Our flash talks at Materials Day give a quick look at the latest research techniques and tools across the Materials Research Institute. In just a few minutes, you’ll hear about new methods, discoveries, and ideas designed to spark connections and conversations.

These talks will be held in the basement, in the Characterization Commons room.

MORNING SESSION FLASH TALKS
10:15 a.m. Deposition and Characterization of Electronic Thin Films
PRESENTER: Jeff Shallenberger
Penn State’s Materials Research Institute houses a collection of open access user facilities to deposit, characterize and even make devices of thin film electronic materials. This talk will explain the types of materials we produce via MBE, MOCVD and ALD and some of the common characterization tools we use to analyze the films. Through our unique Academic Research Services Order (ARSO) external users can easily request any one of dozens of thin film materials deposited on a substrate of their choice and characterized to assess the composition, thickness and purity. External users can request materials, request characterization or even request to be trained in the facilities to make and analyze materials.
10:30 a.m. Surface Roughness Measurements: Choice of Technique and Analysis
PRESENTER: Tim Tighe
Surface roughness is quantified using a set of parameters that describe surface characteristics. These parameters  are calculated from the surface data obtained from the measurement technique.  This talk will briefly present techniques for measuring and analyzing surface roughness and why values between techniques won't often agree.
10:45 a.m. Imaging Delicate or Hydrated Materials in the Transmission Electron Microscope
PRESENTER: Jennifer Gray
Transmission electron microscope (TEM) is used routinely for a variety of applications including metrology, elemental analysis, and crystal structure determination at the nanoscale and atomic resolution level.  However, for samples that easily damage under the beam or are hydrated, this can pose challenges.  The TEM capabilities within MCL include a variety of methods to analyze these types of samples using special holders, direct electron detectors, cryo-imaging, low dose, and low kV techniques that enable characterization of beam sensitive materials including polymers, organic crystals, metal-organic framework samples, or other materials with delicate structures containing weak bonds.  
11:15 a.m. Characterization of Materials Using Thermal Analysis
PRESENTER: Dean Anderson
What can be learned from weight loss and heat flow measurements?  Thermogravimetric and heat flow measurement tools and analytical techniques will be discussed.  Thermal analysis tools available at the Materials Characterization Lab will also be reviewed.  
11:30 a.m. Characterization of Substrates and Thin Films Using X-rays
PRESENTER: Anthony Richardella
High resolution X-ray diffraction can be used to measure crystal quality, dislocations, strain and composition in single crystal samples. X-ray reflectivity can measure film thickness, roughness and density. Together these can give a detailed understanding of many structural properties of interest to materials growers.
11:45 a.m. Beyond the Diffraction Limit: Illuminating Surfaces and Interfaces with AFM-IR
PRESENTER: Maxwell Wetherington
Atomic Force Microscopy–Infrared (AFM-IR) combines the spatial precision of AFM with the chemical specificity of IR spectroscopy, enabling molecular-level insights at the nanoscale. This powerful technique makes it possible to probe surface chemistry, buried interfaces, and nanoscale heterogeneity well beyond the diffraction limit of light. In this presentation, I will highlight how AFM-IR advances our understanding of materials by revealing structure–property relationships inaccessible through conventional methods.

AFTERNOON SESSION FLASH TALKS
2:00 p.m. Characterization of Critical Mineral Phases in Mine Waste Products
PRESENTER: Maureen Feineman
The United States is dependent upon critical minerals - including the Rare Earth Elements - to drive technological advancement, maintain quality of life, enable the green energy transition, and support economic independence. Waste products from the mining industry from the late 18th through early 20th Centuries are generally still accessible, and provide a unique insight into geological resources and historical practices. High concentrations of Rare Earth Elements ranging from several hundred to a few thousand parts per million in bulk, and up to 15 wt.% in individual separable phases, have been measured in mine waste products using the SEM and EPMA facilities at MCL. Study of these materials provides insight into the efficiency of industrial separation processes and the processes that concentrate REEs in nature. 
2:15 p.m. Mapping Elemental Composition and Chemical Bonding at the Nanoscale Using TEM
PRESENTER: Ke Wang
There are many techniques available to determine the composition and chemical bonding information of a sample, each with its own limitations. By combining energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) within transmission electron microscopy (TEM), researchers can achieve a more complete picture of what is going on in the material, with spatial resolution at the nanoscale.
2:30 p.m. AFM in Action: Mapping the Nanoscale in Fluid
PRESENTER: Sarah Kiemle
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows high-resolution imaging of surface topography without needing sample manipulation like staining or fixation. Its main advantage is the ability to operate in real-time at the nanometer scale, both in air and fluid environments. This makes AFM a valuable tool for studying soft materials, biomolecules, and dynamic processes in their native conditions, providing unique insights in materials science, biology, and nanotechnology.
2:45 p.m. Morphometric Brochure: Image Transformations for 2D/3D Microstructure Analysis
PRESENTER: Wes Auker
In this work, I present 2D and 3D post-processing image analysis of Pb grain networks in a Sn solder matrix using software platforms including FIJI and Dragonfly. Thresholded datasets were analyzed with a range of morphological and network-based tools to extract quantitative descriptors of the microstructure. Methods include surface area and volume measurements, distance mapping for local thickness estimation, skeletonization for branch and connectivity analysis, sparse graph construction, and mesh-based volumetric characterization. Both 2D and 3D segmentation workflows were employed, with connected component labeling used to separate and quantify distinct grains or network regions. Together, these approaches highlight how digital post-processing can transform raw FIB-SEM imagery into statistically robust measures of geometry, connectivity, and topology in complex grain networks.   
3:00 p.m. Non-Destructive Depth Profiling of Organic Films using FTIR-ATR
PRESENTER: TJ Zimudzi
Depth profiling using FTIR-ATR (Attenuated Total Reflectance) involves analyzing a material's surface by varying the depth of penetration of the evanescent wave. This can be achieved by changing the angle of incidence of the infrared light, light polarization, or by changing the refractive index of the ATR crystal. For example, with a polyurethane film( n~1.48)  we can achieve a 148 nm sampling depth with Ge( n=4.0) at 65° incident angle and a 2.373 sampling depth at 45° incident angle with ZnSe ( n=2.4). By recording spectra at different penetration depths, we can create a chemical profile of the material's surface layers, which is useful for studying thin films, coatings, and other surface-modified materials. 
3:15 p.m. Utilization of GCIB for Mitigating Surface Contamination and Enabling Depth Profiling of Organic Films by XPS
PRESENTER: Bob Hengstebeck
In the realm of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) surface analysis, with a practical information depth of only a few nanometers, surface contaminants from sample handling can present a restriction on accurate analysis.  This lightning talk introduces the innovative application of Gas Cluster Ion Beam (GCIB) technology as a gentle, yet highly effective method for cleaning and preparing samples prior to XPS analysis. GCIB offers unique advantages over conventional approaches by enabling the removal of organic contaminants without inducing significant sample damage or altering chemical states. The talk will highlight the principles behind GCIB, optimized parameters for diverse materials, and comparative case studies demonstrating improved spectral clarity and reproducibility. 
3:30 p.m. TGA and FTIR Coupled with Mass Spectrometry for Evolved Gas Analysis 
PRESENTER: Jordan Meyet
Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA)using mass spectrometry combined with TGA or in situ FTIR offers unique insights into materials under relevant conditions, helping to understand and interpret decomposition process and/or reactivity of material. While the additional information provided by mass spectrometry is useful for material characterization, there is limitation to what gaseous products can be analyzed and what information is provided. This powerful approach requires prior knowledges of the potential gas involved and their fragmentation patterns to correlate the gas evolved to observed chemical changes. 
3:45 p.m. New Courses and Industry-Focused Workshops on Materials Characterization
PRESENTER: Suzanne Mohney
The Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL) in collaboration with the Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance and College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State has launched a series of 1-credit courses on X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy designed to provide hands-on, technique-specific training to students, researchers, and technologists. These offerings enhance awareness of the “practical fundamentals” of each technique through significant hands-on experience.  Additionally, we are hosting two-day workshops for industry that provide hands-on professional development opportunities.  This talk will highlight the motivation behind these initiatives, the structure of the courses and workshops, and how they support both academic and industrial communities in advancing materials research.