Microscopy

Analyte

Solid and liquid systems;
Composites, materials, organic and inorganic substances, thin layers

Equipment

• Device: polarisation microscope JenLab/pol (Carl Zeiss Jena, Germany), Retarmet2 (Carl Zeiss Jena, Germany)
• Preparation: semi thin cross section with Ultracut S, thin sections with rotationmicrotom VT100E ( Leica, Germany)
• Heating stage (Likam)
• Small angle light scattering

Evaluation methods and targets

• Picture analysis by image processing software (Olympus GmbH, Germany): determination of particle sizes and fiber length, as well its distribution
• Morphology of cuts, (cryo-)fractures and surfaces
• Determination of birefringence of fibers and layers
• Identification of morphological structures in materials from natural and synthetic polymers
• Investigation of structure-property-correlations depending on production and growth parameters, particularly natural polymers
• Kinetics of crystallization and growth of spherulites

Application examples

• Birefringence at a cellulose fiber (→ Image gallery)
  
• Semi thin section of a bast fiber (→ Image gallery)
  
• Growth of spherulites in PLA-fiber-composite

Comparative and supplementary methods

• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• ESCA