Premium
µCT‐Based Topography Analysis of Inaccessible Surfaces Exemplified by a Biofouling‐Covered Plastic
Author(s) -
Bittner Florian,
Endres HansJosef
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chemie ingenieur technik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1522-2640
pISSN - 0009-286X
DOI - 10.1002/cite.202100170
Subject(s) - biofouling , profilometer , materials science , polyhydroxybutyrate , solid surface , sample (material) , optics , composite material , geology , chemistry , chromatography , surface finish , physics , paleontology , biochemistry , membrane , bacteria , chemical physics
The measurement of surface topographies is usually restricted to surfaces that are directly accessible to tactile or optical sensing. With this paper, the application of micro‐computed tomography to measure characteristics of surfaces that are covered by solid films and thus not directly accessible is demonstrated. The method is first validated by comparative measurements of a plastic sample with µCT and conventional optical profilometry. Afterwards, the µCT‐based method is successfully applied to a polyhydroxybutyrate plastic sample covered by biofouling after exposure to marine environment, providing insight into the degradation processes.