New tools for the surface engineer

摘要

In 2002, the global budget for nanotechnology research was in excess of us1 billion. In the UK, the industries benefiting most from nanoscience and technology are the health and life sciences, IT and electronics, defence and aerospace, food and drink and materials and transport. In the development of the novel materials demanded by these industries, there is an increasing use of surface engineering to create surfaces with a specific functionality. These tailored surfaces interact with their surroundings in a particular way while leaving the bulk properties of the material, such as mechanical strength, unaltered. The engineering of surfaces in this way brings with it a need for surface-specific analysis techniques for use in both the research laboratory and the production facility. This article concentrates on one such analysis technique, known as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS).