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Mount Mitake, west of Tokyo, is a welcome retreat from the mass of humanity that occupies Japan’s largest city. It is very steep and most people prefer the cable car as a means of transportation to get to the top. Once on the mountain, there are many steep paths and hiking trails, waterfalls and temples. It is easy to lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings.

As technologists, we all probably have our own mental Mount Mitake – a place we have worked hard to get to, but once there, we can lose ourselves in the beauty of what we see through our understanding of our particular field. Each time we see something new and that continues to bring us back time and time again.

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Thin Film Training Textbook High-resolution X-ray Diffraction Method (Part 9) Rigaku Corporation High-resolution X-ray diffractometry is an X-ray diffraction technique based on the multiple crystal method. It is known as a precise experimental technique for evaluating the perfection of or for measuring the lattice constants of a single crystal. The multiple crystal method uses one or more crystals other than the sample to provide the functions of a monochromator, restricting the wavelength range of the X-rays, and of a collimator, increasing the collimation of the X-ray beam. These can be used to adjust the characteristics of the X-rays incident on the sample crystal based on the perfection of the crystal to be measured or the purpose of the measurement. For more >

Featured Rigaku Journal Article Battery cell attachment: in-situ XRD for observations of structural change in electrode materials during charging and discharging Application Laboratory, Rigaku Corporation The "battery cell attachment" is a unique product from Rigaku designed for the SmartLab series and the Ultima IV diffractometers. It enables you to apply electricity to a battery material during an XRD measurement. In the paper, sample preparation and specifications are discussed as well as an application example based on a LiFePO₄ cathode material. For more >

EDXRF Application Note Analysis of Limestone Applied Rigaku Technologies Limestone has historically been used as a major material in the construction of buildings and monuments, as well as the production of glass. More modern uses of limestone include as a raw material in the production of quicklime, cement and mortar, as well as a basic aggregate in road construction. Because of the wide variety of uses for limestone, quality control and precise characterization is an important part of limestone mining and processing operations. For more >

WDXRF Application Note Quality and Process Control of Natural and Processed Iron Ores by the Pressed Powder Method on Simultix 14 The volume of seaborne trade and the price of iron ore have increased globally in recent years. For iron ore trading, total iron content in iron ore is a focal point, so highly accurate analysis is required to determine this value. This note demonstrates an improved method to determine total iron in iron ores by the pressed powder method, which covers crude iron ores (low and high content iron ores) and agglomerates (pellets and sinter). For more >

Lab in the Spotlight University College London Institute of Archaeology, Prof. John Merkel At his laboratory in the UCL, Prof. John Merkel analyzes the materials discovered at archeological sites, attempting to identify the production area and the manufacturing method. Scientific analysis is indispensable for these studies. He uses his knowledge of materials science by applying such analytical techniques as EPMA, ICP, AA, SEM, XRD, and XRF to his archeological explorations. He also uses the results of these scientific analyses to investigate the best ways to restore and conserve excavated materials. For more >

Material Analysis in the News News for September 2014 Each month we highlight material analysis stories that have been covered in the press. News for September >

Scientific Book Review The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid By Michael Alley Springer Science & Business Media, New York, 305 pages, ISBN 978-1-4419-8278-0 The author stresses the need to use the assertion-evidence method in slide design, as opposed to the bullet point list. In this method the slide title is an assertion that can be as long as two lines and the body provides the evidence proving the assertion. The author suggests using pictures and graphs, and as few words as possible to prove the assertion. He stresses the need for practice and to account for the audience and the environment. For more >

Recent Scientific Papers of Interest Papers for September 2014 Recent Scientific Papers of Interest is a monthly compilation of material analysis papers appearing in recently released journals and publications. See below

Characterization of AlInN/AlN/GaN FET structures using x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflectometry and grazing incidence x-ray fluorescence analysis. Lesnik, Andreas; Bläsing, Jürgen; Hennig, Jonas; Dadgar, Armin; Krost, Alois. Journal of Physics: D Applied Physics. 9/3/2014, Vol. 47 Issue 35, p1-1. 1p. DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/47/35/355106.

High resolution X-ray and electron microscopy characterization of PZT thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. Maurya, K. K.; Halder, S. K.; Sen, Suchitra; Bose, Ankita; Bysakh, Sandip. Applied Surface Science. Sep2014, Vol. 313, p196-206. 11p.
DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2014.05.184.

Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination V: XRF analyses of interstellar dust candidates at ESRF ID13. Brenker, Frank E.; Westphal, Andrew J.; Vincze, Laszlo; Burghammer, Manfred; Schmitz, Sylvia; Schoonjans, Tom; Silversmit, Geert; Vekemans, Bart; Allen, Carlton; Anderson, David; Ansari, Asna; Bajt, Saša; Bastien, Ron K.; Bassim, Nabil; Bechtel, Hans A.; Borg, Janet; Bridges, John; Brownlee, Donald E.; Burchell, Mark; Butterworth, Anna L. Meteoritics & Planetary Science. Sep2014, Vol. 49 Issue 9, p1594-1611. 18p. DOI: 10.1111/maps.12206.

Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination VI: Quantitative elemental analysis by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence nanoimaging of eight impact features in aerogel. Simionovici, Alexandre S.; Lemelle, Laurence; Cloetens, Peter; Solé, Vicente A.; Tresseras, Juan-Angel Sans; Butterworth, Anna L.; Westphal, Andrew J.; Gainsforth, Zack; Stodolna, Julien; Allen, Carlton; Anderson, David; Ansari, Asna; Bajt, Saša; Bassim, Nabil; Bastien, Ron K.; Bechtel, Hans A.; Borg, Janet; Brenker, Frank E.; Bridges, John; Brownlee, Donald E. Meteoritics & Planetary Science. Sep2014, Vol. 49 Issue 9, p1612-1625. 14p. DOI: 10.1111/maps.12208.

Characterizing obsidian sources with portable XRF: accuracy, reproducibility, and field relationships in a case study from Armenia. Frahm, Ellery. Journal of Archaeological Science. Sep2014, Vol. 49, p105-125. 21p. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2014.05.003.

Impact of strain on electronic defects in (Mg,Zn)O thin films. Schmidt, Florian; Müller, Stefan; von Wenckstern, Holger; Benndorf, Gabriele; Pickenhain, Rainer; Grundmann, Marius. Journal of Applied Physics. 2014, Vol. 116 Issue 10, p1-9. 9p. DOI: 10.1063/1.4894841.

Time-resolved X-ray diffraction studies of laser-induced acoustic wave propagation in bilayer metallic thin crystals. Er, Ali Oguz; Jau Tang; Jie Chen; Rentzepis, Peter M. Journal of Applied Physics. 2014, Vol. 116 Issue 9, p1-8. 8p. 8 Graphs. DOI: 10.1063/1.4894177.

Comparative study of the mechanical properties of nanostructured thin films on stretchable substrates. Djaziri, S.; Renault, P.-O.; Le Bourhis, E.; Goudeau, Ph.; Faurie, D.; Geandier, G.; Mocuta, C.; Thiaudière, D. Journal of Applied Physics. 2014, Vol. 116 Issue 9, p1-8. 8p. 1 Chart, 6 Graphs. DOI: 10.1063/1.4894616.

Equi-penetration grazing incidence X-ray diffraction method: Stress depth profiling of ground silicon nitride. Angerer, Paul; Strobl, Stefan. Acta Materialia. Sep2014, Vol. 77, p370-378. 9p. DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2014.06.015.

X-ray fluorescence combined with chemometrics for the characterization of geological samples: a case study in southeastern Senegal. Traore, A.; Ndiaye, P. M.; Mbaye, M.; Diatta, F.; Wague, A. Instrumentation Science & Technology. Sep/Oct2014, Vol. 42 Issue 5, p593-604. 12p. DOI: 10.1080/10739149.2014.915564.

In situ small-angle X-ray scattering study of the perovskite-type carbide precipitation behavior in a carbon-containing intermetallic TiAl alloy using synchrotron radiation. Schwaighofer, Emanuel; Staron, Peter; Rashkova, Boryana; Stark, Andreas; Schell, Norbert; Clemens, Helmut; Mayer, Svea. Acta Materialia. Sep2014, Vol. 77, p360-369. 10p. DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2014.06.017.

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