Surface Science and Analysis Services
At Lucideon, we specialize in surface science and analysis, offering a comprehensive range of techniques to test and characterize materials for various industries.
Our expertise in surface analysis provides crucial insights into the microscopic features of materials, helping improve product performance, reliability, and interaction.
What is surface science?
Surface science focuses on the study of surface properties and interactions at the atomic and molecular levels. This field is critical for understanding how materials behave in different environments, impacting factors like wettability, adhesion, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and tribology (the study of friction and wear). Surface science plays a vital role in numerous industries, from electronics and pharmaceuticals to coatings and manufacturing.
Why choose Lucideon for surface science and analysis?
Lucideon's state-of-the-art surface science facilities are equipped with cutting-edge technologies to provide accurate and detailed surface analysis. Our services help clients:
- Investigate material properties throughout the product lifecycle - from raw materials to finished products
- Identify manufacturing defects, changes in material surfaces, and degradation over time
- Perform in-depth analysis using advanced techniques like microscopy, microanalysis, and depth profiling to study surface structures at the nano and micro scale
Applications of surface science
Our surface science services are applicable to a wide array of industries, offering solutions for:
- Semiconductor Devices: profiling device features and investigating surface contaminants
- Pharmaceuticals: characterizing surface properties of drug formulations and coatings
- Polymers: assessing changes in surface functionality after treatments like plasma exposure
- Adhesives and Bonding: solving bonding issues by analyzing adhesive surfaces and identifying contaminants
- Wear and Tribology Studies: investigating surface wear, friction, and material degradation through precise analysis of tribological surfaces
Why surface science matters
Understanding surface science can lead to significant improvements in product development and manufacturing. Whether it's ensuring better adhesion of coatings, improving corrosion resistance, or enhancing biocompatibility, our surface analysis services provide valuable insights to optimize material performance.
Advanced surface science and analysis techniques
We utilize a wide range of surface analysis techniques, including:
- Elemental and molecular analysis: mapping chemical composition and molecular structures across material surfaces, identifying contaminants, and ensuring material integrity
- Surface morphology analysis: evaluating the physical structure of surfaces to detect wear, cracks, and other surface anomalies
- Depth profiling: characterizing layers, dopants, impurities, and surface treatments to depths of microns, providing a detailed look at buried features and multi-layer structures
- Surface topography: creating 3D maps of surfaces down to the nanometre scale, providing essential data for understanding surface wear, roughness, and coating uniformity
3D Visualization of human hair following conditioner treatments
The video clip below depicts the 3D visualization of a human hair surface, by white light interferometry, measuring the surface topography and roughness after shampoo-conditioner treatments.
Analytical techniques for surface analysis include:
- XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy)
- ToF-SIMS (time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry)
- WLI (white light interferometry)
- SEM/EDX (scanning electron microscopy / energy dispersive x-ray analysis)
- 3DSEM (three dimensional scanning electron microscopy)
- XRD (x-ray diffraction)
- FTIR (fourier transform infrared analysis)
- AFM (atomic force microscopy)
- TEM (transmission electron microscopy)
- Raman spectroscopy
White Papers
Surface Analysis is assisting the pharmaceutical industry in a number of ways, including counterfeit detection
This white paper discusses some of the surface analysis techniques available and provides case study examples, showing where the techniques have been able to solve failure problems
The surface characterization of hair fibres can deliver important insights into the performance of hair care products and in the development of improved product formulations
In this white paper we review the key tribology & testing techniques available for orthopaedic implants
This white paper discusses the power of ToFSIMS across a range of different industries and materials and the specific information and value provided
Case Studies
Topographical analysis of skin
Monitoring of the in-depth distribution of key alloying elements and trace elements using SIMS
Surface contamination investigation carried out by Lucideon
Lucideon assists in identification and prevention of staining of orthopaedic instruments
We helped our client with discoloration issues after hot isostatic pressing
Lucideon uses surface analysis to investigate hair care products