Category Archives: services

Product Testing

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Have a product that you want to be tested by materials scientists? Then this service is for you!

How it Works:

Contact us and briefly describe your product that you want to be tested. Also tell us what sort of tests you need. Based on the information we can offer specific experiments and estimated price.

Why should you test your product?

Our company can provide you with a honest neutral opinion and test results, that you can use for marketing purposes. Also, we can compare the performance of your products with other competitors on the market, which allows you to see where you stand.

Are the tests confidential or public?

Generally, all the test results are confidential by default. However, in the case of successful projects, we may ask to publish some of the results as a success story – this would be done only upon mutual agreement.

Public product testing video

If your product really is good, then we can make a public product testing video and publish it on our YouTube channel. The cost of making and distributing the video is decided on case basis. Usually our videos receive thousands or even tens of thousands views per year.

How much does it cost?

The price of product testing generally depends mainly on the materials, chemicals, tools, scientific equipment and time consumption. We usually offer different sets of tests that have different price ranges so the customer can select the most suitable one.

Corrosion Testing

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Need to test the corrosion resistance of your material or a protective coating?

In collaboration with the University of Tartu we can do both chemical and electrochemical tests to simulate real or even extreme conditions in order to evaluate the performance of your sample.

Contact us if you are interested in corrosion testing!

Chemical tests – Studied substrates are exposed to a corrosive environment similar to the real conditions where it will be used later on. We can also alter the conditions of the environment to make it more corrosive by adjusting the pH and temperature or include UV light. A common example would be a test of series to compare the quality of stainless steel samples obtained from different suppliers. Another example would be the evaluation of different protective coatings on metal substrates.

Electrochemical tests – Corrosion can electrochemically be accelerated and this allows to quickly obtain reliable information about a materials or protective coatings corrosion resistance. For instance, certain metal alloys can be immersed in a salty water for years before it corrodes while electrochemically we can evaluate its long-term performance within a hour.

Microscopy – In addition to corrosion tests we also do microscopy studies of the tested substrates in order to get additional information about the type of corrosion. For example, Pitting corrosion often occurs undetected as it stats as a tiny hole on the surface and forms a network of tunnels inside the substrate, thus greatly degrading its mechanical properties. In contrast, uniform corrosion initially affects the aesthetic appearance of a material and mechanical properties are not much affected if the problem is dealt with.

Materials Characterization

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Do you require more information about a certain material used in your products but don`t have the necessary equipment or knowledge?

In collaboration with the University of Tartu we can study your material with state of the art techniques in unprecedented detail and provide you with the needed information.

Contact us if you are interested in materials characterization services!

Here is a list of some common techniques used in our daily research and their possible applications:

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) – Used to obtain high resolution images of a materials surface with a magnification far greater than in the case of optical microscopes. SEM can also be used to study the distribution of different elements in a microscopic scale or even locally (few microns area) measure the elemental composition of a material. SEM is also a valuable tool to visualize microscopic cracks and defects in a material that affect its mechanical properties. Another useful application of SEM is to study the individual grain size of powders and also evaluate the size distribution. Learn more by watching our educational video and visiting our gallery.

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) – Quick and easy way to precisely study the average elemental composition of various materials such as a metal alloys, ceramics and polymers. For instance, we can use XRF to verify if your supplier provides you with the metal alloy that you requested and also see if it contains any unwanted impurities. Learn more by watching our educational video.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) – Allows to measure the roughness and surface details of extremely smooth surfaces such as glass or various fine polished materials. For example, the nano scaled roughness plays a significant role in the performance of self-cleaning windows. Learn more by watching our educational video.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) – Gives information about the crystal structure of bulk materials, powders and thin films. For instance, XRD allows to verify if a titanium dioxide powder is amorphous, anatase, rutile or a mixture. It can also give information about the effect of different thermal treatments on a metal.

Corrosion Consultation

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How it Works:

Contact us and briefly describe your technological problem which related to corrosion or materials science. We will do our best to solve the problem or at least point you in the right direction.

How much does it cost?

Corrosion consultation by Captain Corrosion is for free!

However, if you are satisfied with the consultation, you can tip us via PayPal. All the money is used for making educational science videos.

Areas of Expertise:

Corrosion

  1. Corrosion Prevention Techniques
  2. Forms of Corrosion
  3. Protective Coatings (Metallic, Ceramic, Polymers)
  4. Rust Removal
  5. Anodizing

Materials Characterization

  1. Elemental Analysis (EDX, XRF, XPS, LEIS, LIBS etc.)
  2. Microscopy – Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Photoelectron Microscopy (SPEM) etc.
  3. Corrosion Testing – Accelerated Electrochemical Tests, Prolonged Chemical Immersion Tests

Biomaterials

  1. Biocompatible Materials
  2. Medical Implants (e.g. Dental Implants)

About Us:

  • We are materials scientists, specialized in corrosion, biomaterials and nanotechnology.
  • We have over 7 years of experience in that field as we develop novel corrosion prevention techniques.