High Resolution Concentration Depth Profiles for Analysing Soft Matter Surfaces with NICISS

Introduction: Soft matter surfaces play a vital role in many areas: polymers and dyes in organic electronics, surfactant solutions, foam films, functionalization of surfaces and biological membranes to name only a few examples. Often it is of interest to know how the various components are distributed along the depth scale. In the case of soft matter the depth resolution required is in the order of the size of the molecules forming the sample, i.e a depth resolution of less than 1 nm. The depth range required is in the order of a few 10 nm. The requirements on the concentration depth profiles can be met with neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS).