Compositional Analysis
Determine what an unknown material is made of, confirm the identity of a suspected material, and identify differences between similar materials. Xinbodi combines complementary analytical techniques with expert interpretation to pinpoint unexpected components that may drive defects or performance gaps.
What Is Compositional Analysis?
Compositional analysis and materials identification are used to determine the components of an unknown material, confirm the identity of a suspected material, and understand why similar materials behave differently. In many cases, an unknown component is the underlying cause of difficult problems—making rapid identification of unexpected materials critical for R&D, quality control, and troubleshooting.
Xinbodi has developed deep expertise in identifying and characterizing unknowns by applying individual and combined compositional analysis techniques together with expert data interpretation. Once the chemical nature of the material is established, further materials characterization can be used to obtain deeper structural or performance insight.
How This Helps Your Team
After determining the chemical nature of an unknown material, we help clients turn analytical results into practical actions, such as:
- Determine the potential source of the identified material (raw material, process, environment)
- Compare the chemistries of two different materials or batches
- Confirm the identity of a suspected material or contaminant
- Identify a material from a potential competitor or a new vendor
Typical Application Scenarios
Compositional analysis is often used when “what’s present” drives performance, defects, safety, or compliance. Typical scenarios include:
- Unknown particle/residue identification causing defects or reliability concerns
- Contamination and foreign material investigation in production or packaging
- Batch-to-batch inconsistency and supplier comparison for qualification
- Competitor benchmarking and chemistry comparison for product improvement
- Verification of suspected materials (e.g., wrong grade, wrong additive package)
Common Materials We Identify
Our scientists have identified a wide range of materials found in (or on) coatings, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductors, consumer products, adhesives, and more. Typical “unknowns” include:
- Unknown particle/residue identification causing defects or reliability concerns
- Contamination and foreign material investigation in production or packaging
- Batch-to-batch inconsistency and supplier comparison for qualification
- Competitor benchmarking and chemistry comparison for product improvement
- Verification of suspected materials (e.g., wrong grade, wrong additive package)
Why “unknowns” matter
Unexpected components can trigger defects, instability, odor, discoloration, adhesion failure, or reliability risks.
What we deliver
Clear identification with supporting evidence, plus recommendations for follow-up tests when needed.
How We Select the Right Technique
The best approach depends on what is already known, what must be quantified, and where the information resides (surface, bulk, or layer). Our team typically evaluates:
- What is known about the sample already?
- What needs to be quantified (major/minor elements, chemical components, molecular/organic components)?
- Is this a surface, bulk, or layer analysis?
- Can destructive methods be used?
- Is the sample unique or limited in quantity?
We frequently combine methods to confirm identity and reduce uncertainty—especially for complex mixtures, multi-layer structures, or trace-level contamination.
Surface, Bulk & Thin Layer Analysis
Different problems require different information depths. Below is a practical guide to common analysis types and suitable techniques.
Surface Analysis
Quantitative surface chemistry with shallow information depth (< ~100 Å). Best for contamination, surface treatments, adhesion issues, oxidation, and interface-related failures.
Typical techniques: XPS (all materials), AES (typically conductive materials).
Bulk Analysis
Large/deep information depth methods for overall composition, minimizing surface effects. Depth-specific information is typically not available. Useful for elemental quantification and polymer identification.
Typical techniques: XRF, ICP-OES (major/minor elements), FTIR & Raman (polymers/organics).
Thin Layer / Film Analysis
Techniques depend on layer thickness, known/unknown components, and required quantitation. Ideal for coatings, films, and semiconductor layers.
Typical techniques: RBS (quantitation of known major elements), XPS (unknown major components), AES (small analysis areas & conductive), SIMS (high precision thin film measurement), FTIR & Raman (organic films).
Standard projects: 5–10 working days
Rush service may be available depending on scope.
Compositional Analysis
Deformulation
Failure Analysis
Impurities Analysis
Surface Analysis
Composition & Materials ID
Materials Characterization
Advanced Analysis Technologies
We tailor an efficient testing plan using a broad analytical toolbox. Typical methods include:
- XPS
- AES
- SIMS
- RBS
- XRF
- ICP-OES / ICP-MS
- FTIR
- Raman
- GC-MS
- LC-MS
- SEM/EDS
- XRD
Method choice is driven by: sample matrix (organic/inorganic), target analytes, detection limits, sample form, and whether destructive testing is allowed.
What You Will Receive
Your deliverables are designed to support engineering decisions and root-cause closure. A typical report includes:
- Methods and conditions used, with instrument outputs (spectra, maps, chromatograms) where relevant
- Identified materials/components and supporting evidence
- Quantitative or semi-quantitative results (where applicable)
- Comparison between samples (qualified vs. unqualified, supplier A vs. supplier B, etc.)
- Conclusions, likely sources, and recommended next steps
Why Choose Us for Compositional Analysis?
Every materials testing project is delivered with a clear, structured report designed to support technical and business decisions. A typical report includes:
Broad capabilities for organic, inorganic, elemental, and molecular analysis
Multi-technique workflows for reliable identification and confirmation
Strong expertise in unknown materials, residues, and contaminants
Proper method selection for surface, bulk, and thin-layer analysis
High-confidence results through cross-verification and expert interpretation
Experience with complex formulations and trace-level components
Secure handling of proprietary and IP-sensitive samples
Clear conclusions and practical recommendations, not just raw data