Psylotech

Thanks to all the came by the Advanced Materials Show (MS&T) Psylotech booth to see 100 Series 1.6kN μTS in action, like Dr. Zhezhen Fu from Penn State-Harrisburg. Kudos to those that had the energy after lunchtime to hear my Technology Showcase presentation highlighting four significant Psylotech innovations. #TheAdvancedMaterialsShow #MST24 #AdvancedMaterials #ACerS #TMS #μTS #pennstate

Happy to see research from Dr. Melissa Davis (now at National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and Dr. Rebekah Sweat, PhD at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering that used a Psylotech μTS mechanical testing system inside a SEM to develop a model for predicting the mechanical deformation of perovskite solar cells. Working at the College's?High-Performance Materials Institute,?the researchers tested two types of perovskite samples: one with perovskite films atop polyethylene terephthalate (PET) versus another with the perovskite film atop Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coated PET. ? The selection of layers within a flexible perovskite solar cell is significant as both the mechanical and electrical properties are important for performance.?An accurate model of these devices allows for insight into the cracking behaviors of the perovskite and additional layers.?Psylotech’s μTS provides a modular platform for discovering the fracture toughness and delamination mechanisms of materials. Dr. Davis'?experimental findings with the?μTS in a SEM?allowed?the researchers to improve and validate the accuracy of their models, and in turn,?acknowledge the incapability of ITO in flexible device structures. This will?encourage future research into more compatible materials. If you'd like to learn more about how Psylotech systems integrate with SEMs, DM me. #mechanicalengineering, #materialsscience, #SEM

Thank you to CERATIZIT, a leading manufacturer of cutting tools and hardmetal equipment,?for letting Psylotech install a unique?testing facility in Europe. The set-up grows fatigue cracks in tungsten carbide metal matrix composites,?which is particularly?useful for the high cycle loadings on coated drill bits and end mills. Fatigue fracture on hard metals?has historically eluded the industry because any minor misalignment in mechanical?test?equipment snaps these brittle materials. Moreover, initiating a starter crack in materials that are normally used to cut?materials has been a challenge.?Psylotech's ultra-high precision, obsession with symmetry, and high-speed fatigue-capable?actuator enabled fatigue-crack growth in these super hard materials. #mechanicalengineering #materialsscience #fatiguemechanics

Thank you to the Argonne National Laboratory-APS/CNM researchers and staff, as well as to the participating beamline users and vendors, for a great week learning about the APS upgrade and the leading research publications coming out of APS experiments. From attending workshops on in situ experiments for additive manufacturing processes to solid-state electrolytes for EV batteries to recreating magnetic properties for data storage–it was like living in a science fiction novel populated only by nice and curious people.?

Very cool to see Dr. Jared Gohl and Dr. Chelsea Davis of Purdue University and the University of Delaware use mechanophores and a Psylotech?in?situ?universal testing system?(with customized 3D-printed grips designed by the researchers)?over a confocal microscope to develop a non-destructive method with potential for stress visualization and structural health monitoring of novel composites with complex stress configurations. The method centers on correlating fluorescence intensity to local stress, which could reduce the need for?FEA models or differential image correlation. https://lnkd.in/gznC893q Quoting from the paper, "[the?researchers] have demonstrated a technique to correlate fluorescence intensity measurements from experiments to calculated stresses from the FEA. A calibration curve to relate relative fluorescent intensity to maximum principal stress was used to create calibrated images in which stresses can be measured. The technique was validated by replicating the experiment in a two-particle system. The single particle calibration was used to measure the stresses in a two-particle system. The measured stresses were compared against calculated stresses from FEA, and we found good agreement for the simple composites. Additionally,?in situ?experiments investigating the stress distribution that form around short cylindrical particles were performed and the calibration determined from the single particle composite was applied." Looking forward to the next round of?papers, in which the method is applied to fiberglass reinforced composites and epoxy-based structural composites!