Chapter 16 Surface Analysis

Publisher Summary The surface of polymer products is important in many instances and indeed critical to many applications. A product's appearance toward the outside world is important, because that is how one sees the material. Quite a few properties may matter, including color, surface appearance—smoothness and reflectivity—and adhesion. The way the surface appears is the result of polymer processing, (e.g., extrusions) degradation, (e.g., oxidation), or deliberate modification to induce or enhance adhesion or produce a matte or gloss finish. Recently, it has become a part of the trade to make smart polymeric materials, including those having particular electrical properties, surfaces that are water droplet repellent, particular gas permeability functions, or other specific specialized demands.