ToF-SIMS and XPS study of sulphur on carbon black surface

A very broad range of carbon blacks (CB) from different origins and differe nt manufacturing processes (furnace CB, plasma CB, acetylene CB, plasma-tre ated CB, etc.) were analysed by surface-sensitive techniques: time-of-fligh t secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and x-ray photoelectron spectr oscopy (XPS), The data were compared with conventional bulk properties of i ndustrial CB: specific surface area and sulphur titration. Different types of sulphur functional groups were identified at CB surfaces by ToF-SIMS (HS -, SOx-, HSOx-, SCN-, etc.). A linear relationship between the ToF-SIMS int ensity of the sulphur-containing ions and the total sulphur bulk quantity w as observed. The total intensity of ToF-SIMS spectra was found to be depend ent on the specific surface area of the CB samples. The total quantity of s ulphur measured by XPS, when detected, was in good agreement with the total sulphur bulk quantity. However, the ToF-SIMS sensitivity for sulphur funct ional groups was much higher than the XPS sensitivity, Copyright (C) 2000 J ohn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.