COUPLES - Research project

 
In order to protect metals from environmental damages like oxidation, the growth of thin passive films on the metal surface during an electrochemical process is a well-known and well-controlled technique. However, there is uncertainty about the thickness and the refractive index of these passive films. The idea of the project is to implement an optical method, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), in order to have an in-situ technique to characterise the passive film. SPR is a collective electron oscillation at the metal/dielectric interface, extremely sensitive to any small changes in the surrounding media and the interface properties, such as refractive index variations. Surface plasmon are already known in the field of precise optical sensors and could eventually help to characterise these films during the phenomenon. Coupled with electrochemical characterisation techniques, it would provide access to additional data that could increase knowledge about the physicochemical properties of these passive layers.