Lithium (Li) plays an important role in everyday life and can be found around us in nearly every aspect of modern living. One of the most common uses of lithium is in batteries. Lithium batteries can be found in cell phones, computers, electric vehicles, and every portable electronic device. With the demand for higher-capacity batteries, current battery production technology must improve, requiring better control of the elemental composition of the raw materials and components used. Atomic spectroscopic techniques, such as atomic absorption (AA), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are used for a variety of analyses in the Li supply chain and battery industry. In this podcast we will explore a range of applications where these analytical techniques are used to further improve battery performance and safety.
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.