Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry
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Equipment - Polymer Morphology

1. Microscopy

1.1. Electron microscopy

  • SEM microscope MAIA3 (Tescan)
    • FEG high-resolution scanning electron microscope (resolution 1 nm), optimized for investigation of polymer materials
    • HVSEM, LVSEM and Cryo-LVSEM modes: possibility of visualization frozen specimens with high content of water (polymer hydrogels, polymer micelles...)
    • SE, BSE, STEM: topographic contrast, material contrast, internal structure, elemental microanalysis
    • EDX detector (X-MaxN 20; Oxford Instruments, UK): elemental microanalysis
  • SEM microscope Vega Plus TS 5135 (Tescan):
    • standard scanning electron microscope
    • SE, BSE, STEM detectors: topographic contrast, material contrast, internal structure
  • TEM microscope Tecnai G2 Spirit (FEI):
    • transmission electron microscope, 120kV
    • bright/dark field (BD/DF), electron diffraction (ED), microanalysis (EDX): detailed study of internal structure of polymer materials
    • cryo-attachment: deep-frozen samples and solutions of polymer nanoparticles

1.2. Light microscopy

  • standard (wide-field) light microscopy:
    • microscope DM6000 M (Leica), with microhardness tester
    • microscope Nikon80i (Nikon), with mini-tensile tester
    • equipment of both microscopes: transmitted and reflected light; polarized light; bright field, dark field, phase contrast, 3D-focus; microscopic heating stages: Mettler FP52/FP5, Linkam THMS 600/TMS 9
  • laser scanning confocal microscope (shared within CBMP project):
    • inverted confocal microscope LSM FV1200 IX83 (Olympus) including PicoQuant module (PicoQuant)
    • equipment of the microscope: material microscopy (transmitted and reflected light, DIC...), biological microscopy (fluorescent LSCM, FRAP, RISC...), time-resolved microscopy and scattering (FCS, FCCS, FLIM, FLCS...)
  • older microscopes:
    • microscope Zetopan Pol (Reichert)
    • stereomicroscope SMZ-2T (Nikon)

1.3. Sample preparation for microscopy

  • Ultramicrotome with cryo-attachment: Ultracut UCT (Leica), EM UC7 (Leica)
  • Ultramicrotome for room temperature: Ultrotome III (LKB Bromma)
  • Preparation of glass knives for (ultra)microtomy: Knifemaker 7800 (LKB Bromma)
  • Rapid sample freezing for TEM: EMS-002 cryo workstation/rapid immersion freezer (EMS)
  • Microtomes: Sledge microtome (Meopta), Rotary microtome RM 2155 (Leica)
  • Vacuum sputter coaters: SCD 050 (Balzers), SCD 050 (Leica)
  • Vacuum evaporation device: JEE-4C (Jeol)

2. Micromechanical properties

  • Microhardness tester VMHT AUTO man (UHL); Vickers (non-instrumented) microhardness tester; measurements of microhardness, microcreep, microplasticity
  • Micro/nanohardness tester MHT (CSM); Instrumented micro/nanoindentation; measurements of indentation hardness, modulus, creep, elastic part of the indentation work...
  • Mini-tensile tester – TST350 (Linkam); connected with the light microscope

3. Creep

  • Macroscale tensile creep; home-made device for creep testing, connected to PC.
  • Microscale indentation creep;  microindentation creep experiments are performed in our instrumented microhardness tester.