Characterization Techniques for Advanced Polymer Composite Materials

Characterization Techniques for Advanced Polymer Composite Materials outlines methods for assessing the properties of advanced polymer composite materials, discussing sample preparation, microscopy and scattering techniques, data analysis and interpretation, microstructure identification, constitutive models, and more. It introduces the constituting laws of soft materials and demonstrates how to identify microstructure based on microscopy images. Techniques for measuring the thermal properties, electrical, and thermal characterization of these materials are covered including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, focused ion beam microscopy, as well as scattering techniques such as wide-angle X-ray, small-angle x-ray, and small-angle neutron. Each chapter starts with a brief explanation of the characterization technique followed by practical examples demonstrating methods of interpreting experimental results.