Polymer Microscopy

Modern materials include a vast array of polymers and plastics which are found in applications such as housing, appliances, clothing and household textiles and automotive and aerospace industries. Thus research scientists, engineers and materials science graduate students need to be aware of the methods and techniques required to understand the structure-property relations of polymer materials. This book will review the field of the microscopy of polymers. There is a vast literature which describes the research results obtained by study of polymer materials using microscopy and other complementary analytical techniques and such studies are best left to journals on specific topics. The major objective of this text is to provide the basic microscopy techniques and specimen preparation methods applicable to polymers. The book will attempt to provide enough detail so that the methods described can be applied, and also to reference appropriate publications for the investigator interested in more detail. The selection of two authors for this text came from the desire for a comprehen­ sive review of polymer microscopy with emphasis on methods and techniques, rather than on research results. The synergism provided by two authors with widely varied backgrounds was thought to be important: one author (LCS) has an industrial focus and a background in chemistry whilst the other (DTG) has an academic environment and offers a background in polymer physics.