Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory Newsblog

Author: Sue Hill

Sue Hill is the Digital Content Manager for the College of Engineering.

Student Team Shares Exciting Images

Published
By

A materials science and engineering team of students Sonja Blickley, Tori Nizzi, Anna Palmcook, and Austin Schaub were sponsored by Hobart Brothers LLC. (Hobartbrothers.com) to develop a new process that has yielded some exciting results. Working with Dr. Erico Freitas, operator of the Titan Themis Scanning Electron Microscope, these students used the FEI 200kV Titan Themis Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) to produce some awesome images of a welded material. They have granted special permission to show these pictures here, despite wishing to keep their work and the composition of their material confidential.

Micrograph with 500 nm scale showing dotted features on larger grains with boundaries.
Image 1 – This image shows a dispersed material within a matrix on the nanometer scale.
Micrograph on the 200 nm scale showing some of the dot features and the texture of the material.
Image 2 – This image is also a section of the first, zoomed in 70,000 times! To achieve this resolution the team used a High-Angle Annular Dark Field (HAADF) imaging technique.
Micrograph at the 10 nm of the dot feature, with a zoom showing its atomic structure.
Image 3 – This image is a section of the first, zoomed in 1,600,000 times! This was also taken using HAADF.

This team is very excited about their results, which help to drive the science of materials and engineering forward. Congratulations to them for their hard work paying off!

By Joshua Jongema.

Continue Reading →

ACMAL Closed Thursday and Friday (11/24 & 11/25)

Published
By

Good morning,

This is just a reminder that the ACMAL facilities will be CLOSED Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24th and 25th, 2022, in observance of Thanksgiving. This is a university holiday so the building will also be locked. Only those with swipe access will be able to use the instruments. Please plan your instrument use accordingly.

I will be on vacation starting at noon tomorrow returning to work on Monday 11/28. Dr. Freitas, Dr. Leftwich, and Mr. Josh King will be available through Wednesday (11/23). Dr. Laitila will be available through Tuesday (11/22). 

In case of an emergency call public safety. 

Happy Holidays,
Liz

Continue Reading →

Erico Freitas Seminar September 29, 2022

Published
By
Erico Freitas

Department of Biological Sciences Seminar Series

Dr. Erico Freitas

Research Scientist
Materials Science and Engineering
Michigan Technological University

Abstract

Dr. Freitas manages the FEI 200kV Titan Themis STEM in the Electron Optics Facility of the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (ACMAL) at Michigan Tech. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is widely used for morphological studies of biological systems as it offers a much higher spatial resolution (over 200 times) than optical microscopy. During this seminar Dr. Freitas will present the capabilities of the Scanning transmission electron microscope laboratory at MTU and will address the types of ex-situ and in-situ analysis that can be conducted for biological systems using a diversity of approaches available through the ACMAL.

For additional information, visit the Department of Biological Sciences.

Thursday, September 29, 2022
3–4 p.m. GLRC 202

Continue Reading →

STEM operator schedule in August-September

Published
By

If you had plans to use the STEM in the August-September I’ll be unavailable on the following dates:

August 1st – 5th (out of town); returning flight schedule for Friday 5th in the morning I’ll be available for online.

August 18th – September 7th (out of town)

Regards, Erico

Erico Freitas

Research Scientist

Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory

Materials Science and Engineering

Michigan Technological University

1400 Townsend Drive

Houghton, MI 49931-1295

Office: Room 622 Minerals & Materials Building

(906) 299-2714 or efragafr@mtu.edu

Continue Reading →

Who is Studying the Failure Mechanisms of Electrical Wire Terminals at Michigan Tech?

Published
By
Micrograph of a wire on a substrate with a 500 micron scale marker.

An Advanced Metalworks Enterprise undergraduate student team, sponsored by Lear Corporation, is studying the performance of copper electrical wires in automobiles. Corrosion is the most common failure mechanism of wires used in crimp connectors; deformation in the wire terminal’s tin plating can cause additional contact issues within the connector. Electron microscopy aids in pinpointing the location of corrosion products on the wire and observing deformation in the tin plating. With this analysis, the team can now explore ways to improve the wire quality or crimping mechanism to minimize wire failures.

Image taken by Eli Harma and Reese Eichner, senior undergraduate materials science and engineering students, on Philips XL 40 ESEM.

Learn more about the Advanced Metalworks Enterprise at MTU: AME Website

Visit the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory’s webpage to learn more about our shared facility and instruments available to the Michigan Tech research community: ACMAL

Continue Reading →

Who is Studying Miniature Magneto-optic Devices at Michigan Tech?

Published
By
Four images on different scales showing pillar arrays on a surface.

The successful fabrication of miniature optical components is key for progressing current optical technologies. A family of such miniature optical components must be able to efficiently rotate linearly polarized light at small scales. Estefanio Kesto, under the guidance of Dr. Miguel Levy, is studying the interaction between light and ferromagnetic iron garnet nanostructures. It has been observed that the polarization rotation of linearly polarized light, known as the magneto-optic response, traveling through such a nanostructure will be enhanced. The ferromagnetic iron garnet nanostructures pictured above, which enhance the magneto-optic response, are being studied to further miniaturize polarization rotators and other interferometric components. Additionally, Professor Levy and his research group are diving into the unexplored region of magneto-optic beam splitting and its applications in classical and quantum computing.

Pillars fabricated and image taken by Estefanio Kesto, undergraduate student in electrical engineering, using ACMAL’s Hitachi FB-2000A FIB, Hitachi S-4700 FE-SEM, and Asylum Research MFP-3D Origin+ AFM.

Read more about the Dr. Miguel Levy’s research in the following articles:

All-dielectric magnetic metasurface for advanced light control in dual polarizations combined with high-Q resonances

Nonreciprocal magneto-optic beam splitting

Two-dimensional array of iron-garnet nanocylinders supporting localized and lattice modes for the broadband boosted magneto-optics

Visit the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory’s webpage to learn more about our shared facility and instruments available to the Michigan Tech research community: ACMAL

Continue Reading →

ACMAL Welcomes Erico T. F. Freitas

Published
By
Erico T. F. Freitas

Research Scientist Erico T. F. Freitas has joined ACMAL and Materials Science and Engineering. He will manage the FEI 200kV Titan Themis STEM in ACMAL’s Electron Optics Facility. Freitas has experience in nanostructured materials characterization, with specialties in TEM, STEM, EELS, EFTEM, EDX, and electron diffraction.

Freitas worked previously in the multiuser electron microscopy facility managing the TEM at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Continue Reading →