TEM - micrograph of blend of polycarbonate and acrylontril-butadiene-styrene copolymer (PC/ABS)

Applications

Leica EM UC6

The Leica EM UC6 ultramicrotome was used at room temperature to prepare the polymer samples for Transmission Electron Microscopy according the following procedure: The samples were trimmed with the Leica Ultracut UC6 at room temperature using a DIATOME diamond trimming knife, stained overnight with OsO4 vapour and ultra-thin sectioned with a Leica EM UC6 ultramicrotome usind a DIATOME 35 degrees diamond knife. The section thickness was 70 nm (setting). The ultra-thin sections were placed on a 300 mesh carbon coated copper grid and studied with a Philips CM12 transmission electron microscope operating at 120 kV. TEM-micrographs were made of representative areas of the samples at different magnifications. The TEM-micrographs were made using a Fuji FDL5000 digital luminograph and printed on a Fuji Pictrography 3000 digital printer The polybutadiene (rubber) phase of the ABS is stained with OsO4 vapour and appears as the dark phase in the TEM-micrograph. There are two different type of rubber particles present in the material, first cellular (salami) type of rubber particles with a size of roughly between 0.3 - 1.5 um and secondly tiny dense rubber particles with a diameter of approximately 0.1 um. Both type of rubber particles are present int he bright matrix of the ABS phase. Image provided by: B. Vastenhout, The Dow Chemical Company, The Netherlands