FILAB, laboratoire d’expertise de surface depuis plus de 30 ans, accompagne les industriels pour fiabiliser leurs matériaux, résoudre les défaillances et optimiser leurs procédés.
Your needs: surface characterisation of your materials
Knowing the properties and surface conditions of a material can help you adapt your manufacturing processes. With the support of a specialist laboratory, you can carry out analyses and expert reports on the surface of materials to optimise your performance.
The surface of a material is a vulnerable zone where numerous interactions with its environment take place. Its specific characteristics determine the overall performance of materials. It can have an impact on the reliability and strength of a product in the event of failures (corrosion, wear, adhesion, friction, etc.).
Why use a materials surface expertise laboratory?
Laboratory surface expertise enables us to understand properties such as roughness, surface energy, chemical composition and the presence of contamination or treatments.
This information is essential for optimising the adhesion, resistance, functionalisation and cleanliness of surfaces in many industrial sectors.
Our bespoke surface analysis services and techniques
Our surface analysis services
Surface chemistry is concerned with the surface properties of materials. It enables the chemical properties of surface materials to be modified, if necessary, to give them new properties suited to their use.
Morphology, the three-dimensional study of surfaces, and topography, analysed at macro, micro and nanometric levels, are crucial for optimising industrial manufacturing processes. These analyses help to prevent failures by providing an in-depth understanding of material properties.
Multilayer analysis of material surfaces involves examining several surface layers of a material. This technique is widely used to identify the surface composition of materials.
The surface of a material interacts with its external environment and may encounter chemical contamination or particle pollution as a result of the various stages in the manufacturing process, for example.
The measurement of surface tension determines the force acting on the surface of a liquid, due to the attraction between its molecules. This force is responsible for behaviours such as droplet formation and spreading on surfaces, and enables the surface area of the liquid to be minimised. This measurement is used to understand and optimise liquid-liquid and liquid-solid interactions in various industrial and scientific contexts.
Surface topography analysis is used to optimise the contact, adhesion and durability properties of materials, particularly for coatings, medical devices and aeronautical components. During this surface analysis, the physical characteristics of a material's surface, such as its texture, asperities and overall shape, are assessed.
VSSA analysis is used to determine the specific surface area of a material per unit volume. This analysis is mainly used in the pharmaceutical industry and for characterising materials, particularly porous materials or powders, where chemical reactivity and dissolution are influenced by the specific surface area.
The measurement of surface tension determines the force acting on the surface of a liquid, due to the attraction between its molecules. This force is responsible for behaviours such as droplet formation and spreading on surfaces, and enables the surface area of the liquid to be minimised. This measurement is used to understand and optimise liquid-liquid and liquid-solid interactions in various industrial and scientific contexts.
Profilometry focuses primarily on the quantitative measurement of vertical variations in the surface of a material. This surface analysis provides precise information on surface texture, guaranteeing product quality and performance.
Our surface expertise services
FILAB is able to analyse the surface of a material on a nanometric scale(extreme surface analysis or surface expertise) using cutting-edge techniques such as TOF-SIMS, XPS/ESCA and AFM.
As well as checking the surface cleanliness of the material, the laboratory identifies the pollution in question.
Materials interface analysis is a technique for studying the transition zone between two distinct substances in a composite material. It enables us to understand the chemical and physical interactions at the interfaces, which are crucial to the material's performance and stability.
- Corrosion, cracks, fractures, adhesion problems
By analysing the imperfections in your metal alloys, we can determine their origins and impact. We carry out detailed analyses of failures to provide an in-depth understanding of their nature and scope.
Checking the homogeneity of surface treatments is essential to ensure the uniform quality and performance of materials, making it possible to detect and correct any variations or defects in the treatment process. This verification guarantees the reliability and durability of materials in their specific applications.
Adhesion analysis is used to assess the strength with which two surfaces bond to each other, for example between a coating and a surface. Knowledge of this characteristic guarantees the reliability and durability of coatings and assemblies in the automotive, aerospace and electronics sectors, for example.
Shot peening is a surface treatment process in which small beads are impacted onto a material to improve its texture or mechanical properties. This laboratory process improves the fatigue, corrosion and wear resistance of metal components. This treatment is common in the aerospace and automotive industries.
During a laboratory roughness analysis, our experts measure the texture of a material's surface and quantify any irregularities. This surface analysis is used to verify specific performance and aesthetic criteria.
The delamination study is used to examine the layers of a composite material or with a coating in order to identify any signs of separation or anomalies. This information determines the structural integrity of composite materials used in aeronautics or construction, for example.
Laboratory tomography testing uses X-rays or other forms of radiography to create three-dimensional images of the inside of an object without destroying it. This method can be used to analyse defects in materials, helping to prevent failures in industries such as energy.
Nos prestations d'expertise de surface
Le développement et la validation de procédés de traitement de surface sont fondamentaux pour innover et améliorer les performances des matériaux, en assurant que chaque méthode soit efficace, reproductible et conforme aux normes de qualité exigées. Cette démarche garantit la fiabilité et l'efficacité des traitements appliqués, adaptés aux spécificités de chaque matériau.
L'étude de vieillissement permet de prédire sa durabilité et sa résistance dans le temps. Il permet notamment d'anticiper les modifications de ses propriétés sous l'effet de facteurs environnementaux et d'usage.
Les traitements de surface confèrent aux matériaux un aspect et des caractéristiques particulières suivant la nature du traitement de surface mais également celle du substrat qui va accueillir ce revêtement.
FILAB vous propose un panel de formations mais il est tout à fait possible de réaliser des formations à la demande.
Our technical resources
Surface characterization applications
Poor adhesion of a coating on a medical implant
In the medical device industry, problems with the adhesion of antibacterial coatings on titanium implants can lead to batches being rejected.
In such cases, the intervention of a laboratory specialising in surface characterisation is essential. Thanks to analyses such as XPS and SEM-EDX, it is possible to identify organic contamination that is invisible to the naked eye. This data can be used to adapt surface treatments and guarantee the conformity of medical devices.
Analysis and optimisation of thin films for luxury products
In the luxury goods industry, thin films are used to give products aesthetic and personalised finishes, such as gold or platinum coatings on jewellery. They also offer technical functions, such as scratch resistance for watches via layers of DLC or titanium nitride. To validate their performance, these films are analysed in the laboratory using techniques such as SEM, TEM or AFM. These tools are used to study their morphology, thickness and roughness. The chemical composition is determined using methods such as XPS or DRX.
Our FAQs
Surface analysis refers to a set of techniques used to study the physico- chemical analysis aimed at assessing the state, elemental composition, topography and functional properties of a material's surface layers.
It helps to understand material/environment interactions, identify critical defects and validate or optimise industrial manufacturing, treatment or coating processes.
To ensure the quality, performance and conformity of a product in sectors such as health, aeronautics or luxury goods.
A laboratory's surface expertise refers to its ability to analyse and characterise the properties of material surfaces and interfaces. This expertise covers a wide range of analysis and measurement techniques, enabling aspects such as the chemical composition, molecular structure, topography, roughness, morphology, and mechanical and electrical properties of surfaces to be assessed.
The aim is to understand how surfaces interact with their environment, which is crucial in many areas of application, including coatings, surface treatments, nanotechnology, energy, electronics and biomaterials.
Laboratories with this expertise use advanced equipment, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other surface analysis methods to obtain detailed information about the surface layers of materials.
The surface expertise of a laboratory such as FILAB helps to guide the development of new materials, improve manufacturing processes, solve quality and performance problems, and foster innovation in product design.
Techniques commonly used in surface analysis include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction. These techniques provide information on the topography, chemical composition, molecular orientation and mechanical properties of a material's surface.
Surface characteristics include roughness, cleanliness, chemical composition and topography.
The surface of a material refers to its outer layer that comes into contact with the environment, such as air or a liquid.
The interface, on the other hand, is the area where two different phases or materials meet and interact, such as the boundary between a solid and a liquid or between two solids.
The problems encountered on the surface of a material are linked to its direct exposure to the environment. This includes corrosion, wear and tear, and degradation due to environmental factors such as oxidation and humidity. These conditions lead to changes in the chemical and physical properties of the surface, requiring specific solutions such as surface treatments or coatings to improve the strength and durability of the material and prevent failure.
When it comes to interfaces between two distinct materials or phases, it is more a question of adhesion, chemical compatibility, and the transmission of stresses or electrical currents across the interface.
This industrial issue is critical in the design of composite materials, electronic devices and multi-material assemblies, where poor interaction at the interface can compromise structural integrity or functional performance.
Contact the FILAB laboratory to find out more about the analyses available
A laboratory's surface expertise refers to its ability to analyse and characterise the properties of material surfaces and interfaces. This expertise covers a wide range of analysis and measurement techniques, enabling aspects such as the chemical composition, molecular structure, topography, roughness, morphology, and mechanical and electrical properties of surfaces to be assessed.
The aim is to understand how surfaces interact with their environment, which is crucial in many areas of application, including coatings, surface treatments, nanotechnology, energy, electronics and biomaterials.
Laboratories with this expertise use advanced equipment, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other surface analysis methods to obtain detailed information about the surface layers of materials.
Analysis and characterization of the surface of materials is carried out in the laboratory using specific technical and analytical resources depending on the materials and requirements (contamination, wear, adhesion, etc.).