Surface chemistry analysis of materials, a FILAB laboratory expertise
Surface chemistry focuses on the surface properties of materials. It makes it possible, when necessary, to modify the chemical properties of material surfaces in order to give them new properties suited to their intended use. Surface chemistry may involve a coating, a surface treatment, a specific industrial process, paint, etc…
Our surface chemistry analysis techniques
The FILAB laboratory has a state-of-the-art analytical platform and multisector expertise, enabling it to respond with high responsiveness and reliability to its industrial clients’ surface chemical analysis needs.
Our laboratory offers several complementary analytical techniques such as:
- SIMS Technique / TOF-SIMS
- XPS/ESCA
Our expertise and our complementary strengths in chemistry and materials science ensure you complete and reliable expertise for all your surface chemistry analysis needs. These techniques complement other surface analysis equipment such as SEM-FEG-EDX or our Optical Microscopes.
Example of problem solving through surface chemistry analysis
Medical and surface chemistry analysis:
- Checking the surface cleanliness of a medical device as part of a cleaning process validation approach
- Identifying, through the complementary use of ToF-SIMS and XPS techniques, the presence of residual detergents on the surface of an implant
- Characterizing the surface of a medical device: morphology by FEG-SEM, elemental surface chemistry by XPS, molecular characterization by ToF-SIMS, contaminant detection, …
Aerospace/Automotive and surface chemistry analysis:
- Assessing a paint adhesion issue on a material (elemental identification of contamination by XPS or FEG-SEM, molecular analysis by TOF-SIMS…)
- Identification of sizing product present on the surface of fibers for the development of composite material
- Characterization of a passivation process on aluminum alloy
Electronics and surface chemistry analysis:
- Identification of a contamination present at the interface of a bonded assembly and causing an adhesion issue
- Failure analysis following a loss of functionality in a system
Pharmaceutical and surface chemistry analysis:
- Identification of a contamination present on the internal surface of a glass container
- Characterization of the extreme surface on packaging with a sealing issue
