Summer Technologist

R&D within Strategic Research at Alleima has generated extensive experimental data—particularly corrosion data for our corrosionresistant alloys—dating back to the 1960s. While data produced after the 1990s has been documented and stored digitally, earlier results exist only in paper format and have not yet been digitized. Oxygen is an important element that forms various oxides with other different elements. These oxides may function either as protective surface layers or as constituents within the bulk material. In the present work, spinel oxide is crucial, and forms at the surface. Hence accurate microstructural measurements of the spinel oxide are necessary using (Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometer in EPMA) WDS / (Energy Dispersive Spectrometer in SEM, TEM & EPMA) EDS as well as phase identification in (X-ray Diffraction) XRD. WDS needs suitable standards to measure the oxygen concentration and estimate the oxidation state of the oxides. These standards can be used as calibration standards to develop accurate matrix corrections. The present task involves synthesizing the spinel standards including NiO, Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 followed by developing a methodology in WDS (in EPMA) to measure accurate oxygen concentration and estimate the oxidation state. In this work, variety of instruments such as XRD (for Phase identification), EPMA (for WDS- Quantification), SEM-EDS (for Microstructural and elemental analysis), and TEM will be used.