Surface Science Western

09/06/2022

This article discusses the various uses of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in academia and industry.

06/29/2022

SSW Director Mark Biesinger in Western News!

Acclaimed Western University imaging expert Mark Biesinger applies science to the art of angling.

02/11/2022

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I want to share the story of Lise Meitner with you - an incredible female scientist who got overlooked too many times. This is a thread in her honour 🧵

02/07/2022

SSW working with Anthropology on 500 year old Mummies!

SSW researchers are working with members of the Anthropology department (Andrew Nelson and Emy Roberge) to look at the internal structures of 500 year old sacrificial virgin mummy teeth. We examined thin-sections of two teeth from a cemetery associated with a female institution in Farfán on the North Coast of Peru during the Inca Empire (A.D. 1450-1532). Examining the internal structure of teeth allowed for the observation of empty patches due to a mineralization defect in dentin, the inner tissue of the tooth. This defect, called interglobular dentin (IGD), is associated with a deficit in vitamin D during tooth formation in childhood. Once formed, the structure of teeth does not change and therefore they keep a record of the life of an individual.

For this work we used variable pressure mode within the SEM because we did not want to coat these 500 year old samples with a conductive coating, such as carbon or gold. The below image is a variable pressure SEM image of the same tooth as above. This image is pretty neat because cool it’s super low magnification (usually SEMs are used for high magnification work and this highlights the versatility of the technique), and captured in variable pressure mode using a mode called UVD.

01/28/2022

We are using an FE-SEM equipped with an in-chamber nano-indentor to compress tiny pillars

With the in-chamber nano-indentor attachment, SSW staff along with engineer Konrad Mazurkiewicz, are squishing little tiny micron sized pillars of metal inside of Dr. Moser’s (Earth Sciences) FE-SEM… live, while we watch! These are in-situ experiments that are actually occurring inside the SEM. Typically people just use the SEM to observe things, and we’re actually doing experiments inside the SEM!

We are testing the micromaterial properties of the metal alloy Zirconium containing 2.5% Niobium. This alloy is used in the pressure tubes of the Canadian designed CANDU nuclear reactors, of which there are 18 in Ontario and 34 worldwide. These pressure tubes have non-enriched fissile Uranium fuel bundles pass through them, and along with the presence of heavy water, produce the heat needed to generate electricity. Note that over 50% of Ontario’s energy is derived from Nuclear energy – carbon emissions free! Through compression of these micropillars (sized 2 microns squared – an average human hair is 50 microns in diameter!), we can observe the mechanisms of deformation involved when the alloy is subjected to great stresses, it also allows us to quantify the material properties on the micro scale, and to ultimately generate a comparison between these properties when the material is subjected to the effect of irradiation hardening incurred over a lifetime of operation inside a nuclear reactor.

01/18/2022

Surface Science Western and Alyssa Moore (Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Western Ontario) are using Micro-CT to look at the bones and cartilages of the developing mouse skull to better understand skull development in normal and disrupted developmental conditions.
Our lab aims to compare skulls of mice that underwent normal development to skulls of developing mice that have either been exposed to alcohol in the womb or are missing a gene in certain cell types. Scans such as this one will allow us to see how specific genetic disruptions and alcohol exposure impact the shape and size of the various bones and cartilages in the skull.

12/14/2021

We are excited to announce Dr. Thalia Standish received the 2021 ECS Corrosion Division Morris Cohen Graduate Student Award!

Please read more on the Electrochemical Society website:

Congratulations to Thalia Standish of the University of Western Ontario for receiving the 2021 ECS Corrosion Division Morris Cohen Graduate Student Award. Learn more about her work and the award!

12/09/2021

Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to probe surface complexes of relevance for biocorrosion processes

Are you interested in studying an important topic in depth? Apply for grad studies with professors Yolanda Hedberg and Heng-Yong Nie at the Department of Chemistry and Surface Science Western!

We are seeking candidates with background in mass spectrometric analyses, peak analyses, and/or relevant physics or programming skills to analyze large mass spectra.

The project investigates interactions of biomolecules, such as amino acids, peptides, or proteins, with metallic surfaces, such as biomedical implant materials, steel, and stainless steel. These interfacial processes are important for the biocorrosion and biodegradation processes of these materials in biological environments, such as the human body or soil. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry is a powerful method to detect small amounts of molecules within the outermost 2 nm of a surface. By accurate peak analysis and imaging, surface complexes and molecules can be identified and semi-quantified. By using principal component analysis, many peaks and spectra can be compared and information on biomolecule adsorption/binding and orientation can be obtained.

Apply: https://www.uwo.ca/chem/graduate/future_students/index.html

Prof. Yolanda Hedberg (Dept. Chemistry and Surface Science Western) and Prof. Heng-Hong Nie (Surface Science Western and Department of Physics and Astronomy), Western University, London, Ontario

12/09/2021

Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to probe surface complexes of relevance for biocorrosion processes

Are you interested in studying an important topic in depth? Apply for grad studies with professors Yolanda Hedberg and Heng-Yong Nie at the Department of Chemistry and Surface Science Western!

We are seeking candidates with background in mass spectrometric analyses, peak analyses, and/or relevant physics or programming skills to analyze large mass spectra.

The project investigates interactions of biomolecules, such as amino acids, peptides, or proteins, with metallic surfaces, such as biomedical implant materials, steel, and stainless steel. These interfacial processes are important for the biocorrosion and biodegradation processes of these materials in biological environments, such as the human body or soil. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry is a powerful method to detect small amounts of molecules within the outermost 2 nm of a surface. By accurate peak analysis and imaging, surface complexes and molecules can be identified and semi-quantified. By using principal component analysis, many peaks and spectra can be compared and information on biomolecule adsorption/binding and orientation can be obtained.

Apply: https://www.uwo.ca/chem/graduate/future_students/index.html

Prof. Yolanda Hedberg (Dept. Chemistry and Surface Science Western) and Prof. Heng-Hong Nie (Surface Science Western and Department of Physics and Astronomy), Western University, London, Ontario

10/21/2021

Congratulations Sina Matin for winning the 2021 Stewart McIntyre Award!

Sina is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry at Western University. He is working under the supervision of Dr. Jamie Noël and his research has focused on the pitting probability of Cu under Deep Geological Repository (DGR) conditions. Cu has sufficient corrosion resistance in different environments such as deaerated conditions; however, localized corrosion might occur resulting from the presence of aggressive anions, oxygen, or an increase of the pH. As a result, the susceptibility of Cu to localized corrosion, specifically pitting, must be considered carefully to avoid any unpredictable failures. Sina has conducted electrochemical techniques and statistical analysis to investigate the pitting probability of Cu in unary and binary solutions containing chloride, sulfate, and carbonate. Moreover, he has employed surface-sensitive techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to evaluate the stochastic nature of passive film formation, morphology, and composition on the Cu.

10/05/2021

Alan Shepard, President & Vice-Chancellor of and Shelly Tapp, Deputy Minister of Colleges and Universities visited for a tour of our state-of-the-art instruments!
Photo of Alan Shepard, Shelly Tapp and Brad Kobe.

It was wonderful to have them here!

“Alan Shepard, President & Vice-Chancellor of and Shelly Tapp, Deputy Minister of Colleges and Universities visited for a tour of our state-of-the-art instruments! Photo of Alan Shepard, Shelly Tapp and Brad Kobe. It was wonderful to have them here!”