About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Characterization of Minerals, Metals and Materials 2026 - In-Situ Characterization Techniques
|
| Presentation Title |
Characterizing Complex Materials with High-Sensitivity Elemental Mapping and Depth Profiling |
| Author(s) |
Ellen Williams, Peyton Willis, Andrew Laroche, Jeff Williams |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Ellen Williams |
| Abstract Scope |
Because a material’s chemistry is one of the primary determinants of its mechanical properties and performance, chemical characterization is critical. Mass spectrometry is recognized as a standard technique for measuring chemical composition, however, most instruments involve liquid sample introduction through acid digestion of solid materials. This results in bulk analyses only and precludes understanding of how elements are distributed spatially.
A new technique combining Laser Ablation Laser Ionization with Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (LALI-TOF-MS) provides detailed spatial characterization through elemental mapping and depth profiling. LALI-TOF-MS creates millimeter-scale elemental maps with resolutions ranging from 5-150 microns. For depth profiling, the ablation laser’s power can be adjusted to remove as little as 10s of nanometers for thin films or multiple microns per layer to probe through hundreds of microns.
This work presents unprecedented characterization by LALI-TOF-MS for various applications, including functionally graded materials, thin films, and heterogeneous matrices. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Additive Manufacturing, Energy Conversion and Storage |