Jan 21 2009
Thanks to new powerful imaging techniques, chemical mapping of complex inorganic and organic species with feature sizes as small as 200 nm is now possible.
CERAM, the internationally renowned centre for materials and technology, based in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, is able to offer this exciting new service which has opened up a whole new area in molecular characterisation of materials.
The technique allows improved identification of chemical defects, locus of failure and contamination issues. Previously unseen chemical information is now available for product development, failure analysis, migration studies and patent defence/litigation.
Chris Pickles, General Manager for CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis commented: “Unequivocal identification of surface species and their spatial distribution is now available. This is of benefit to a number of industries as varied as pharmaceutical, medical device, fibres and textiles, packaging and hair care products”.
For example in the pharmaceutical industry ToFSIMS imaging has been used to map complex active drug species on the surface of excipient carrier substrates. This information is invaluable for pharmaceutical companies developing novel drug delivery systems.