En route to traceable reference standards for surface group quantifications by XPS, NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Accurate quantification of surface functional groups is crucial for material characterization.
• Metrological traceability for surface analysis techniques is an ongoing challenge.
• Fluorinated compounds are widely used in polymers for diverse applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reliably quantify fluorine content in polymer particles using complementary analytical techniques.
• To establish a foundation for metrological traceability in surface group quantification.
• To explore the extension of this quantification concept to fluorescence spectroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Quantification of fluorine in 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine-labelled polymer particles.
• Utilized X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for surface analysis.
• Employed solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for bulk and surface analysis.

Main Results:

• XPS and solid-state NMR provided reliable quantification of fluorine content.
• The techniques demonstrated overlapping sensitivity ranges for fluorine detection.
• The study illustrated the potential for extending this methodology to fluorescence spectroscopy.

Conclusions:

• XPS and solid-state NMR are effective complementary methods for quantifying fluorine in polymer particles.
• This work represents a significant step towards traceable reference materials for surface analysis.
• The findings pave the way for broader applications in metrology and advanced material characterization.