In many applications of polymer materials, as e.g. coatings, composites or as smart surfaces, the material properties or the adhesion to other substances are determined to a great amount by functional groups situated at the very surface. While contact angle measurements can reveal the polarity of a surface, the zeta potential (the electrical potential of a solid in contact to an aqueous solution) gives valuable information about its acid-base behaviour resulting from charged functional groups, the adsorption of ions and molecules, and time-dependent processes as swelling and chemical reactions.
In this free webinar, Dr. Drechsler will:
- Introduce basic principles of electrokinetic measurements used to determine the zeta potential of samples of different size and geometry.
- Present examples of polymer surface characterization by zeta potential measurements in combination with other surface-sensitive methods.
- Discuss practical problems in the implementation and analysis of zeta potential measurement.
About the speakers
Dr. Astrid Drechsler studied Physics at FSU Jena. After 2 years work in the microelectronics industry, she went to TU Dresden and received her PhD degree in the field of Physical Chemistry. In 1997, she joined the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. and is now working there in the department Polymer Interfaces. She led and leads fundamental and application-oriented projects on surface modification of polymers or by polymers including various physico-chemical characterization methods, with focus on topography and roughness, wetting and zeta potential.
