Heat-Deformed Polymer Morphology Using 3D Profilometry

Surface deformation of materials induced by environmental elements such as temperature, humidity and corrosion is vital to its service quality and functionality. Accurate 3D polymer morphology measurement allows quantifying the physical deformations of the surface form, roughness, volume/area, etc. Surfaces prone to deformation due to contact wear, high heat and others need regular inspection to ensure performance reliability.

Unlike other techniques such as touch probes or interferometry, the NANOVEA 3D Non-Contact Profilometer, using axial chromatism, can measure nearly any surface with nano through macro range. No sample surface preparation is needed for surface profile measurement of any material, including transparent, opaque, specular, diffusive, polished and rough, etc. The non-contact technique makes it possible to precisely scan samples with complex shape and soft texture. The NANOVEA Non-Contact Profilometer provides an ideal, broad and user friendly tool to maximize surface studies.

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Fig. 2 displays the 3D view of the polymer sample surface before and after the heat deformation, providing users a straightforward tool to directly observe the sample from different angles. Table 1 compares the Roughness and Flatness values of the polymer surface before and after heat deformation. The surface morphology has been substantially changed by the heating process, forming a hole in the center of the sample. It leads to increased Roughness, Sa, from 1.17 to 74 µm, as well as increased Flatness, FLTt, from 3.8 to 502 µm.

Fig. 3 shows the deformed surface subtracted from the original surface with the mean plane of the original surface at zero, illustrating the local height difference between the surface before and after deformation. As the hole forms and grows during heat deformation in the center of the sample, the surface surrounding the hole slightly rises at the same time. This leads to drastic change in the height, both positive and negative, from the original surface. The relative volume calculations by the analysis software show that the volume of the center hole is 12.68 mm³, and the peak volume at the edge of the hole is 3.582 mm³.

In this application, we have shown that the NANOVEA 3D Non-Contact Profilometer characterizes the surface morphology of heat deformed polymer. The subtraction of the deformed surface from the original one provides a useful tool to precisely pinpoint the area where shape change occurs, as well as to quantify the volume of such change. Surface deformation of materials may have critical effect on its service quality and functionality. The NANOVEA Non-Contact Profilometer provides an ideal tool for surface deformation inspection.

The data shown here represents only a portion of the calculations available in the analysis software. NANOVEA Profilometers measure virtually any surface in fields including Semiconductor, Microelectronics, Solar, Fiber Optics, Automotive, Aerospace, Metallurgy, Machining, Coatings, Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, Environmental and many others.