Nanometer resolution of crystalline morphology using scanning probe microscopy

A semicrystalline segmented polyamide has been used as model system to investigate the morphology of thick and thin solvent cast films. Tapping atomic force microscopy (AFM) with height and phase detection was used to resolve the ribbon-like crystals near the surface. Methods are described for obtaining nanometer resolution of domains. Much thinner and smaller crystals were imaged in films approximately 30 nm thick due to crystallization under constrained environments. The results illustrate the danger of casting ultrathin films where the thickness is found to have a large influence on the final morphology. The results also show that details of crystallite organization in spherulites can be characterized by lower resolution phase data, and illustrate the advantages of the phase data for polymer films with long-range roughness.