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Imaging of conductive filler networks in heterogeneous materials by scanning Kelvin microscopy
Author(s) -
Prasse Torsten,
Ivankov Andrei,
Sandler Jan,
Schulte Karl,
Bauhofer Wolfgang
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.2197
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon black , microscopy , scanning electron microscope , composite material , kelvin probe force microscope , optical microscope , carbon nanotube , resistive touchscreen , conductivity , electrical conductor , composite number , transmission electron microscopy , nanotechnology , optics , chemistry , atomic force microscopy , physics , electrical engineering , engineering , natural rubber
This article reports a novel application of scanning Kelvin microscopy for exclusively revealing the distribution of a percolated conductive filler network in heterogeneous materials. The materials under investigation are carbon black and carbon nanotube‐filled epoxies with a highly inhomogeneous conductivity distribution due to their fabrication. The Kelvin method is demonstrated to be especially suitable for resolving the resistive particle network in these kinds of composite materials with sample resistance levels in the megaohm range. Transmission optical microscopy reveals matches between the scanning Kelvin images and the sample morphologies, whereas the percolating backbone cannot be distinguished in the optical micrographs. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 3381–3386, 2001