Analysis of the Surface Chemical Structure of Copolymers of Poly(sebacic anhydride) with Ricinoleic Acid Maleate Using XPS and ToF−SIMS

X-ray photoelectron spectrocopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF−SIMS) have been used to characterize the surface chemistry of copolymers of poly(sebacic anhydride) with ricinoleic acid maleate. ToF−SIMS analysis yielded fragmentation patterns consisting of ions diagnostic of both monomers. Across the copolymer series, relative peak intensities of these diagnostic ions showed a good comparison between surface and bulk composition, in accordance with the XPS analysis. ToF−SIMS data also indicated that these copolymers consisted of either random or block sections.