May 5th, 2015

"Whether investigating fundamental research principles or engineering a specific product, AFM is a important tool for evaluating polymers and polymer blends," said Ben Ohler, Director of Marketing at Asylum Research. "Though a great deal can still be learned from basic topographic and phase imaging with AFM, recent advances in technology have led to significant advances in characterizing nanoscale mechanical properties (storage modulus and loss tangent), operating in controlled environments (e.g. temperature control or solvents), and high speed imaging of dynamic processes. This webinar will be educational for scientists in academia and industry who want to learn more about the latest applications of AFM to polymer science."

Image: The bulk properties of polymer blends are determined by the amount, distribution, and properties of their components. This sample is a blend of natural rubber, polybutadiene rubber, and zinc oxide. The elastic response distinguishes all three materials, but the zinc oxide inclusions (circles) stand out more clearly by their much lower loss tangent, 5 μm scan.