Viscosity microscopic instrumentation

Viscoelastic Measurement. A number of methods measure the various quantities that describe viscoelastic behavior. Some require expensive commercial rheometers, others depend on custom-made research instruments, and a few require only simple devices. Even qualitative observations can be useful in the case of polymer melts, paints, and resins, where elasticity may indicate an inferior batch or unusable formulation. For example, the extrusion swell of a material from a syringe can be observed with a microscope. The Weissenberg effect is seen in the separation of a cone and plate during viscosity measurements or the climbing of a resin up the stirrer shaft during polymerization or mixing. 

Electron microscopic measurements were made on film samples embedded in Spurr s low viscosity medium and microtomed into sections which were thin supported on Cu grids. Measurements were made on a Phillips Model 401 LS TEM operated at 100 KV in the bright field mode at calibrated magnifications up to 500,000x. At his magnification the instrument is capable of resolving features that are about 3.5 A in diameter. 

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