Coating Analysis
The critical process of coating analysis is used to examine and assess the effectiveness, integrity, and quality of various coatings applied to diverse surfaces. Coatings are used to improve the look and performance of substrates as well as to protect them from corrosion, wear, abrasion, and other environmental conditions.
Examining Coatings
Surface protection layers keep a surface’s functional and aesthetic features intact. Sensitive surfaces can be found on a wide variety of things, from electronic components and sensors to medical items and membranes to commonplace and specialized instruments and gadgets of all sizes. Coatings can be used to shield a surface from harmful substances, make it more biocompatible, boost its functionality, or act as a selective barrier. The materials that are shielded from harm are flexible. Materials such as metals, polymers, glasses, and semiconductors may be used in various contexts. The actual barriers themselves can vary greatly. Depending on the use or the anticipated environment, we could be dealing with organic protective layers or inorganic coatings. It’s not always the case that a certain layer of defense is the best option. There are a variety of techniques for applying coatings, and they vary depending on the substrate, layer structure, application, and coating needs. Electroplating, painting, vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD) are all examples of such procedures.
It is possible for any coating or protective layer to fail. In some circumstances, such as delamination, staining, corrosion, and the like, a straightforward examination reveals that the layer itself has failed. Coating failure is not always visible or directly linked to the component or product that failed. An appropriate method of analysis is useful here. As soon as coating loss is suspected, a surface analysis lab should be contacted. Experts can be consulted on the matter, sometimes even in person.
The Infinita lab is equipped with a variety of surface analysis techniques. Each of them excels in a different kind of analytical work. You’ll choose an approach that suits the analytical inquiry and can best detect a possible inaccuracy based on the sample system and the description of the problem. Coating analysis often necessitates the use of many techniques. Rapid diagnosis can be achieved by coating and substrate analysis.
Below is an analysis our lab performed on an organic barrier layer.
- Stent
- Layers of organic defense
Protection coatings for electronic devices
In this example, a transparent protective coating of the polymer parylene should be applied to a circuit board to provide mechanical stabilization and protection against corrosion. Several micrometers of film were deposited to the surface of the board, and after a number of components failed, it became unclear whether or not the film was constructed from the intended polymer. In order to answer this question, the spectrum of a known parylene was compared to the ATR-FTIR study of the unknown protective covering. All absorption bands in the displayed IR spectra agree with one another. This allowed us to rule out any other coatings as potential failure causes and confirm that perylene was indeed a protective layer.
