How to preserve on-site samples
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How should on-site samples for failure analysis be stored? For example, when collecting corrosion products at the site of collection, what measures can be taken to ensure that these products do not undergo further oxidation and that their original morphology and composition remain unchanged?
The failure analysis you’re referring to must be related to metal materials, right? The specimens are usually placed in specimen bags that can be sealed. If the corrosion products you have undergo rapid chemical changes in air, resulting in changes in their morphology and composition, you can try placing them in a vacuum container or sealing them with wax (or similar substances), and then remove them using organic solvents once back in the laboratory. I’m not sure if this idea will be helpful to you.
We use self-sealing bags + nitrogen filling. Nitrogen is packed in medical oxygen bags. After sealing the corrosion products in a self-sealing bag, fill it with nitrogen for a short while, remove all air from it, and then seal it.