Interfacial Properties
Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring
Do you want a real time in situ measurement of molecular interactions and molecular adsorption to different surfaces?
If so, then our quartz crystal microbalance is the technique for you. The resonant frequency of a thin quartz crystal changes as material (such as surfactant, polymer, protein, etc) adsorbs to it from solution. The sensor crystals include:
- Gold
- Mineral/metal oxides such as silica and alumina
- Spin-coated polymer layers such as polystyrene or poly(methyl methacrylate).
… we have used the quartz crystal microbalance to quantify the adsorption of anti-foulants and corrosion inhibitors, as well as assessing the structure of commercial hair-care products.
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM)
Designed to characterise either the solid/air or solid/liquid interface, our SPM has two distinct capabilities:
- Topographical imaging of a surface
… which is ideal for characterising the morphology of, for example, surfactants adsorbed at solid interfaces or surface coatings
- Collection of force-distance data
… which we've used to quantify normal and frictional forces between surfaces, either in air or fluid environments, and in the presence of coatings or adsorbents.