Characterization of Polymer Morphology in （表征聚合物形态的）.pdf

Characterization of Polymer Morphology in Polyurethane Foams Using Atomic Force Microscopy Qiang Lan,1 Greg Haugstad2 1Huntsman Polyurethanes, 8600 Gosling Road, The Woodlands, Texas 77381 2Characterization Facility, University of Minnesota, 12 Shepherd Labs, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 Received 6 October 2010; accepted 25 December 2010 DOI 10.1002/app.34005 Published online 24 March 2011 in Wiley Online Library (). ABSTRACT: One of the most important challenges in tome to minimize topographic effects during AFM exami- polyurethane (PU) science is characterization of foam mor- nation. Phase information was obtained on the PU matrix phologies, which provides information to help understand and differentiated from the epoxy in AFM. This technique material properties and improve synthesis conditions. is demonstrated using several different foams including a Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a very useful technique flexible foam, two different elastomeric foams, and a rigid to obtain such information. A key challenge is to apply foam nanocomposite. Comparison with compression tech- this technique to PU foams without destroying their cell niques reveals that the proposed method does not modify C structure. In this article, we describe the development of a foam morphology. V 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym methodology to characterize different types of PU foams Sci 121: 2644–2651, 2011 using AFM while keeping the foam cells intact. Epoxy resin was used to impregnate the foams and was cured Key words: atomic force microscopy; polyurethanes; afterwards. Smooth surfaces were created using a micro- foams; morphology