A recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota has prompted renewed interest in the materials science of critical infrastructures like bridges.  Bridges in the northern regions of the country have been weakened by prolonged exposure to deicing salt that finds its way through the concrete to the steel reinforcing beams causing extensive corrosion.  Cathodic protection, a technique developed in the USA and UK during the second half of the 20th century, is a possible means to protect these bridges.  Who would have thought that electronics could play a role in materials science?   If you would like to read more about this technique, visit the Agilent application note library and download this application note.  http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5989-6459EN.pdf

As I talk with university professors doing nanotechnology research, many of them are utilizing electronic test equipment in their research on various nanotechnology structures.  Semiconductor analyzers capable of low level voltage and current measurements are at the top of the list.  Network analyzers with the ability to add stimulus and measure responses in the GHz arena are also popular.  And others are using high precision multimeters, high speed oscilloscopes, RF signal generators, MHz function generators, and high precision power supplies. 

What instruments are you using in your research?  Over the course of the next few weeks I will be highlighting applications that I’ve seen using various types of electronic, chemical analysis, bioanalysis, and microscopy products for nanotechnology research.  Feel free to add your own applications to this blog. 

This entry was posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 at August 27, 2007 and is filed under Electronics, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.