Material characterization is key to performance and safety in many industry sectors, yet conventional methods are often lacking. Thermo Scientific’s Apreo ChemiSEM system offers a complete and effective solution by integrating advanced imaging with AI-driven analysis, significantly improving the speed and accuracy of material evaluation.
Applied in a thin layer to a component's surface, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) can extend component lifespans by raising resistance to high temperatures, corrosion, and mechanical stress.1
For this reason, TBCs have been widely adopted in the aerospace industry, yet characterizing and optimizing these materials remains challenging due to their complex structures and performance requirements.
The Apreo ChemiSEM system from Thermo Scientific provides a solution by using a correlative microscopy approach integrating various techniques with AI-assisted image analysis to streamline this characterization process.
Image Credit: Yadav Anil/Shutterstock.com
Problem: The Constraints of Traditional Methods in Material Characterization
Industries using TBCs typically require the component to endure extreme conditions while supporting human life and expensive cargo. This is exemplified in aerospace applications where turbine blades and engine parts must operate in temperatures close to 1800 °C.
Traditional material characterization methods, such as manual sample preparation and extended data analysis, can be slow and error-prone. This leads to delays in material development and inefficiencies in quality control, ultimately impacting performance and safety.2
TBCs typically consist of a ceramic top coat, a bond coat, and thermally grown oxides. The morphology, chemical composition, and physical and mechanical properties of these layers can directly influence the effectiveness of the TBC.
The intricacy of multi-layered materials such as these presents challenges to conventional imaging techniques with traditional sample preparation methods, such as cutting, grinding, and polishing, requiring considerable manual effort and time.2
The manual processing and interpretation of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and compositional analysis over large areas is also labor-intensive and can introduce user bias, further complicating the process.2,3
Solution: The Integrated Approach of Thermo Scientific’s Apreo ChemiSEM
The Apreo ChemiSEM system is designed to overcome these challenges by combining high-resolution imaging, integrated chemical analysis, and advanced automation to streamline material characterization.
Image Credit: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Outlined below are the necessary steps to overcome these key challenges:
1. Efficient Sample Preparation
To overcome time-consuming and labor-intensive sample preparation methods, the Apreo ChemiSEM system is compatible with the CleanMill Broad Ion Beam System to significantly reduce sample preparation time from up to 13 hours to 90 minutes, ensuring even complex materials like TBCs can be prepared efficiently without compromising data quality.2
2. High-Resolution Imaging for Large and Complex Samples
The Trinity Detection System of the Apreo ChemiSEM provides high-resolution imaging even for complex samples by simultaneously gathering surface, topographical, and compositional information, offering a comprehensive set of information all at once.3
Image Credit: Thermo Fisher Scientific
A workflow like the one described, optimized for maximum automation to ensure the most reliable results, is especially valuable in industrial settings. In these environments, the ability to quickly and accurately analyze large samples can lead to higher-performing products with improved longevity.
3. Comprehensive Chemical and Structural Analysis
A key feature of the Apreo ChemiSEM is ChemiPhase, a crucial component of ChemiSEM Technology, which automatically maps the distribution and quantifies different phases within a material. This technique enables detailed analysis of TBC bond coats and top coats in aerospace applications, identifying phase transformations caused by high-temperature exposure.
Image Credit: Thermo Fisher Scientific
The system’s TruePix Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Detector and EBSD software further enhance the material characterization by providing crystallographic information alongside chemical composition, allowing for deeper insights into material properties like grain structure, which are crucial for high-stress applications.3
4. Correlative Microscopy and AI-Assisted Image Analysis
The Apreo ChemiSEM integrates multiple imaging modalities to provide a comprehensive view of material microstructures. SEM is used with energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy to identify the different materials present within the various TBC layers, while AI-assisted image analysis automates phase detection over the entire material surface. This allows for the simultaneous visualization of morphology and chemical composition over a large area, reducing manual input and speeding up time-to-results. 2,3
Image Credit: Thermo Fisher Scientific
By automating image analysis through machine learning, the system can identify and segment phases with an accuracy of over 95 % for phase segmentation metrics. This AI-driven approach guarantees faster, more accurate characterization of complex materials.2
Industry Impacts: Implications for Aerospace, Automotive, and Battery Manufacturing
The Apreo ChemiSEM system’s capabilities are especially beneficial in high-performance industries like aerospace, automotive, and battery manufacturing, as highlighted below:
- Aerospace: TBCs used in aircraft engines can be characterized for elemental diffusion, phase transformation, and structural integrity after prolonged service at extreme temperatures. The rapid analysis the Apreo ChemiSEM provides helps ensure component reliability and reduce maintenance costs.2,3 Automated and comprehensive materials characterization enables thorough inspection of the diverse materials used in aerospace, offering deeper insights into this constantly evolving industry.
- Automotive: The Apreo ChemiSEM system enables the detailed examination and optimization of coatings and materials used in the automotive industry. Improved coatings enhance vehicle durability by providing better protection against corrosion, UV damage, and wear while improving fuel efficiency through low-friction or aerodynamic properties. Long-lasting coatings and superior finishes offer a better aesthetic appeal with lower maintenance costs.
- Battery Manufacturing: Lithium-ion battery components require precise control over material composition and microstructure. The Apreo ChemiSEM could offer imaging and chemical analysis of complex multi-layer solid-state electrolytes for lithium batteries, allowing for improved understanding and optimization of electrolyte interfaces. This could raise battery performance, boost energy density, and increase safety in solid-state lithium batteries, making the system highly valuable for advancing next-generation battery technologies.4
Conclusion: Greater Industrial Performance with the Apreo ChemiSEM
Thermo Scientific’s Apreo ChemiSEM system provides an efficient, automated solution for material characterization in industries where high performance and reliability are essential. Integrating correlative microscopy with AI-assisted analysis significantly reduces the time and complexity of analyzing multi-layered materials like TBCs, automotive coatings, and battery components.
For aerospace, automotive, and battery manufacturers, the Apreo ChemiSEM is a powerful tool that promises to accelerate product development, tighten quality control, and ensure the long-term durability of critical components. Its ability to integrate with other devices, allowing for improved sample preparation, automated imaging, and phase analysis, makes it a vital asset for any industrial lab facing the challenges of modern material characterization.
References and Further Reading
- Nasa.gov. (2024). Coatings Extend Life of Engines and Infrastructure | NASA Spinoff. [online] Available at: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2010/t_7.html [Accessed 7 Nov. 2024].
- Scarpellini, Alice., et al. (2024). Correlative microscopy and AI-assisted image analysis of high-temperature-application coatings. Thermo Scientific. https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/MSD/Application-Notes/high-temperature-application-coatings-an0247-en.pdf
- Thermo Scientific Apreo ChemiSEM System Datasheet, Thermo Scientific Apreo ChemiSEM System. https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/MSD/Datasheets/apreo-chemisem-system-ds0508-en.pdf.
- Hu, Y., et al. (2023). Multi-layered electrolytes for solid-state lithium batteries. Next Energy, [online] 1(3), p.100042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxener.2023.100042.
- Clerici, D. (2024). Diffusion-induced stress amplification in phase-transition materials for electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, [online] 281, p.109541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2024.109541.
- Bogdan, M. and Peter, I. (2024). A Comprehensive Understanding of Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs): Applications, Materials, Coating Design and Failure Mechanisms. Metals, 14(5), pp.575–575. https://doi.org/10.3390/met14050575.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific – Electron Microscopy Solutions.
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