Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS)

DoITPoMS Micrograph Library Full Record for Micrograph 646
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Full Record for Micrograph 646

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Micrograph no
646
Brief description
Spherulite growth imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM)
Keywords
atomic force microscopy Link to MATTER Glossary entry for atomic force microscopy, lamella Link to MATTER Glossary entry for lamella, polymer Link to MATTER Glossary entry for polymer, spherulite Link to MATTER Glossary entry for spherulite, texture
Categories
Polymer
System
Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)
Composition
Not specified
Standard codes
Reaction
Processing
Applications
PHB is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic, and has properties similar to such commonly used plastics as polypropylene and polyethylene. Because of the polymer's biological origin it is completely biodegradable. However, unlike most other biological polymers, it is relatively hydrophobic, and, being a thermoplastic, melt processable, opening up the possibility of use as a packaging material.
Sample preparation
Technique
Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
Length bar
500 nm
Further information
Imaging at higher magnification reveals finer scale texture. A marked difference is now seen between the information provided by the 'phase' image. Within the spherulite the height image is dominated by the band structure, while the phase image shows fine features presumably corresponding to bundles of lamellae.
Contributor
J Hobbs
Organisation
Scanning Probe Microscopy Group, Bristol University
Date
03/10/02
Licence for re-use
DoITPoMS standard terms of use
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