The application of atomic force microscopy to the characterization of industrial polymer materials

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is now well established among the tools of choice for the analysis and characterization of materials. Applications of AFM span many industries including chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. Advancements in AFM instrumentation over the last five years have expanded the range of application of this technology to investigate thermal and mechanical properties of complex materials at high spatial resolution as well as structural and morphological characterization of materials subjected to thermal and mechanical stresses. In particular, this has been an enabling technology for an improved understanding of structure-property relationships in polymeric materials including homopolymers, blends, impact-modified polymer systems, porous polymer systems, and semicrystalline polymers. Practical examples illustrate applications of contact, tapping-mode, phase-imaging, hot-stage, and scanning thermal methods for the characterization of modern industrial polymer materials.