Pi-CB Nanocomposite Characterization with Atomic Force Microscopy Electro Conductive Mode
Materials Science and Applied Chemistry 2016: Book of Abstracts 2016
Astrīda Bērziņa, Velta Tupureina, Māris Knite

Nanocomposites are popular, because the nano-filler adds new or significantly improves the properties of the matrix material. The dispersion degree usually shows how beneficial will be the effect of added nano-filler. The desired effect for nanocomposites usually is in a specific concentration region. As it is desirable to achieve the most beneficial effect using the least amount of nano-filler, it is important to be able to quantitatively characterize the dispersion degree of the nano-filler. Ideally there is a correlation between a parameter that derives from the dispersion degree and the parameter which describes the desired nanocomposite property. The characterization of the degree of dispersion includes two sides –first is to physically measure a property of the nanocomposite, that secondly can be mathematically processed to acquire a quantitative parameter which describes the degree of dispersion. The physical measurement can be done using visual techniques, macroscopic properties, spectroscopic techniques or radiation scattering. Mathematical procession –is very dependent on the specific nanocomposite material. None the less all of them should be able to characterize the particle distribution and the particle size distribution.Here we propose a way for specifically Pi-CB nanocomposite characterization using atomic force microscopy electro conductive mode (EC-AFM). Usually AFM would only determine the surface structure of the composite, but by using the electro conductive mode, we can see the channel system which is made of the electro conductive nano-filler particles. Therefore we can characterize the sample in volume. And the mathematical method was chosen from a recognized publication and further adapted to our purpose.


Keywords
dispersion degree characterization

Bērziņa, A., Tupureina, V., Knite, M. Pi-CB Nanocomposite Characterization with Atomic Force Microscopy Electro Conductive Mode. In: Materials Science and Applied Chemistry 2016: Book of Abstracts, Latvia, Riga, 21-21 October, 2016. Riga: RTU Press, 2016, pp.24-24.

Publication language
English (en)
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