Home • Our services • Expertise • Deposit or pollution

The FILAB laboratory characterizes the nature of a deposit or pollution

Definition

What is a deposit?

A deposit or pollution can be metallic, mineral or organic in nature. However, the origin of a deposit is not always easy to identify. It may be present as soon as the raw material is received, it may appear during the production process, or it may be present in the final environment.

The deposit may be identified in isolation, or on the surface of a material. In the second case, environmental interactions and attacks can lead to the formation of residual particles on the surface of a material, known as a deposit or pollution.

What impact does a deposit or pollution have on the viability of a material?

The performance of a material is directly linked to its surface properties. Thus, the formation of a deposit or the presence of pollution on a material can lead to material failure. This failure may be :

visual (appearance of a stain, irregularities, color change, etc.)
functional (adhesion problems, harmfulness, etc.)

Thus, qualifying the cleanliness of a surface according to legal or in-house standards is an essential action in the production or maintenance process of a material. The identification of the chemical nature of a deposit, or of pollution by an analysis laboratory, will enable us to define the actions required to eliminate it before it is placed on the market.

A team of experts offers you expert appraisal and analysis techniques for deposits and pollution.

Characterizing a deposit or pollution

Validate surface conformity

Search for a trace of a specific component by analysis

Analyze layer thickness or deposit quantity

Auditing / training in methods for characterizing deposits or pollution

Our deposit analysis services

For over 20 years FILAB has had the necessary experience and scientific equipment to be able to assist different companies with deposit analysis and surface characterization by providing tailored support. FILAB analysis your challenges and helps you in understanding your results by providing the following expertise services :

The SEM

Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with a microprobe (SEM-EDX) will allow for the nature and the chemical composition of a deposit or of a contamination to be identified. The sample will then be analyzed using other techniques to get a better understanding of its nature.

Deposit / pollution

Metallic

Once the sample has been dissolved, plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-AES or ICP-MS) is used to identify and quantify its chemical elements.

Deposit / pollution

Mineral

X-ray Diffraction (XRD) identifies and quantifies the crystalline phases in a sample in order to determine its composition.

Deposit / pollution

Organic

In this case, chromatography (GC-MS, LC-MS) or spectroscopy (FTIR, µ-IRTF) will be used to break down the molecules in the deposit for easier analysis.

Our experts will then draft a complete report covering the different analysis performed on your sample, the interpretation of your results along with photographs, and depending on your request, some advice and an assistance proposal in the development of quick solutions for eliminating the impurity.

Why FILAB ?

An independent laboratory with a team made up of doctors and engineers, FILAB guarantees the reliability of its results, ensures a swift processing time for requests and personalized assistance for clients.