NEW METHOD FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF DOMAIN MORPHOLOGY OF POLYMER BLENDS USING RUTHENIUM TETROXIDE STAINING AND LOW-VOLTAGE SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY (LVSEM)
Gm. Brown et Jh. Butler, NEW METHOD FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF DOMAIN MORPHOLOGY OF POLYMER BLENDS USING RUTHENIUM TETROXIDE STAINING AND LOW-VOLTAGE SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY (LVSEM), Polymer, 38(15), 1997, pp. 3937-3945
A new method has been developed for the analysis of domain morphology
of stained polyolefin blends by low voltage scanning electron microsco
py (LVSEM). The component polymers of the blend are differentiated by
heavy staining with RuO4. LVSEM at low accelerating voltages provides
high resolution imaging and minimal beam damage to the sample. The met
hod is routinely applied to the analys sis of domain morphology in mou
lded samples, fibres and films, to failure analysis and to the analysi
s of layer morphology of co-extruded films. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science
Ltd.