Energy Materials

Since we started to work with CAMECA IMS 1280 in 2008, we have developed U-(Th)-Pb dating procedures on more than ten kinds of accessory minerals to broaden understanding of in-situ geochronology. The good performance of this instrument made it feasible to date with as small as 2 micron-spot size. We bought the second one (IMS 1280-HR) in 2013 because of the increasing workload. These two instruments are serving a wide range of scientists worldwide. "

CAMECA large-radius SIMS instruments define state of the art for in situ analysis of isotope ratios from the smallest possible spots. The WiscSIMS IMS 1280 routinely produces better precision and accuracy than previously imagined, enabling new areas of enquiry and discovery from paleoclimatology to zircons to meteoritics. "

The LEAP 4000HR has allowed us to see radioisotope geologic time in 3D for the first time. It is revolutionizing our view of natural materials, allowing us to use our macro-scale mapping approaches at the scale of the mineral lattice. It is an exciting time to be an Atom Probe geoscientist! "

 The CAMECA LEAP with UV laser pulsing is a powerful tool for 3D nanoscale geochemistry studies. Its introduction just a few years ago has enabled the analysis of a broad range of geological materials, including ground-breaking imaging of sub-micron isotopic distributions. Since the Geoscience Atom Probe Facility was established at Curtin University in 2015, researchers from around the world have visited the facility to make use of the LEAP’s capabilities, resulting in many new insights into geological processes active at the nanoscale. "

  As a scientist interested in interfacial phenomena, the LEAP® 5000 has provided a transformative microscope in quantifying elemental behavior across of a variety of material surfaces. This has enabled new understanding of material’s chemical structure and its effect in controlling properties, wether that be electrical, magnetic, optical or mechanical. "

Our LEAP® gives us fundamental understanding of atomic interactions between alloying elements in microalloyed steels. Particularly the clustering behaviors of light elements detected must lead to development of a new class of low-alloy steels by controlling heterogeneity contained in a classical metallic solid solution. "

Our IMS 7f instrument was just being installed when the 3rd November 2011 earthquake happened. Despite seismic intensity of 7 and subsequent nuclear plant trouble, our university being located 100 km from Fukushima, CAMECA staff could solve the vibration related molecular pump issues and perfectly install the instrument. Since then, the Tohoku University IMS 7f has proven to be a robust machine, stable over time and incredibly versatile. We use it successfully for a wide variety of challenging microanalytical tasks such as characterization of diffusion in solid materials for fuel cells, depth profiles for multi layers in electric devices, behaviors of additional elements in steels or ceramics, dating in geoscience, isotopes analysis in biology... "

As a materials scientist focused on understanding the role of microstructure and environment in materials performance, the unique microchemical information attainable using the NanoSIMS is providing unique insights into hydrogen-assisted fracture that cannot be obtained via other analytical techniques. Our research using NanoSIMS has demonstrated the localization of hydrogen in the plastic zone ahead of fatigue cracks in austenitic stainless steel. NanoSIMS is the perfect complement to advanced analytical electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, as it provides essential information concerning elemental segregation at spatial resolutions necessary for correlation with the general microstructure. "

Our IMS 7f gives us analytical capabilities for highly sensitive quantitative analysis of light elements, particularly Oxygen and Hydrogen, in Zr alloys after exposure in high temperature steam environment simulating conditions in VVER nuclear reactors. In combination with the CAMECA APM software we can use our IMS 7f for fast search, identification, and isotopic analysis of micrometer size dust particles containing nuclear material – a capability that we never had before. "

 Since 1999 CAMECA IMS 6f has been used for the research on isotope ratio analysis of uranium in individual particles in the environment at JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency). These analysis data are regularly provided to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and are highly evaluated by IAEA. End of 2017 we have newly introduced a CAMECA IMS 1300–HR3, which realizes more precise isotope ratio measurements, and have started new researches. It is impossible to perform without using CAMECA’s SIMS instruments with high performance and reliability. They continue to be widely utilized in the field of nuclear sciences and environmental sciences. "

 Predicting the in-service structural integrity of components in nuclear reactors is immensely challenging but essential from both safety and economic perspectives. The CAMECA LEAP provides an unrivalled capability to characterise the 3D atomic-scale irradiation damage caused by the interaction between energetic neutrons and atoms in structural components. The resultant microstructural data are used to underpin mechanistic models of the degradation processes and hence support safety cases for continued operation of nuclear reactors world-wide. "