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Author
Sung, L. P. | Nadal, M. E. | Stutzman, P. E. | McKnight, M. E.
Title
Characterization of Coating Microstructure Using Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy.
Coporate
Maryland Univ., College Park National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Book or Conf
Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Fall Meeting. Volume 83. Proceedings. American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering. August 20-24, 2000, Washington, DC, 343-344 p., 2000
Keywords
coatings | appearance | bidirectional reflectance | laser scanning confocal microscopy | microstructure | lasers | microscopy | pigments
Identifiers
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM); Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Abstract
The appearance of coating materials depends on the physical attributes of the object's interaction with light. These physical attributes include the light source, the angle of illumination, the viewing angle, and the optical reflectance properties of the coating system resulting from its surface topography and subsurface microstructure. Identification and characterization of the microstructure of a coating are crucial for relating the microstructure to the optical reflectance properties and for predicting the appearance of a coating from its microstructure and its constituents. In this paper, we will demonstrate that laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) is a powerful tool for characterizing microstructres of coatings. The microstructures measured using the LSCM will be presented and compared to the corresponding optical reflectance data obtained from NIST's bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) instrument.