Electron Microscopic Analysis of Multicomponent Polymers and Blends

Electron Microscopic Analysis of Multicomponent Polymers and Blends 

At this point it will not be necessary to provide details of polymer blends, nor of their fabrication routes and applications, as this entire book is devoted to such information. Indeed, a plethora of reference material describing different aspects of the materials science and engineering of polymer blends is available [1-11], with many references - both direct and indirect - being made to electron microscopy (EM) and/or atomic force microscopy (AFM) for such purpose. But this simply highlights the significance of microscopy in the characterization of multi-component polymers, polymer blends, and their composites. 

The mechanical properties of polymers are determined mainly by molecular parameters, as well as their structural details (morphology) and their response towards applied loads. Hence, in order to design polymeric materials possessing a 

Characterization of Polymer Blends Miscibility, Morphology, and Interfaces, First Edition. 

In this chapter an overview is presented of the application of EM to morphological studies of polymer blends, with special emphasis on sample preparation and comparative studies using AFM. A brief overview of sample preparation is first provided, followed by some typical characterizations of polymer blends, based on the present author s experience, research data, and information reported elsewhere. It should be noted that only the imaging of polymer blend structures will be described at this point, since the assodated spectroscopic tools and chemical mapping are beyond the scope of the chapter. 

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S701 7 7 Electron Microscopic Analysis of Multicomponent Polymers and Blends... 

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