Expert Witness Services

Expert Witness Support in Materials Science & Engineering

NEI Corporation provides expert witness support, in the field of materials science and engineering, to attorneys representing both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation and intellectual property (IP) infringement cases. The company employs a multi-disciplinary group of highly motivated scientists and engineers from a wide variety of technical fields, such as Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or Materials Science and Engineering with either a PhD or MS degree. We serve a broad range of industries, including coatings, energy storage (primary and secondary batteries such as Li-ion), manufacturers of mechanical components for machines, automobiles, and construction. With expertise in both manufacturing and materials characterization, NEI is uniquely suited to provide in-depth support for criminal and civil litigation cases.

Materials Characterization

  • Microscopy
  • Spectroscopy
  • Coating Adhesion
  • Abrasion Testing
  • Particle size, shape, and surface characteristics
  • Corrosion Testing
  • Li-ion Battery Performance Testing

Manufacturing

  • Coatings
  • Battery Materials & Components
  • Sorbents
  • Automotive Fluids

Let’s Get Started

Contact us for more detailed information on the background and experience of our expert witnesses in the technology or field of interest. All communications are kept confidential. Resumes / Curriculum Vitae (CV) available upon request.

Capabilities

NEI has a vast set of material characterization capabilities to assist the attorneys in developing a strong litigation case. The table below describes characterization services provided by us.

AnalysisCapability
Information Provided
Mechanical Failure Analysis• Optical Microscopy
• Electron Microscopy
• Impact testing
• Adhesion testing
• Abrasion testing
• Fracture analysis and fractography
• Determine the adhesion of a coating to the substrate to evaluate if the coating delamination was within the specification
• Evaluate if the component or coatings can withstand the impact as reported
• Characterize if the coatings abraded at a higher rate than certified
Chemical Composition Analysis• X-ray diffraction
• FT-IR Spectroscopy
• UV-Vis Spectroscopy
• Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy
• Determine if a impurity phase or a presence of impurity element lead to materials failure
• Identify if the surface of the component is contaminated with an undesired impurity
Thermal Behavior Analysis• Thermal gravimetric analysis
• Differential Scanning Calorimetry
• High temperatures heat treatment
• Determine the thermal performance of the material to obtain the information if the material failed prematurely at elevated temperatures
• Determine if the material was able to withstand the elevated temperatures in specified atmosphere (vacuum, inert, reducing or oxidizing)
Battery Performance Testing• Cell testing• Determine if the battery has capacity and cycle capability as specified by the manufacturer
Accelerated Corrosion Testing• Salt Fog and Electrochemical testing• Determine if the cause of failure of the material was due to undesired corrosion due to the failure of coating or other material properties
Accelerated Weathering Testing• Spray with Solar Eye Irradiance Control• Determine the performance of the coating in accelerated weathering test. For example effect of sunlight and rain on coatings applied on solar panels.
Metallography• Optical Microscopy
• Electron Microscopy
• To determine origin of fracture on a failed component.