Follow the evolution of grafted materials by their surface properties: Influence of grafting on the surface nanomorphology

Executive summary

Adscientis has developed a unique concept of molecular “nanoroughness” describing the surface morphology of a material by very subtle differences towards linear, branched and cyclic probe molecules and thereby adding a very powerful concept to characterize and understand solid material surfaces.
 

How can we define “nanoroughness”? What experiences have been made? Which story can inverse gas chromatography tell about your material surface?

Inverse gas chromatography has proven its potential ability to deliver accurate information on surface properties such as the adsorption free enthalpy variation , the dispersive surface energy, the surface polarity character and the nanomorphology of the surface. In practice, the concept of nanomorphology or nanoroughness has been proven to very be useful, but its definition is not straightforward. Furthermore, alternative IGC suppliers are not capable of exploring it due to limited number of probe molecules.
The concept is described using the example of differently grafted silica samples. The evolution of the nanoroughness, upon increasing the grafting ratio of the silica material, provides valuable information on the surface interactivity and property. The method has been applied to hundreds of other solid materials as carbon blacks, calcium carbonates, excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients, carbon fibers and even treated hair. It is very sensitive and reproducible and can thereby provide excellent guidance towards an ideally tailored surface treatment.
See the pdf of this application note