This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Just a few atomic layers at the surface can strongly influence how effectively a material binds pollutants from water or how efficiently a photocatalyst responds to light. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the chemical states and interactions at the surfaces and interfaces of bio-based carbon materials and organic-inorganic hybrid materials.
Their insights can support the targeted development of functional materials for future industrial applications. Bio-based materials and related hybrid systems are being explored for a wide range of applications, including water treatment, catalytic processes, electrochemical devices and functional coatings. They combine natural raw materials with inorganic materials, bringing together the properties of both material classes.
The function, reactivity and stability of bio-based hybrid materials can depend strongly on the chemical environments present at their surfaces and interfaces. Many conventional analytical methods, however, provide only limited access to these processes. For materials development, this means that the causes of differences in performance, aging effects or unexpected material behavior often remain unclear.
In a series of joint studies led by the Materials Chemistry research group of Professor Andreas Taubert at the University of Potsdam, bio-derived carbon and hybrid materials were developed and evaluated for water purification applications. Fraunhofer IAP contributed detailed XPS characterization, focusing on surface composition, chemical states and interfacial interactions. Spent coffee grounds and orange peels served as renewable starting materials for producing biochar, which was subsequently combined with clay minerals and metal oxides.
The most recent paper was published in the New Journal of Chemistry. The key question addressed by the XPS analysis was how the formation of these bio-based hybrid materials and their combination with inorganic components changed the chemistry of their surfaces and interfaces. Jiyong Kim, an expert in surface analysis at Fraunhofer IAP, investigated how thermal treatment and hybrid formation changed the surface and interfacial chemistry of the organic-inorganic hybrid materials using XPS.
Here, the material surface is irradiated with X-rays, and the energy of the emitted photoelectrons is measured. "XPS is like an extremely fine surface scanner. It allows us to read the top 1–10 nanometers of a material like a chemical map.
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