As the demand for high-performance and more complex materials increases, so does the importance of surface engineering. The material’s surface is the point of interaction with the external environment and other materials; therefore, many of the problems associated with modern materials can be solved only by understanding the physical and chemical interactions that occur at the surface or at the interfaces of a material’s layers. The surface will influence such factors as corrosion rates, catalytic activity, adhesive properties, wettability, contact potential, and failure mechanisms, to name just a few.
Surface modification can be used to alter or improve these characteristics, and so surface analysis is used to understand surface chemistry of a material and investigate the efficacy of surface engineering. From non-stick cookware coatings to thin-film electronics and bio-active surfaces, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instruments are the standard tools for surface characterization.
Find your ideal XPS instrument
Choosing the right XPS solution for your research is no easy feat. Take three minutes to fill out our XPS Product Selector and discover which X-ray photoelectron spectrometer is the most suitable for your surface analysis requirements.
Surface Analysis Learning Center
The chemistry of the surface of a material, or at the interfaces of layers, determines how a material behaves. Our surface analysis references and resources can help you engineer desired properties or better understand materials when they do not perform as expected.
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