Chapter 16 - Light scattering, X-ray scattering, and microscopy studies of nanoscale polymer-based coatings

Abstract

Polymeric coatings are important materials with very broad applications covering an ample range of fields, from architectural to electronic industries, and in aerospace, chemical, food, and medical industries to mention a few. The requirements have become quite tight from processing to stability, integrity, and performance. The applications require a bottom-up design where an in-depth knowledge of microstructure and its correlation with properties is a must. The complexity of new formulations based on nanometer scale reinforcers calls for analytical multiscale techniques to investigate the microstructure. The spatial resolution ranging from Å- to nm- to μm-scale is therefore required. This chapter describes applications of X-ray scattering (wide- and small-angle), and small-angle light scattering (SALS) and microscopies covering optical, atomic force, and electron microscopy. These microscopy probes are ideal to study the microstructure in as-processed and deformed nanostructured coatings. It is emphasized that the microstructure of novel polymer nanocomposites and coatings is too complex and one single technique is not able to provide the whole picture. This will be apparent in the discussion of this chapter. It is the author's conviction that the understanding of the nanostructure is at the heart of novel coatings development, performance, innovation, and technology.