Single-layer and multilayer films will no longer hold any secrets for researchers

The Surface Engineering Center at CIDETEC, a technology center and member of the BRTA (Basque Research & Technology Alliance), has chosen Grupo Álava as its supplier of top-tier scientific and technological equipment, acquiring a HORIBA GD-OES optical emission spectroscopy system using a luminescent discharge lamp—a global benchmark for this type of equipment.

The company lacked the techniques to analyze the elemental composition and thickness of multilayer coatings and/or high-value-added conductive, non-conductive, and hybrid materials.

Grupo Álava has provided this new optical glow-discharge emission spectrometer, which enables the characterization of the elemental composition and thickness of multilayer coatings and/or high-value-added conductive, non-conductive, and hybrid materials.

Thanks to this equipment, the Technology Center will obtain previously unknown information about various types of coatings and surface treatments, especially when it comes to generating high-resolution elemental composition profiles. Single and multilayer coatings—even those of extreme thinness—will no longer hold any secrets for CIDETEC researchers.

Jorge de Pedro, KAM for Universities and Technology Centers at Grupo Álava, commented that “especially when it comes to the components that will be used to transport, distribute, or store hydrogen, this technology sets itself apart from all others, allowing us to determine precisely at what depth the material is porous and where to place barriers— which is crucial for development.”