Surface Characterization
Compared to solution phase methods, surface analysis often encounters difficult sample preparation and uniformity issues. To this end, many techniques have been developed in surface characterization to deliver fast and reliable results. For example, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are the two most commonly used microscopic techniques to visualize surface morphology. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and XPS can provide surface component information