.
Note: We cannot quantitatively measure carbon concentrations to the required accuracy to definitively identify steel grades. We cannot accurately identify polymer compositions based only on carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Nano mechanical testing of surface features using Tribo/Nanoindentation to quantify the reduced modulus and hardness, as well as perform novel selected area wear and adhesion testing at the micron level.
Focused Ion Beam preparation of cross-sectional samples selected at the submicron level, preparation of TEM lamellae and preparation of micro machining samples at submicron resolution.
Contact
General enquiries can be made by email: cemms@auckland.ac.nz
If you would like to discuss your application, please contact
CEMMS Director, Steven Matthews: s.matthews@auckland.ac.nz
If you have worked with CEMMS previously, please contact the relevant technologist via our Contact page.
Commercial user charges
To learn more about our pricing structure, please refer to the CEMMS commercial user charges document.
Important points
We do not provide quotes for analysis. By its very nature this analysis work is highly dependent on the customers interpretation/needs and can change quickly based on the findings of the analysis. Therefore, all work is charged for the actual analysis time taken.
Please note that we are not a legally registered consulting company. While we offer the best in analytical imaging and characterisation facilities, supported by experienced Technologists, the interpretation of results remains the responsibility of the customer.
Other services offered through the University of Auckland:
- Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA)
- X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
- Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
- Particle size analysis
- X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
- Metallographic sample preparation
- Mechanical property analysis using tensile testing
- Microhardness testing (Vickers/Knoop)