ABSTRACT
The current state of knowledge of this instrument is in its early stage, and thus few references are available outhning the principle and modes of its operation. To date, most studies conducted using the technology of the TA™ have been applied in the realm of pharmaceutical chemistry [21] and biological sciences [12,14,22,23]. Since this is a new technique, case studies constitute an essential step in its understanding. As a number of important properties of polymers are controlled by their surface chemistry and morphology, the following cases are considered in this chapter:
• Bulk morphology: investigating surface defects or morphology/supramolecular structure of multicomponent systems (primarily rubber-toughened polymers)
• Surface morphology of coatings (plasma-polymerized coating)
III. BULK MORPHOLOGY A. Rubber-Toughened Polymers and Their Morphology Strong interest in polymer blends stems from the knowledge that unique properties can be achieved as a result of distinctive structural developments during processing. Understanding of phase interactions allows one not only to gain an insight into the nature of the morphology generated due to flow or deformation history, but also to control them at a very early stage of their processing.
