CarlBerk Consulting

Materials Characterization

Characterization of material structure and chemistry is critical in all product development, failure analysis, batch-to-batch comparison, and performance improvement activities. At CarlBerk, we maintain a capability of characterizing both organic and inorganic materials by multiple microscopic and spectroscopic tools in our in-house laboratory. We also developed packages of proprietary analysis protocols through collaboration with research institute and instrument manufacturers, allowing us to perform customized analysis that is not otherwise commercially available. With the solid scientific background and extensive material analysis experience, we could determine the best technique(s) to obtain the critical data while maintain a situation awareness of how experimental data relates to the issue clients are facing.

We have successfully characterized structure and chemistry of following material system:

Metal and alloys (including solder alloys).
Printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) and electrical component.
Coatings, paintings and surface finishes.
Polymeric materials (PC, TPU/PU, ABS, PMMA, PP, PE, sulfone, silicone, acrylate adhesive etc.)

The characterization technique(s)/tool(s) we used typically include (but not limited to):

Microscopy – optical microscopy, SEM, FIB, TEM.
Chemical composition analysis – FTIR, GC-MS, ion chromatography (IC), EDS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS.
Surface analysis – XPS, TOF-SIMS, AFM, Interferometry.
Thermal analysis – DSC, TGA, TMA, DMA.

Example 1： Combined Microstructural and Chemical Analysis of a Ti-based Alloy

Internal structure, grain orientation and elemental distribution of Ti-based alloy are elucidated by combined SEM image, EDS elemental mapping and EBSD orientation mapping. The alloy exhibits a two-phase microstructure that consists of Ti and V rich grains surrounded by Al-rich precipitates.

Example 2: BVisualization of Internal Structure of Battery Separator

A separator is typically a thin porous polymer membrane. The pore volume should be carefully controlled to ensure efficient ionic conductivity and structural integrity. Cross-sectioning through ion milling at cryogenic temperature allows visualization of pore distribution without closing of pores due to local overheating.

Example 3: Comparative Chemical Analysis of Polyurethane Wheel Manufactured by Two Vendors

Polyurethanes (PU) elastomers are consisted of a soft segment (SS) derived from polymeric diol (polyol) and a hard segment (HS) formed by diisocyanate and low molecular weight diol (chain extender). The mechanical properties of PU are affected by a complex of factors including the structure and chemistry of both HS and SS and interactions between these two segments. In the following example, the relative peak intensities in FTIR spectra suggested a different HS-to-SS ratio between PU wheels manufactured by different vendors.

Example 4： Evaluation of Internal Pressure during Cycling of a Cylindrical Cell

Here we demonstrated a customized test for in-situ monitor dimensional change of a cylindrical cell during cycling. Based on the measurement, we estimated the internal pressure of fully charged cylindrical cell using finite-element analysis (FEA) and evaluated the potential risk of rapid self-discharge due to local high-pressure point on separator.