Quantitative Characterization of Clay Dispersion in Polypropylene-Clay Nanocomposites by Combined Transmission Electron Microscopy and Optical Microscopy

A novel methodology has been developed to describe the microstructure of polymer-clay nanocomposites quantitatively. It builds on the image analyses of transmission electron microscopy and optical microscopy micrographs, and two parameters, degree of dispersion and mean interparticle distance per unit volume of clay, are proposed to characterize the level of clay dispersion. It provides insights into the 'real' clay dispersion using a combination of both microscopical and macroscopical aspects.