Dear Professor Kornblum,

Thank you for your comprehensive answer to my question. The polymer that I am working with bears both oxygen- and nitrogen- containing moieties and the nanoparticles on which these polymers are adsorbed are iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). It is assumed in the literature that the carboxylic functional group is adsorbed onto the IONPs through a ligand complexation mechanism. I am looking for a method through which I can demonstrate the complexation of the polymer from the carboxylic moiety with the Fe2+ and Fe3+ ionic parts on the surface of IONPs. I wonder if XPS can help me in this regard. Usually, the easiest way to show the complexation behavior of polymers with ions is to perform potentiometric complexation experiments. By the change in the pH of the solutions bearing both the polymer and the target ions, one can track the trend the mixtures follow in uptaking the added OH- and/or H+ ions through the addition of titrating solutions. However, in the case of iron ions, since pHs higher than ~3 results in the formation of FeOH precipitates, this method is not useful in this regard.

Best regards,

Amin

Dear Amin,

You can try CHNS analysis, from that you can have the percentages of C, H and N then you just correlate the amount of polymer with the molecular weight.

Dear Natarajan,

Thank you for your answer to my question. Through CHNS, it is possible to correlate the amount of polymer with the molecular weight. However, is it also possible to have an insight into the adsorption sites from which these polymers are anchored to the substrate?

Best regards,

Consider attenuated total reflectance FTIR, if your main objective is to determine bonding mechanisms involving organic groups on particles. You can also obtain quantitative information if the experiment is conducted properly. See example attached.

Dear Doktor Hackley,

Thank you so much for your answer and to my question and for sharing the article with me. I highly appreciate your guidance.

Best regards,

Dear Professor Kornblum,

Thank you so much for your answer to my question. I highly appreciate your guidance.

Best regards,

Amin