Adhesion Science and Engineering

Advanced Surface and Interface Analysis and Simulation

Nanostructured Thin Films

The main scientific focus of the Laboratory of Adhesion Science and Engineering at the TMC is to gain fundamental understanding of adsorption/desorption and adhesion/de-adhesion processes on metal/metal oxide surfaces. This research priority covers a broad selection of systems with different levels of complexity. Investigations aim to bridge the molecular level mechanistic understanding of surface/interface processes with the macro-scale phenomena observed at a technical level. This is accomplished by combination of studies on model single crystalline surfaces, polycrystalline thin films and complex technical substrates. Along with the substrates, the complexity of the polymeric phase is treated in the same way.

The most important experimental methods which are utilised at the Laboratory of Adhesion Science and Engineering are:

The working group of Advanced Surface and Interface Analysis and Simulation focuses on the investigation of surface and interface properties under various atmospheric conditions at a high resolution. The structural and chemical changes occurring at surfaces and interfaces in presence of water films or corrosive electrolytes are studies by means of state of the art spectroscopic and microscopic tools. This experimental approach is complemented by Density Functional Theory calculations to reveal the processes taking place at the molecular level. The aim is to build up a methodology where the experimental and theoretical studies will be applied synergistically to adhesion and corrosion related questions such that the experimental results open up new realistic questions for the theoretical calculations and theory will provide new insights for the interpretation of the experimental observations.

The most important experimental methods which are utilised at the Advanced Surface and Interface Analysis and Simulation are:

The main scientific focus of the working group Nanostructured Thin Films is tosynthesize oxidic, organic and nanocomposite thin films on engineering metals and polymeric substrates as well as their purpose oriented surface modifications. The broad material selection includes oxidicnanocrystalline films, clay/graphene-polymer nanocomposites, self assembled monolayers (SAM’s) and plasma polymer films. The electrical, chemical and mechanical properties of these films can be modified by annealing, plasma treatments and adsorption of SAM’s.

The most important experimental methods which are utilised at the working group of Nanostructured Thin Films are:

Scanning Probe Microscopy based methods:

• Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
• Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM)
• Single molecule desorption spectroscopy (SDS)
• Chemical force microscopy (CFM)
• Scanning Kelvin Probe (SKP)

 Electrochemical Methods:

• Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
• Scanning Capillary Cell (SCC)

 Spectroscopic Methods:

• Infra Red Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy(IRRAS)
• Polarisation Modulated Infra Red Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS)
• Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy (ATR)
• Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy (DRIFT)
• Confocal Imaging Raman Spectroscopy

Other Methods:

• Contact Angle 
• Peel Test

Scanning Probe Microscopy based methods:

• Atomic force microscopy (AFM – UHV-AFM)
• Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM)
• Chemical force microscopy (CFM)

 Electrochemical Methods:

• Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)

 Spectroscopic Methods:

• Infra Red Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (IRRAS)
• Polarisation Modulated Infra Red Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS)
• Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy (ATR)
• X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
• Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM)

 Theoretical Methods:

• Density Functional Theory (SIESTA, VASP)

Other Methods:

• Contact Angle 

Film deposition methods:

• Physical vapour Deposition (PVD)
• Layer-by-layer technique (LBL)
• Plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD)
• Self-Assembly from solutions
• Micropatterning
• Conversion Chemistry
• Wet chemical nanocrystalline oxide growth

Scanning Probe Microscopy based methods:

• Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
• Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM)
• Single molecule desorption spectroscopy (SDS)
• Chemical force microscopy (CFM)

 Electrochemical Methods:

• Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
• Mott-Schottky Analysis

Spectroscopic Methods:

• Polarisation Modulated Infra Red Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS)
• Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy (ATR)
• X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)