Phase mapping of dose-sensitive polymers using direct detection and multipass in-situ spectrum imaging

Gatan instruments used

GIF Continuum^® K3^®, eaSI™ technology, and model 626 Single-Tilt Liquid Nitrogen Cryo-Transfer Holder

Background

Extracting chemical and phase information at the nanometer scale is critical to understanding and enhancing the functional properties of polymer blends. However, organic materials, such as polycarbonate polymer blends, are susceptible to radiolysis, making them challenging to study using EELS spectrum imaging [1]. Due to the high sensitivity of direct detection sensors, the total dose needed to detect the features in the C K-edge ELNES is reduced, allowing scientists to extract information from organic materials at a higher resolution. Multipass in-situ spectrum imaging in DigitalMicrograph^® fractionates the total dose over several individually saved passes, allowing the user to remove passes compromised by radiolysis. We demonstrate that phase information can be extracted at higher spatial resolutions from dose-sensitive polymer blends by combining direct detection and eaSI multipass in-situ spectrum imaging.