Electron microscopy phase separation

The mechanism of formation of morphology structures in iPP-E-plastomers blends via shear-dependent mixing and demixing was investigated by optical microscopy and electron microscopy. A single-phase stmcture is formed under high shear condition in injection machine after injection, namely under zero-shear environments, spinodal decomposition proceeds and leads to the formation of a bicontinuous phase stmcture. The velocity of spinodal decomposition and the phase separation depend on the molecular stmcture of iPP and E-plastomer components. 

Scanning electron microscopy shows the cement to consist of zinc oxide particles embedded in an amorphous matrix (Smith, 1982a). As with the zinc phosphate cement, a separate globular water phase exists since the cement becomes uniformly porous on dehydration. Porosity diminishes as the water content is decreased. Wilson, Paddon Crisp (1979) distinguish between two types of water in dental cements non-evaporable (tightly bound) and evaporable (loosely bound). They found, in the example they examined, that the ratio of tightly bound to loosely bound water was 0-22 1-0, the lowest for all dental cements. They considered that loosely bound water acted as a plasticizer and weakened the cement. 

Light scattering and electron microscopy studies of aqueous PVME solutions and PVME microgels were carried out by Arndt et al. [329,330]. They noted that the Mw of PVME in water was always higher (up to 20 times) than its value (Mw = 46 000gmoH) determined in organic solvent (butanone), even for dilute aqueous PVME solutions well below the phase-separation temperature [330]. Moreover the molar masses of the polymer in water depended on solution preparation conditions. The authors concluded that PVME does not exist as isolated chains in water, but forms loose aggregates (Rh = 200-220 nm) which decrease in size as the solution temperature passes... 

From an experimental point of view, observations of the initial phase separated morphology via electron microscopy is complicated by the removal of unreacted monomer, except for the fully polymerized stage. 

The structure of ice cream has been studied in detail using electron microscopy. Trapped air bubbles are found to be separated by only few micrometer-thick layers of the continuous phase. 

The crystallographic texture of the films was dependent on the Cd content. Up to 3 at.%, the films were (111) textured, while for higher Cd concentrations they became (200) textured. The crystal size (measured from electron microscopy) was of the order of some hundreds of nanometers (somewhat smaller for larger Cd content) but increased again to ca. 1 jim for maximum Cd content just before phase separation. 

The extensive studies of the behavior of mixed monolayers or bilayers of di-acetylenic lipids and other amphiphiles parallel to some degree the studies of dienoyl-substituted amphiphiles. Since the dienoyl lipids do not contain a rigid diacetylenic group in the middle of the hydrophobic chains, they tend to be miscible with other lipids over a wide range of temperatures and compositions. In order to decrease the lipid miscibility of certain dienoyl amphiphiles, Ringsdorf and coworkers utilized the well-known insolubility of hydrocarbons and fluorocarbons. Thus two amphiphiles were prepared, one with hydrocarbon chains and the other with fluorocarbon chains, in order to reduce their ability to mix with one another in the bilayer. Of course it is necessary to demonstrate that the lipids form a mixed lipid bilayer rather than independent structures. Elbert et al. used freeze fracture electron microscopy to demonstrate that a molar mixture of 95% DM PC and 5% of a fluorinated amphiphile formed phase-separated mixed bilayers [39]. Electron micrographs showed extensive regions of the ripple phase (Pb phase) of the DM PC and occasional smooth patches that were attributed to the fluorinated lipid. In some instances it is possible to... 

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