A team of National Institute of Standards and Technology scientists has invented a “nondestructive” process for quality control testing of carbon nanotube and graphene materials that are increasingly used in the electronics manufacturing sector.
NIST said Friday the method employs a microwave cavity designed for measurement of film properties and an electrical circuit intended to measure resonance frequency changes.
Physicists Christian Long, Nathan Orloff and Jan Obrzut helped assemble the testing equipment, which the agency says is built upon roll-to-roll processing technology used for the bulk production of nanomaterials.
“This method could significantly boost prospects of not making a faulty batch in the first place,” Long said.
Manufacturers use carbon nanotubes and graphene to build composite aircraft components, wearable electronic devices and smartphone screens, according to NIST.
Long, Orloff and Obrzut filed a patent for the nanomanufacturing quality-control technique in December.