Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T06:50:20.024Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Characterization of the Thickness and Distribution of Latex Coatings on Polyvinylidene Chloride Beads by Backscattered Electron Imaging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2015

Clifford S. Todd  and
Douglas E. Beyer
Clifford S. Todd*
Affiliation:
Analytical Sciences, The Dow Chemical Company, 1897 Bldg E52, Midland, MI 48667, USA
Douglas E. Beyer
Affiliation:
Packaging and Specialty Plastics R&D, The Dow Chemical Company, 438 Bldg 154C, Midland, MI 48667, USA
*
*Corresponding author.[email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) co-polymer resins are commonly formulated with a variety of solid additives for the purpose of processing or stabilization. A homogeneous distribution of these additives during handling and processing is important. The Dow Chemical Company developed a process to incorporate solid materials in latex form onto PVDC resin bead surfaces using a coagulation process. In this context, we present a method to characterize the distribution and thickness of these latex coatings. The difference in backscattered electron signal from the higher mean atomic number PVDC core and lower atomic number latex coating in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging using a range of accelerating voltages was used to characterize latex thickness and distribution across large numbers of beads quickly and easily. Monte Carlo simulations were used to quantitatively estimate latex thickness as a function of brightness in backscatter electron images. This thickness calibration was validated by cross-sectioning using a focused ion-beam SEM. Thicknesses from 100 nm up to about 1.3 µm can be determined using this method.

Keywords

thickness distributionSARANPVDClatexbackscatter
Type
Materials Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 472 - 479
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

a

Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) or an affiliated company of Dow.

References

Drouin, D., Couture, A.R., Joly, D., Tastet, X., Aimez, V. & Gauvin, R. (2007). CASINO V2.42—A fast and easy-to-use modeling tool for scanning electron microscopy and microanalysis users. Scanning 29, 92–101.Google Scholar
Goldstein, J.I., Newbury, D.E., Joy, D.C., Lyman, C.E., Echlin, P., Lifshin, E., Sawyer, L. & Michael, J.R. (2003). Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis, 3rd ed. New York, NY, USA: Springer.Google Scholar
Howell, B.A. & Beyer, D.E. (2011). Vinylidene chloride polymers. In Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology 4th Edition Mark, H.F. (Ed.), pp. 35–43. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/0471440264.pst391.pub2/full Google Scholar
Kling, S.M. (2003). Extrudable barrier polymer compositions, process for preparing the compositions and monolayer or multilayer structures comprising the compositions. Patent US6627679 B1.Google Scholar
Pouchou, J.L. (1993). X-ray microanalysis of stratified specimens. Anal Chim Acta 283, 81–97.Google Scholar
Pouchou, J.L. & Pichoir, F. (1990). Surface film X-ray microanalysis. Scanning 12, 212–224.Google Scholar
Radzimski, Z.J. & Russ, J.C. (1995). Image simulation using Monte Carlo methods: Electron beam and detector characteristics. Scanning 17, 276–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sawyer, L.C., Grubb, D.T. & Meyers, G.F. (2008). Polymer Microscopy, 3rd ed. New York, NY, USA: Springer.Google Scholar
Todd, C.S. & Kuznetsova, V. (2011). Closed-cell foam skin thickness measurement using a scanning electron microscope. Microsc Microanal 17, 772–778.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wessling, R.A. (1977). Polyvinylidene Chloride. Polymer Monographs 5. London, UK: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.Google Scholar