Hi everyone,
What I want to do is to observe the cross section of a polymer/silver sample inkjet printed on thin kapton film under SEM. What I did to prepare the sample is :
Glue the sample on a thicker and more rigid substrate (this is to avoid distortion) and put the sample in a arcylic mould and wrap it with epoxy. After curing the epoxy I polish it mechanically to remove the front side of the epoxy and half of the sample , so that cross-section is revealed.
But what I observe in SEM is of un-satisfactory quality, I can find material in very un-realistic location. I feel like it is like polishing move some of the material elsewhere. I wonder does anyone has met similar problem?
Dear Colleague,
it looks like your polishing was not enough delicate, but even with the most careful work, polishing may end up bringing small particles from one place to another.
Would you have access to a PIPS (Precision Ion Polishing) ? That would permit you to obtain a nice and smooth surface without the problem that you are facing now...
If not you could think about doing some chemical etching, which wold, again, remove the first layers of the material, and together with them those particles that where moved during the polishing process.
Hello,
What is the thickness of kapton and silver?
You can try to put your sample in liquid nitrogen, and to break it, you will have a net cross section.
Regards,
Emile HAYE
It's just idea....have you tried to cut it with doctors knife....place sample in clean tissue...press it from two side so no movement happens..slit the sample with knife...
Emile Haye Hi Emile, Thanks for your answer and I found that we had liquid nitrogen. After treatment of liquid nitrogen, is that possible to break it simply by hands or is there any other option? In addition, would you please suggest a holder that would hold the sample in place in SEM chamber? Thank you.
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Statistical Techniques
- Structural Equation Modeling