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Characterization and analytical techniques are methods used to identify, isolate or quantify chemicals or materials, or to characterize their physical properties. They include microscopy, light or radiation scattering, spectroscopy, calorimetry, chromatography, gravimetric and other measurements used in chemistry and materials science.
Material properties prediction from a given microstructure is important for accelerated design but a comprehensive methodology is lacking. Here, a multi-method machine learning approach is utilized to understand the processing-structure-property relationship for differently processed porous materials.
The structure of a commercially important glass-ceramic ZrO2-doped lithium aluminosilicate system during its initial nucleation stage was investigated by an X-ray multiscale analysis which enables us to observe the structure from the atomic to the nanometer scale by using diffraction, small-angle scattering, absorption, and anomalous scattering techniques. The combinatorial approach revealed that the formation of edge sharing between the ZrOx polyhedra and (Si/Al)O4 tetrahedra, and that the Zr-centric periodic structure in which the local structure of the Zr4+ ions resembled a cubic or tetragonal ZrO2 crystalline phase was potentially the initial crystal nucleus for the Zr-doped lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic.
Research published in Nature shows that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy carried out with colloids can quantify a range of molecules down to concentrations at the femtomolar level.
A powerful technique with broad applications, operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is widely used but there is a lack of design and reporting standards. Focusing on water-splitting electrocatalysts, we propose best practices for the reproducibility, replicability and reliability of operando XAS studies.
To improve the usefulness of the Solar Cells Reporting Summary as a standalone report, we now ask authors of relevant manuscripts to include experimental details in the Summary, and we have updated some of the requested information.
Emily Draper explains how to design and build electrochemical equipment for neutron scattering experiments with simple, at-hand components and techniques.
Adopting standardized and reliable methodologies to accurately measure particle removal efficiency when developing fibrous materials for controlling airborne contamination is crucial. Here, the authors recommend best practices for experimental assessments and reporting to ensure a reliable evaluation of new airborne particle filtration media and technologies.
By tracking the electrochromic doping front, a hole-limited electrochemical doping mechanism is discovered in organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors.
