02 / LAB GUIDES

Tools that help us
better understand materials.

Introductions to the microscopes, tests, and machines commonly used in materials science.

9 GUIDES / 3 GROUPS

START HERE / 01

Scanning Electron Microscopy

An electron microscope can show tiny features of materials that ordinary light microscopes cannot see.

ALL LAB GUIDESCHOOSE A GROUP

MAKE ITCS

Fire solid metal particles at a surface so they stick together.

LOOK INSIDEDSC

Measure how a material absorbs or releases heat as it changes.

MAKE ITHIP

Use heat and pressure to squeeze out tiny empty spaces in materials.

TEST ITHV

Press a tiny tip into a material surface to measure its hardness.

MAKE ITPBF

Build 3D parts one thin layer at a time with a laser.

LOOK INSIDESEM

Use electrons to see tiny details on a material's surface.

TEST ITPULL

Pull a sample apart to measure strength, stiffness, and stretch.

TEST ITTGA

Track how a sample's mass changes while it is heated.

LOOK INSIDEXRD

$Diagram showing how an X-ray diffraction machine works.$

Use X-rays to identify the crystal structures inside a material.