Structural investigation of semicrystalline polymers

This work demonstrates the most widely used characterization methods and techniques of the supermolecular and lamellar structure of semicrystalline polymers. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) equipped with a hot-stage (thermo-optical microscopy, TOM), brightfield microscopy (BF), darkfield microscopy (DF), digital image processing techniques, optical profilometry (OP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used as investigation techniques. The same iPP grade was used with different sample preparation techniques to compare these methods. The advantages and drawbacks of the sample preparation and investigation methods were discussed. The results show how the introduced techniques could reveal different kinds of information, and it is also shown how the experimental techniques should be matched to the goals of a structural study. •Comparison of experimental techniques and sample preparation used for the study of crystalline morphology in polymers.•It is shown how the experimental techniques should be matched to the goals of a structural study.•The importance and ways of etching and also the precautions to be taken during sample preparation are discussed.