Professor R. Gauvin has spent several years working on the development of new methods to characterize the microstructure of complex materials using electron microscopy with X-Ray microanalysis. The original approach of Professor Gauvin research is to develop Monte Carlo programs to simulate electron scattering in materials in order to correlate X-Ray emission to composition in quantitative X-Ray microanalysis.
The research of Professor Gauvin is mainly related with low voltage X-Ray microanalysis and imaging using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Research is also performed to characterize non-conductive materials, like polymers and ceramics, using charge contrast imaging in the variable pressure scanning electron microscope. Recent research has involved the development of the mapping of residual stress in materials using electron backscattering diffraction. Finally, a project for the fabrication of nanocomposites materials with carbon Nanotubes with metallic alloys has been initiated recently.