Surface Analysis and Surface Design
The test bed includes laboratories equipped for characterization and optimization of surfaces and surface interactions.
We, at RISE, offer complete solutions to support our customers through the entire R&D process. Using our broad expertise and world-leading infrastructure we can help our customers from product idea to market. We can assist all the way in the innovation process, especially when specific challenges arise, for example due to legal requirements or environmental issues.
Examples of areas are:
- Troubleshooting, e.g. identification of contaminants, contamination sources and lack of performance.
- Modification of surfaces where we can customize properties such as repulsion, adhesion, friction, lubrication or charge for applications such as dirt repellency, bonding, powder flow, rolling, fiber processes, medical technology and swallowing.
- Treatment of surfaces, for instance in areas such as cleaning/washing, painting, polishing or anti-ice treatment.
- Customer optimization effects, for example in life science where we not only characterize surfaces using lab instrumentation, but also through human panel studies linked to verified models and advanced statistical analysis correlate surface analysis data to consumers' experiences.
- Production and characterization of nano- and microsized materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and beads. We work on optimization and stabilization of nanoparticle dispersions. We also develop functional coatings and inks based on nanoparticles. In these areas we also have expertise in nanosafety research.
Our capabilities include technical experts, researchers and professors in surface chemistry, physical chemistry, physics and psychophysics and our well-equipped labs feature advanced equipment for chemical, physical, psychophysical and mechanical characterization of surfaces.
Examples of equipment include:
- X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) with the ability to make chemical maps of the upper 2-10 nanometers of surfaces.
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) with modules for characterizing micro/nano-mechanics, charge and friction in a wide range of temperatures, atmospheres and liquids, as well as micromanipulation equipment for the functionalization of cantilevers with colloidal probes or fibers.
- Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) with energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) where we can characterize surface structures and perform elemental analysis at a wide range of temperatures and humidity.
- Confocal Raman microscopy where we can make chemical maps of surfaces, but also in-depth profiles.
- Laser Diffraction (LD) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) for measuring particle size distribution of particles in powder form or dispersed in liquid, emulsions, liposomes or similar.
- Contact angle measurements with high-speed camera and picoliter systems that, in addition to measuring static and dynamic contact angles, also enable e.g. measuring on absorbent, repellant or omniphobic surfaces.
- Infrared Refection Absorption Spectroscopy – IRAS, and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy/Attenuated Total Reflection – FTIR-ATR able to give information about the chemical functional groups of the materials.
- Plasmareactors with the possibility to funcionalize surfaces of different types and sizes.
