A method to study the dispersion and orientation of nanoclay tactoids in PET matrix-focused ion beam milling combined with electron microscopy

This paper describes a method to evaluate the dispersion and orientation of nanotactoids in polymer matrix The method involves focused ion beam (FIB) milling of the sample followed by observation of the milled surface under SEM. Compared to conventional TEM techniques, a wider area of the sample can be observed by this method which will give a better representation of the dispersion and orientation of the nanotactoids in the matrix. Both the surface and the cross-section of the sample can be analyzed by this method. However, the FIB milling and imaging conditions need to be optimized to minimize the sample damage.