Blogs on Advanced Material Testing and Analysis

12min read

May 11, 2026

What Is Aerogel Used For? Applications, Properties, and Characterization

At a glance, aerogel is used mainly for thermal insulation and thermal barriers, especially in silica aerogel blankets, panels, coatings, and composites. Beyond insulation, aerogels are also used or researched in environmental, energy, biomedical,...

11min read

Apr 28, 2026

What are the applications of alumina?

Alumina as an Engineering Material Alumina (Al₂O₃) is one of the most widely used ceramic materials, valued for its combination of hardness, stiffness, wear resistance, thermal stability, electrical insulation, and chemical resistance. Its applications...

6min read

Apr 15, 2026

Microplastics in Drinking Water Are Under EPA Scrutiny. How Do Labs Detect Them?

Microplastics are no longer just an environmental buzzword. They are increasingly part of a public conversation about water quality, consumer safety, and chemical exposure. Last week, the EPA published a list of microplastics and pharmaceuticals being considered for future drinking water regulation under...

5min read

Apr 02, 2026

Why Artemis’ Laser Communications Depend on Nanoscale Metrology

This week we are all excited to witness the launch of Artemis II, the first crewed flight around the moon since 1972! When most people think about NASA’s Artemis missions, they picture rockets, astronauts, lunar flybys, and...

3min read

Feb 18, 2026

How FTIR Got Athletes Disqualified from the Olympic Games

Many of us saw the news this week about Olympic athletes being disqualified from the games due to the use of PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These chemicals have earned the...

3min read

Jun 27, 2025

“We Were Stuck—Until We Found Our Partner.” How One R&D Team Transformed Their Innovation Trajectory With Nexus

When Sarah, an R&D manager at a mid-sized battery technology company, picked up the phone, she wasn’t calling to place another job order. She was calling for help. Her team had hit a wall—again....

3min read

Aug 27, 2024

Multi-Technique Metrology Problem Solving

The Value of Multiple Techniques for Resolving Materials Science Challenges At Covalent, we often get calls from clients asking us for a quote to perform a specific analytical technique. We understand there are times...

2min read

Aug 09, 2024

Exploring Ultrathin Boron Growth on Nanodiamond Surfaces

In their recent study, Ultrathin Boron Growth onto Nanodiamond Surfaces via Electrophilic Boron Precursors, researchers investigated the utility of diamond as a templating substrate for growing ultrathin boron surfaces: relevant to applications in optoelectronics,...