Tohru Awane
My research fields are spectroscopic analysis (particularly X-ray spectrometry and Secondary ion mass spectrometry) , hydrogen analysis, physical chemistry and Electron microscopy. I aim for development of a novel analytical method and a new scientific discovery using the novel method.
The following (1) ~ (4) are remarkable research achievements.
(1) The Highly Sensitive Detection Method of Net Hydrogen Charged into Austenitic Stainless Steel with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
ーI have successfully detected and three-dimensionally observed hydrogen (mass number: 1) trapped at submicrometer-sized precipitates or at grain boundaries in metallic materials.ー
ーFrom my reserach achievements, I have proposed GUIDELINE FOR ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN IN METALLIC MATERIALS WITH SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMERY (SIMS)ー
【GUIDELINE FOR ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN IN METALLIC MATERIALS WITH SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMETRY (SIMS)】
1. Background-originate hydrogen (HBG) should be reduced with ultra high vacuum (less than 10-8 Pa), cold-trap, and absolutely SILIICON SPUTTERING METHOD.
2. Higher sputtering rate of primary ion beam should be applied.
3. A reference sample should be prepared from the same material lot as the target sample where no hydrogen is charged or hydrogen is removed with heat treatment. And then hydrogen ion intensities of the reference sample should be measured before-and-after measurements of the target sample to evaluate intensity of HBG during the measurements of the target sample.
4. Data of hydrogen acquired from a region deeper than 10 micrometers from the sample surface should be analyzed.
Date acquired from a region of depth less than 10 microters must be abandoned.
5. Hydrogen ion intensities at same phases must be compared.
[Main reference]
[1] "Highly Sensitive Detection of Net Hydrogen Charged into Austenitic Stainless Steel with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry”
Tohru Awane, Yoshihiro Fukushima, Takashi Matsuo, Saburo Matsuoka, Yukitaka Murakami, and Shiro Miwa
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.83 (2011), 2667-2676.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac103100b
[2] "Hydrogen trapped at intermetallic particles in aluminum alloy 6061-T6 exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas and the reason for high resistance against hydrogen embrittlement"
Junichiro Yamabe, Tohru Awane, Yukitaka Murakami,
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy,
Vol. 42 (2017), 24560-24568.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.08.035
(2) Grazing Exit Micro X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of a Hazardous Metal Attached to a Plant Leaf Surface Using an X-ray Absorber Method
-The breakthrough surface analysis method that enables a surface analysis of a biological or a polymer sample-
[Main reference]
“Grazing Exit Micro X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of a Hazardous Metal Attached to a Plant Leaf Surface Using an X-ray Absorber Method”
Tohru Awane, Shintaro Fukuoka, Kazuo Nakamachi, and Kouichi Tsuji
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.81 (2009), 3356-3364.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac802599x
(3) Grazing exit electron probe microanalysis of submicrometer inclusions in metallic materials
-The practical surface analysis method that enables a componential analysis of a single submicrometer inclusion or precipitate on a metallic material surface using an ordinary EDS-SEM-
[Main reference]
"Grazing Exit Electron Probe Microanalysis of Submicrometer Inclusions in Metallic Materials”
Tohru Awane, Takashi Kimura, Kenji Nishida, Nobuhiro Ishikawa, Shigeo Tanuma, and Morihiko Nakamura
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.75 (2003), 3831-3836.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac020740l
(4) The removal method of hardly soluble organic material (e.c. epoxy resin) from metallic specimen surface
[Main reference]
“The method of removing hardly soluble organic material from metallicspecimen used in fracture surface analysis by scanning electron microscope”
Tohru Awane, Microscopy, Vol.62 (2013), pp.615-621.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmicro/dft025
The following (1) ~ (4) are remarkable research achievements.
(1) The Highly Sensitive Detection Method of Net Hydrogen Charged into Austenitic Stainless Steel with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
ーI have successfully detected and three-dimensionally observed hydrogen (mass number: 1) trapped at submicrometer-sized precipitates or at grain boundaries in metallic materials.ー
ーFrom my reserach achievements, I have proposed GUIDELINE FOR ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN IN METALLIC MATERIALS WITH SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMERY (SIMS)ー
【GUIDELINE FOR ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN IN METALLIC MATERIALS WITH SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMETRY (SIMS)】
1. Background-originate hydrogen (HBG) should be reduced with ultra high vacuum (less than 10-8 Pa), cold-trap, and absolutely SILIICON SPUTTERING METHOD.
2. Higher sputtering rate of primary ion beam should be applied.
3. A reference sample should be prepared from the same material lot as the target sample where no hydrogen is charged or hydrogen is removed with heat treatment. And then hydrogen ion intensities of the reference sample should be measured before-and-after measurements of the target sample to evaluate intensity of HBG during the measurements of the target sample.
4. Data of hydrogen acquired from a region deeper than 10 micrometers from the sample surface should be analyzed.
Date acquired from a region of depth less than 10 microters must be abandoned.
5. Hydrogen ion intensities at same phases must be compared.
[Main reference]
[1] "Highly Sensitive Detection of Net Hydrogen Charged into Austenitic Stainless Steel with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry”
Tohru Awane, Yoshihiro Fukushima, Takashi Matsuo, Saburo Matsuoka, Yukitaka Murakami, and Shiro Miwa
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.83 (2011), 2667-2676.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac103100b
[2] "Hydrogen trapped at intermetallic particles in aluminum alloy 6061-T6 exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas and the reason for high resistance against hydrogen embrittlement"
Junichiro Yamabe, Tohru Awane, Yukitaka Murakami,
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy,
Vol. 42 (2017), 24560-24568.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.08.035
(2) Grazing Exit Micro X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of a Hazardous Metal Attached to a Plant Leaf Surface Using an X-ray Absorber Method
-The breakthrough surface analysis method that enables a surface analysis of a biological or a polymer sample-
[Main reference]
“Grazing Exit Micro X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of a Hazardous Metal Attached to a Plant Leaf Surface Using an X-ray Absorber Method”
Tohru Awane, Shintaro Fukuoka, Kazuo Nakamachi, and Kouichi Tsuji
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.81 (2009), 3356-3364.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac802599x
(3) Grazing exit electron probe microanalysis of submicrometer inclusions in metallic materials
-The practical surface analysis method that enables a componential analysis of a single submicrometer inclusion or precipitate on a metallic material surface using an ordinary EDS-SEM-
[Main reference]
"Grazing Exit Electron Probe Microanalysis of Submicrometer Inclusions in Metallic Materials”
Tohru Awane, Takashi Kimura, Kenji Nishida, Nobuhiro Ishikawa, Shigeo Tanuma, and Morihiko Nakamura
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.75 (2003), 3831-3836.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac020740l
(4) The removal method of hardly soluble organic material (e.c. epoxy resin) from metallic specimen surface
[Main reference]
“The method of removing hardly soluble organic material from metallicspecimen used in fracture surface analysis by scanning electron microscope”
Tohru Awane, Microscopy, Vol.62 (2013), pp.615-621.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmicro/dft025
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Papers by Tohru Awane
This paper shows the sole analytical method for accurate local analysis (several micrometers in diameter) of hydrogen contained in metallic material.
This paper shows the sole analytical method for accurate local analysis (several micrometers in diameter) of hydrogen contained in metallic material.
The existence of inclusions or precipitates in metallic materials affects the properties of the materials. Therefore it is vital to analyze the components of them. However an accurate analysis of a single submicrometer inclusion or precpitate on a metallic matrix surface has been difficult by any analytical method. In this article, I will show you a grazing exit electron probe microanalysis (GE-EPMA) technique as the sole method to accurately analyze such a single submicrometer inclusion or precipitate appeared on an etched metallic matrix surface. I would be happy if you could enjoy the simplicity and the effectivity of the GE-EPMA.
The words “grazing exit (GE)” means that X-rays emitted from a sample are detected at extremely small exit angles near zero degree in X-ray analysis, such as X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) or electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). An X-ray analysis at grazing angles enables surface analysis of semiconductor or metallic samples. However, such methods have never been applied to an analysis of organic materials including aqueous biological samples such as a plant leaf. In the GE X-ray analysis methods, the X-rays emitted from inside the specimen must be absorbed inside and attenuated when the X-rays pass through. However, X-rays emitted from inside organic material are barely absorbed because the X-ray absorption rate of any organic material is much smaller than that of most metallic or semiconductor materials. This research was derived from a problem concerning how we can analyze only surface regions of organic materials or biological (lower density) samples using XRF. Therefore, in GE-XRF analysis, Awane et al. challenged to develop a novel method called “X-ray absorber method” of removing the X-rays emitted from the inside of aqueous organic material and investigated the effectiveness of such a method. We applied minute quantities of lead (Pb) attached to an aqueous leaf of Camellia hiemalis as an analytical object for the development because it is important to detect and analyze minute quantities of hazardous metals attached to plant leaves in terms of epidemiology and disease prevention.
Consequently, we for the first time selectively detected X-rays emitted from the near-surface region of an aqueous plant leaf using the GE-XRF combined with X-ray absorber method. The X-ray detection of only the near-surface region successfully allowed us to detect X-rays emitted from Pb attached to the leaf surface with high peak/background ratios.
[Main reference]
“Grazing Exit Micro X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of a Hazardous Metal Attached to a Plant Leaf Surface Using an X-ray Absorber Method”
Tohru Awane, Shintaro Fukuoka, Kazuo Nakamachi, and Kouichi Tsuji
Analytical Chemistry, Vol.81 (2009), pp.3356-3364.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac802599x