Abstract
Despite the new definition of the Kilogram, physical weights prone to contamination will still be used in the dissemination of the unit. Cleaning is applied to bring the weight surface to a well-defined state to allow predictable adsorption behaviour. Currently used mechanical cleaning methods show poor reproducibility. Therefore, non-contact cleaning techniques such as plasma cleaning have been introduced. In this study, the applicability of low-pressure hydrogen plasma for cleaning stainless steel weights was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and gravimetric weighing. Results show that hydrogen plasma effectively removes surface contamination without damaging the surface. Successive ultrasonic cleaning in ethanol did not considerably reduce surface contamination.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 22nd IMEKO TC3 International Conference on Measurement of Force, Mass and Torque 2014, Held Together with TC5 and TC22 |
| Publisher | International Measurement Confederation IMEKO |
| Pages | 17-20 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-63266-728-1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| MoE publication type | A4 Article in a conference publication |
| Event | 22nd IMEKO TC3 International Conference on Measurement of Force, Mass and Torque 2014, Held Together with TC5 and TC22 - Cape Town, South Africa Duration: 3 Feb 2014 → 6 Feb 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | 22nd IMEKO TC3 International Conference on Measurement of Force, Mass and Torque 2014, Held Together with TC5 and TC22 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | South Africa |
| City | Cape Town |
| Period | 3/02/14 → 6/02/14 |
Keywords
- AFM
- Hydrogen plasma cleaning
- Stainless steel weight
- Surface contamination