What are the techniques for measuring the thickness of the copper coating on glass fabric? If you have literature then kindly share.
Microscopic analysis using ImageJ software can be useful for measuring the thickness.
> What are the techniques for measuring the thickness of the copper coating on glass fabric?
If you have a good image of the cross section of fibre/fabric + coating, then measuring the thickness can start.
(1) What is the thickness of the coating?
Depending on the thickness you may use optical microscope or scanning electron microscopy. In the latter case charging may occur, but the metal coating would be beneficial if a good electrical contact is established.
(2) How to see the coating?
An idea is to cut or fracture your sample.
Maybe a simple fracture could already give some information, if you see the coating.
More efforts:
Embedding the sample in a suitable polymer would stabilize it.
Then try (i) cutting (by knife or microtome), (ii) sawing and polishing the cross section, or (iii) fracture the sample after freezing with liquid nitrogen.
Dear Professor Stefan Baunack,
Thank you for your valuable suggestions. I have measured cross-sectional images (attached files) of various fibers from my fabric samples. Through these, I have determined the thickness of the copper coating, which is approximately 105 nm. However, I am encountering some uncertainty regarding measuring the copper coating's thickness across the entirety of the copper-coated fabric. Any guidance on this specific aspect would be greatly appreciated.
Here are my thoughts on how we could proceed:
Comparison Method (Pristine Fabric - Copper-Coated Fabric): This approach involves subtracting the thickness of the pristine fabric from that of the copper-coated fabric. It's a viable method, but it assumes uniform coating and unchanged fabric structure post-coating, which might not be entirely accurate.
Mass-Based Calculation (Final Mass - Initial Mass / Density of Copper / Cross-Sectional Area of Fabric): This method, considering the change in mass and the density of copper, can offer insights into the thickness added by the copper coating. Accurate measurements of the fabric's mass change and understanding of its cross-sectional area are crucial for this method's success.
I am eager to discuss these methods with you and decide on the most appropriate approach.
Looking forward to your guidance and suggestions.
Best regards,
Anand
Some thoughts:
- Using the mass gain to deduce layer thickness can be done under the assumption that the density of the layer is known (e.g. bulk density) and that the coating thickness is constant all over the sample.
- For a fibre diameter of ca. 10 µm and a layer thickness of ca. 100 nm difference measurements will be challenging
- In image 1-2.bmp I can see a layer (The image quality could be better: depth of focus; higher magnification needed, you will need many pixels in the layer). To deduce the layer thickness correctly the geometry (viewing angle) must be considered. From the image I got a thickness of ca. 200 nm at several points (without geometrical correction). Is this the Cu layer? Or are there several layers?
- For better analysis a defined geometry is required. The image must be taken perpendicular to the fibre axis. To achieve this, cutting may be better than fracturing. For many samples or sample points this would be time consuming. A different approach could be SEM 3D stereo microscopy using imaging at two different (stage tilting) angles. This is a standard method mentioned in many textbooks. A starter could be https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231145288_Critical_factors_in_SEM_3D_stereo_microscopy
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