Atomic force microscopy imaging of molybdenum oxide film electrodeposited on a carbon electrode

Non-stoichiometric mixed-valent molybdenum(VI, V) oxide film was grown on carbon substrates by the electrodeposition method. Responses of the prepared molybdenum oxide thin films to potential and to different solution acidities were studied by cyclic voltammetry, and the corresponding morphological changes of the film were monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM images of the molybdenum oxide film show that the characteristic domed structure on the film surface increased during the transition from the oxidized state to the reduced state without signification change in the KMS surface roughness value. Furthermore, AFM studies show that the solution acidity has great effect on the morphology of the films, and the films undergo a homogenizing process with increasing pH of the solutions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

On morphology and the competition between crystallization and phase separation in polypropylene-polyethylene blends

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) have been examined for a series of compositions using differential scanning calorimetry and permanganic etching followed by transmission electron microscopy. Thermal analysis of their melting and recrystallization behaviour suggests two possibilities, either that below 15 wt % PP the blends are fully miscible and that PP only crystallizes after LDPE because of compositional changes in the remaining melt, or else that the PP is separated, but in the form of droplets too small to crystallize at normal temperatures. Microscopic examination of the morphology shows that the latter is the case, but that a fraction of the PP is nevertheless dissolved in the LDPE. (C) 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Multilayer assemblies of colloidal ZnS doped with silver and polyelectrolytes based on electrostatic interaction

Multilayer assemblies of silver doped ZnS colloid and polycation were fabricated by a self-assembly technique exploiting electrostatic interaction. UV/Vis spectra showed the uniform deposition process and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the coexistence of silver. It was found that the emission spectra of the silver doped ZnS colloid red-shifted to 528 nm comparing with undoped ZnS colloid. However, the most important finding was that the luminescence intensity of doped ZnS assembled in films was much stronger than that of undoped ZnS in films and that of doped ZnS in the spin-casting film. The mechanism of the enhancement luminescence was discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Effect of the core-shell latex polymer content on the compatibility, morphology and mechanical properties of PC/PBA-cs-PMMA blends

The toughening effect of the content of a core-shell poly(butyl acrylate)/poly(methyl methacrylate) latex polymer (PBA-cs-PMMA) on the mechanical properties, morphology and compatibility of its blends with polycarbonate(PC), i.e., PC/PBA-cs-PMMa, was studied. The mechanical properties of the blends are strongly affected by varying the content of PBA-cs-PMMA in the blend. When the PBA-cs-PMMA content is only 5 wt.-%, the impact strength of PC/PBA-cs-PMMA is almost 19 times as high as that of pure PC, indicating that PBA-cs-PMMA is a very good impact modifier for PC. With increasing interphacial layer thickness and decreasing interphacial tension, the interphacial activity becomes more and more effective and, at the same time, miscibility increases too.

Novel morphology in ring-banded spherulites from single-phase mixtures of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) with poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)

Novel morphology of ring-banded spherulites in the surface of poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (PCL/SAN) blends was discovered and studied by SEM and TEM. The ring-banded spherulites separate into those exhibiting a very dark contrast, of relatively regular bundles of lamellae and others appearing with a much brighter intensity, of a coarse and irregular aggregates of lamellae. The origin of the novel morphology is not due to different crystalline structures as in the case of isotactic polypropylene because only one crystal structure exists in PCL/SAN blends. The formation may reflect whether spherulites in PCL/SAN blends are nucleated at the bottom surface or at the top (free) surface.

Studies on fracture morphology of short carbon fiber reinforced poly(phenylene ether ketone)(SCF/PEK-C) composites

The shear fracture morphology of SCF/PEK-C composite with carbon fibers treated for different times was studied carefully by SEM. The result shows that the adhesion between fiber and matrix was improved and fractured model also changed from interface fracture to brittle fracture with increasing treatment time of carbon fiber. The fracture mechanism was discussed preliminary.

Morphology and properties of [PPO-PDMS-PHS](n) segmented ternary copolymers

The morphology and properties of [ PPO-PDMS-PHS](n) segmented ternary copolymers were investigated by DMA, TEM and SAXS techniques. It is shown that the continuous phase of [PPO-PDMS-PHS](n) is the compatible phase composed of PDMS, PPO and PHS segments, and that there exist two dispersed phases, i, e. the PDMS phase and a mixed phase of half hard ( PHS) and hard ( PPO) segments. The tan delta vs. T curve of the segmented ternary copolymer with 66.7% (W/W) PDMS shows a rather high plateau in the temperature range from -120 degrees C to 200 degrees C, which indicates that the copolymer has the characteristics of microphase separation as well as compatibility of block copolymers, respectively. Meanwhile, it has good tensile properties, which means that [PPO-PDMS-PHS](n) has overcome the weakness of low strength of block or segmented copolymers containing PDMS.

Effects of the compatibilizer PP-g-GMA on morphology and mechanical properties of PP/PC blends

Effects of the compatibilizer polypropylene grafted with glycidyl methacrylate(PP-g-GMA) on the morphology, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties of polypropylene and polycarbonate blends (PP/PC) were studied. It was found that the addition of PP-g-GMA significantly changed their morphology. The mean size of domains reduced from 20 mu m to less than 5 mu m. The dispersed domain size is also strongly dependent upon the content of PP-g-GMA. The interfacial tension of PP/PC/PP-g-GMA (50/30/20) is only about one-tenth of PP/PC (70/30). The crystallization temperature of PP in PP/PC/PP-g-GMA is 5-8 degrees C higher than that of PP in PP/PC blends. Characterization studies based on mechanical properties, differential scanning calorimetry, rheology and morphological evidence obtained by using scanning electron microscopy support the hypothesis that an in-situ copolymer PP-g-PC was formed during the blending process. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Morphology and structure of poly(aryl ether ketone ketone) containing isophthaloyl moieties crystallized from dilute solution

Spherulites and lamellar single crystals of poly(aryl ether ketone ketone) containing isophthaloyl moieties (PEKK(I)) were obtained from dilute alpha-chloronaphthalene solution. The morphology and structure of the spherulites and single crystals were studied by electron microscopy and electron diffraction. The spherulites were found to consist of elongated lamellar branches that grow with the b crystallographic axis in the radial direction. Single crystals possess a similar habit, with b parallel to the long axis, a transverse, and c perpendicular to the lamellae plane. High-resolution images of the PEKK(I) crystals which show the perfection of and defects in the crystals, were obtained, and many defects or dislocations a,ere observed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Crystallization kinetics and morphology of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(vinyl acetate) blends

The crystallization behavior and morphology of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(vinyl acetate) blends have been studied with DSC, POM, SAXS and WAXD methods. The results indicate that the overall crystallization rate and spherulite growth rate are slower in the blends than that in the pure PHB. The addition of PVAc has no effect on the crystal structure of PHB, but affects its crystalline morphology. During crystallization of PHB, PVAc chains were being rejected into the region between the lamellae of crystalline PHB. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Morphology, mechanical properties and interfacial behaviour of PA1010/PP/PP-g-GMA ternary blends

Morphology, mechanical properties, and interfacial interaction of polyamide 1010/polypropylene (PA1010/ PP) blends compatibilized with polypropylene grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (PP-g-GMA) were studied. It was found that the size of the PP domains, tensile and impact strength of ternary blends, and adhesion fracture energy between two layers of PA1010 and PP were all significantly dependent on the PP-g-GMA contents in the PP layer. Correlations between morphology and related properties were sought. The improvements in properties have been attributed to chemical and physical interaction occurring between PA1010 and PP-g-GMA. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Morphology, thermal behavior, and mechanical properties of PA1010/PP and PA1010/PP-g-GMA blends

The modification of polypropylene (PP) was accomplished by melt grafting glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) on its molecular chains. The resulting PP-g-GMA was used to prepare binary blends of polyamide 1010 (PA1010) and PP-g-GMA. Different blend morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) according to the nature and content of PA1010 used. Comparing the PA1010/PP-g-GMA and PA1010/PP binary blends, the size of the domains of PP-g-GMA were much smaller than that of PP at the same compositions. It was found that mechanical properties of PA1010/PP-g-GMA blends were obviously better than that of PA1010/PP blends, and the mechanical properties were significantly influenced by wetting conditions for uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends. A different dependence of the flexural modulus on water was found for PA1010/PP and PA1010/PP-g-GMA. These behaviors could be attributed to the chemical interactions between the two components and good dispersion in PA1010/PP-g-GMA blends. Thermal and rheological analyses were performed to confirm the possible chemical reactions taking place during the blending process. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Crystallization process and morphology structure of poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone) containing meta-phenyl links

The crystallization process and morphology of poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone) containing meta-phenyl links (PEEKmK) have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. The results indicate that the thin films of PEEKmK isothermally crystallized from both the glassy state and the melt at the temperature range of 180 similar to 250 degrees C consist of two kinds of morphological forms, i. e. large (order of mu m), flat-on single crystals and narrow, lath-like, edge-on lamellae, The latter consists of the spherulites. Meanwhile, the growing process of the two kinds of morphological forms has been discussed.

Use of SAXS to characterize the morphology of poly(polyethylene glycol diacrylate)/epoxy resin interpenetrating networks

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) have been synthesized from prepolymers that form miscible blends. All IPNs made from polyacrylate ((polyethylene glycol diacrylate), PEGDA) and epoxy (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, DGEBA) can be made in phase separated states by incorporating crosslinks. However, blends of these prepolymers, having a negative Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, are highly miscible. This indicates that formation of IPNs favours phase separation relative to blends. The microphase separation characteristics in the PEGDA/DGEBA IPNs were determined using smalt-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The Debye-Bueche and Guinier methods were used to calculate the correlation lengths of the segregated phases existing in the PEGDA/DGEBA IPNs. The results from SAXS showed that the size of the phase segregation zones changed with composition from about 50 to 100 Angstrom.

Morphology and mechanical properties of PP/HMWPE blends

Mechanical properties and morphology of blends of polypropylene (PP) with high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE) prepared by coprecipitation from xylene solution are investigated. Compared to blends of PP with commercial high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the mechanical properties of the blends of PP/HMWPE are much superior to those of PP/HDPE blends. Not only is the tensile strength stronger, but also the elongation at break is much higher than that of the PP/HDPE blends of the same composition. These differences increase with increasing HMWPE and HDPE content. Scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surface resulting from the tensile tests shows that the compatibility in PP/HMWPE blends is much better than that in PP/HDPE blends. This is most likely attributable to the enhanced chain entanglement of HMWPE with the PP in the amorphous phase due to the lower crystallinity, owing to the high molecular weight of the HMWPE, and a much more flexible chain. The thermal behavior and spherulite morphology of both blends are also investigated.