Focus ion beam preparation of transmission electron microscope sample in polymer clay nano composite

This paper deals with preparation of PE clay nano composite specimen for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and studying the difference between dispersion of clay in low density polyethylene using poly(hydrogen methyl siloxane) (PHMS) as coupling agent and untreated one. Argon ion milling is the conventional means by which film sections are thinned to electron transparency for TEM analysis, but this technique exhibits significant problems. In particular, selective thinning and imaging of sub-micrometer inclusions during sample milling are highly problematic. We have achieved successful results using the focused ion beam (FIB) lift-out technique, which utilizes a 30 kV Ga+ ion beam to extract electron transparent specimens with nanometer scale precision. Using this procedure, we have prepared a number of thin film materials representing a range of structures and compositions for TEM analysis. We believe that FIB milling will create major new opportunities in the field of thin film nano composite materials microanalysis. FIB Cutting technique has been successfully applied to prepare TEM specimens of nano-sized clay in low density polyethylene film. In order to see the effect of dispersion and adhesion of clay to matrix using coupling agent a series of PE clay nano composite containing clay encapsulated by PHMS, untreated clay were prepared by melt blending. The effects of coating on clays and dispersion of clay in low density polyethylene were studied by TEM