Tomography of Electrospun Carbon Nanotube Polymeric Blends by Focus Ion Beam: Alignment and Phase Separation Analysis from Multicontrast Electron Imaging

Multimodal focused ion beam (FIB) imaging on a polydimethylsiloxane/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrospun composite has been applied to discriminate the phase‐separated polymer blend and identify MWCNT fillers. Upon tomographic reconstruction, this discrimina...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Macromolecular materials and engineering 2017-08, Vol.302 (8), p.n/a
Main Authors: Campo, Eva M., Yates, Douglas, Berson, Benjamin, Rojas, Wudmir, Winter, Allen D., Ananth, Mohan, Santiago‐Aviles, Jorge J., Terentjev, Eugene M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alignment
Atomic properties
Atomic structure
Electric potential
Electron imaging
Electrospinning
Fillers
focus ion beam
Ion beams
Materials science
Medical imaging
Multi wall carbon nanotubes
Nanocomposites
Nanotubes
Phase separation
Polydimethylsiloxane
Polymer blends
Polymethyl methacrylate
Tomography
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Summary:Multimodal focused ion beam (FIB) imaging on a polydimethylsiloxane/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrospun composite has been applied to discriminate the phase‐separated polymer blend and identify MWCNT fillers. Upon tomographic reconstruction, this discrimination has been possible through both atomic number and voltage contrast, the latter being enabled by preferential MWCNT segregation to PMMA. This study suggests that electrospinning could be affecting not only MWCNT alignment but also phase separation dynamics of immiscible polymers, yielding a porous structure throughout the fibers. This work opens the door to correlative materials science in polymer nanocomposites through FIB tomography, where voltage contrast is a main actor. The value of focus ion beam (FIB) tomography is highlighted to discern phase separation, carbon nanotube alignment, and porosity in electrospun fibers. Framed in the context of correlative tomography, this work is a proof of concept on the viability of FIB tomography in nanocomposites. The value of this technique is further highlighted in electrospinning, where inhomogeneities develop throughout fibers.
ISSN:1438-7492
1439-2054
DOI:10.1002/mame.201600479