The benefits you get from chemical analysis of materials

You do not always know what something is by just looking at it. Sterling silver, steel, and platinum look similar…yet their prices tell you they are very different indeed. Chemical analysis characterizes the chemical components in a material which helps to identify the minor and major elements in addition to any unknown trace elements. Material analysis is critical for verifying raw materials prior to production so time and money are not lost using the wrong or contaminated material.

The benefits you get from proper and professional chemical analysis of materials include:

1. It ensures that the materials used comply with requirements
2. It determines if any unwanted elements are present in the materials or products
3. It guarantees that the concentration of any harmful chemicals found is below regulated limits
4. It analyses volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions
5. It avoids premature component failure due to the use of unsuitable materials

The chemical composition of materials is determined using various spectral analysis under laboratory conditions. A common survey analysis, something we would do when we have very little info about a sample, would be SEM-EDS (aka EDX). Using SEM-EDS, our specialists can determine the chemical composition of the sample and can easily extract the elemental concentration and distribution of various elements in the sample.

HR-ICPMS or High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy, is used to analyze extremely pure chemicals. ICPMS can detect elements in a material in the parts per billion level and less in some cases. This is critical to many manufacturers where just a small amount of Fe or Na could create major manufacturing issues and lead to million-dollar losses.
We here at Cerium Labs regularly offer these and other options, such as ICPOES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Raman Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography, Atomic Force Microscopy, and more.

Many companies world-wide trust Cerium Labs with their analysis – shouldn’t you?