Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization of MMT-Epoxy nanocomposite coatings obtained by electrophoretic deposition process
Accepted: 26 February 2021
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Epoxy-nanoclay composite coatings are particularly attractive for their application in many technological areas, such as anticorrosion coatings on metal substrates and protective barriers. By adding layered silicates, having typically a structure formed by platelets with regular interspaces, it is possible to achieve an improvement of the specific properties of epoxy, even with surprising results. This is due to the penetration of polymer matrix between the silicate layers, inducing a dispersion of nanoplatelets at different degrees. In order to maximize the positive effect of the added silicate on the properties of the epoxy matrix, it is of primary importance to optimize the coating preparation process. To this aim, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an invaluable characterization technique, essential to obtain complete information on how much and how the nanoplatelets are distributed in the polymer matrix. For TEM observations it is necessary to find the right way to prepare a section of the sample by ultramicrotomy, without introducing artifacts. In this paper, we report TEM studies of montmorillonite-epoxy (MMT-epoxy) coatings obtained by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD).
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