Polymer Microscopy - Sawyer, Linda

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Résumé :
This updated and revised Third Edition is a practical guide to the study of the microstructure of polymers, stemming from the authors' many years of academic and industrial experience. Introductory chapters deal with the basic concepts of polymer morphology and processing as well as microscopy and imaging theory. The core of the book is more applied, with many examples of specimen preparation and image interpretation leading to materials characterization. Readers learn to use microscopy to characterize a wide range of polymer systems, including fibers, films, engineering resins and plastics, composites, nanocomposites, and polymer blends. Light microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques are all discussed. In addition, the book explores emerging microscopy techniques. It closes with a problem-solving guide that provides a systematic framework for choosing a suitable approach to characterize a polymer microstructure....

Sommaire:
Introduction to Polymer Morphology: Polymer materials; Polymer morphology; Polymer process; Polymer characterization.- Fundamentals of Microscopy: Optical microscopy; Scanning electronic microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, Scanning probe microscopy; Radiation sensitive materials; Analytical microscopy; Quantitative microscopy; Dynamic microscopy.- Image Formation in the Microscope: Imaging with lenses; Imaging by scanning electron beam; Imaging in atomic force microscope; Specimen damage in the microscope.- Specimen Preparation Methods: Simple preparation methods; Polishing; Microtomy; Staining; Etching; Replication; Conductive coatings; Yielding and fracture; Cryogenic and drying methods.- Applications of Microscopy to Polymers: Fibers; Films and membranes; Engineering resins and plastics; Composites; Emulsions, coatings, and adhesives; High performance polymers.- Emerging Techniques in Polymer Microscopy: Optical and electron microscopy; Scanning probe microscopy; Three dimensional imaging; Analytical imaging.- Problem Solving Summary: Where to start; Instrumental techniques; Interpretation; Supporting characterizations.- Appendices.

From the reviews of the third edition: This book focuses on polymer morphology and, specifically, the variety of microscopy methods available to characterize polymers. ... I strongly recommend this book to every polymer scientist and engineer who is looking for a new imaging method that will answer an outstanding question or who is struggling to interpret the contrast in an image. Similarly, I highly recommend this book to mocroscopists working with polymeric materials. (Karen I. Winey, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 131 (9), 2009)