Research

The SSW team of dedicated scientists boasts an impressive track record in materials and surfaces research.

To date, SSW researchers have produced over 500 publications and have been granted eight patents in the field of materials and surface analytics.

 

Our scientists are currently conducting active research in the following topics:

  • Optimization of surface chemical analytical techniques for mineral processing applications
  • Application of the techniques for process development and control
  • Application of surface chemical techniques in a geometallurgical framework: the development of chemical reactivity tests towards the prediction of flotation selectivity and flow sheet development
  • Fundamental analytical studies in transition metal X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
  • Polymer surface modification, polymer degradation and polymer additive migration studies
  • Surface and corrosion studies of magnesium, aluminum and stainless steel
  • Stress corrosion cracking, under-deposit corrosion, and oxidative behaviour studies of steam generator tube materials
  • Technical advancements in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
  • Chemical stability of organic semiconducting thin films
  • Advancements in data ‘mining’ techniques (principal component analysis (PCA) and other multivariate analysis techniques)
  • Self assembled monolayers (SAM) of octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) on silicon and mica