Strict testing and analysis are required throughout the life cycle of coating products to ensure that product quality is maintained, that all end-use application specifications or regulatory compliance requirements are met, or that existing applications are replaced due to considerations such as green compliance. Defining objectives or recognizing the need to improve performance.
The coating's chemical composition and physical qualities have a direct impact on its performance. As a result, a thorough coating test and analysis technique is required. These usually require highly specialized analytical equipment and should be performed by scientists with industry coating application experience and professional insights in this field.
Alfa Chemistry provides a wide range of testing techniques for the chemical analysis of coating surfaces. Is there a problem? Our scientific staff can recommend the analytical technique that best meets your requirements.
Learn About Surface Analysis Services
Knowledge of the surface chemical composition and surface structure is essential in many technologies. Our coating experts are always on call, suitable for organizations of all sizes and various types of innovative coating products and their applications. Our coating testing experts provide analysis and consulting services to support your research and help you understand the basic characteristics and chemical composition of coatings.
In the following, you will find some examples of applications that our method can cover:
- Composite interface analysis
- 3-D structural analysis in microelectronics
- Trace element detection
- Characterization of the catalytic process
- Analyze adhesive interactions at the molecular level
- Detection of surface contamination or deposits
- Surface contamination analysis and cleaning process evaluation
- Corrosion mechanism research
- Failure analysis
- Check for chemical modification of the surface, such as adhesion or corrosion formation on the polymer surface
- Characterization of the chemical composition of raw materials and their additives, such as the source of polymer embrittlement or softening
Learn About Analytical Techniques
To achieve all these measurements, we apply a variety of test methods. Depending on the sample type, the analysis can be performed by one or more complementary techniques:
X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
XRF is a fast and lossless technology. The X-ray tube is used to irradiate the sample with a primary X-ray beam. Some of the impacting primary X-rays are absorbed by electrons in the innermost electron shell of the atom. This leads to the excitation and emission of absorbed electrons. The resulting electron vacancies are then filled with electrons from higher energy states, and X-rays (fluorescence) are emitted to balance the energy difference between the electronic states. The emitted X-ray energy is characteristic of the element that emits it. Record the energy of each X-ray and the number of X-rays with different energies.
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS)
When an element is excited, its atom transitions between the ground state and the first excited state, producing spectral lines with its characteristics. AAS uses this function to perform elemental analysis. Determine the degree of weakening of the radiant light intensity to test the content of the elements in the sample.
Other similar technologies: real-time magnification X-ray imaging, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES).
Vibrational Spectroscopy
Vibrational spectroscopy consists of three main tools: Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), near-infrared (NIR), and Raman spectroscopy. FTIR is used to study the functional groups of solid or liquid materials using the discrete energy levels of the atomic vibrations in these groups. When light with certain energy passes through a very thin sample, it is absorbed by the radicals in the material. This happens when the frequency of the incident light corresponds to the vibrational frequency of the bonds between atoms. By scanning a series of wavelengths and recording the amount of transmitted light at each wavelength, it is possible to determine which functional groups are present in the material. Each of these three techniques has advantages and limitations, making them a complementary tool for analyzing various materials.
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