Determination of the bulk structure of technical multiphase polymer systems with AFM: Comparative AFM and TEM investigation

The state-of-the-art characterization technique for the bulk morphology of technical multiphase polymer systems is currently transmission electron mic roscopy (TEM), With the development of numerous dynamic measuring modes, at omic force microscopy (AFM) is now also capable of mapping multiphase polym er systems with extremely high resolution and material contrast. Neverthele ss, the vast majority of the latter work has been conducted on thin-film mo del systems, in most cases cast or spin-coated from solution. For most indu strial applications of polymer systems, however, the bulk morphology is of primary interest. In the present paper, surface preparation techniques (mic rotoming, press moulding and partial dissolution) for ABM investigation of the bulk morphology of technical polymer systems are discussed and ABM resu lts-in most cases tapping mode images with phase detection-are compared sys tematically with TEM data. Atomic force microscopy is not only capable of a ccessing simple phase distributions, as in the ABS blend, but it can also g ive insight into more complex inner particle structures as in certain types of ASA or PP blends. Compatibilizer distributions can be mapped too. In al l these cases, TEM and AFM results are in line with each other, in some cas es complimentary. Tapping mode phase-contrast mapping together with classic al cryomicrotoming yielded the best results with most of the polymers in th e study. Press moulding or partial dissolution, although simpler, yielded o nly partial information on the morphology of the systems. Copyright (C) 199 9 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.