A. Du Chesne, Energy filtering transmission electron microscopy of polymers - Benefit and limitations of the method, MACRO CH P, 200(8), 1999, pp. 1813-1830
Energy filtering transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) of polymers can o
ften be successful where conventional methods fail due to insufficient cont
rast. A necessary prerequisite is that heteroatoms are contained in one of
the phases to be discriminated. After an introduction of the method and a c
onsideration of contrast in polymer systems, it is shown how and under what
conditions EFTEM can contribute to the solution of typical problems in pol
ymer research. The examples given cover representative areas from the field
s of polymer blends, block copolymer morphology, structure of interpenetrat
ing networks, film formation of water borne coatings, and organic-inorganic
composites. All examples have in common that conventional TEM fails to yie
ld the desired information on structure and composition, while EFTEM proves
to be successful. Problems encountered upon interpretation of results are
discussed, and ways to avoid artifacts are shown.