APPLICATION OF CARBON REPLICA METHOD TO TEM STUDY OF POLYMER TRIBOLOGY

摘要

The carbon replica method, which had been used for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of solid surfaces, was first applied by the author to detailed analysis of fine wear powders formed on worn polymer surfaces in order to clarify the friction and wear mechanism. This method has an advantage that wear powders with weak adhesion to matrix polymer are easily transferred to the thin coated carbon film, which can be subjected to observation due to absorption contrast and diffractions in case of crystalline powders in TEM at high magnification and resolution. TEM morphologies thus obtained can be correlated to tribological behavior. In this paper, applications of the carbon replica method to tribology of various polymer samples will be reviewed.