Laser Plasma Soft X-Ray Contact Microscopy of Polymer Composites

Microstructures of polymer composites are observed with a good contrast and with a submicron spatial resolution by contact soft X-ray microscopy with a laser plasma as a soft X-ray source. An iron target was irradiated by a YAG laser ( 2ω=532 nm, 0.4 J) at laser power density of 2.5×1012 W/cm2 and the emitted soft X-rays were filtered with a thin aluminum foil. For a 0.1-µ m-thick poly acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene specimen, poly-butadiene or copolymer of butadiene spheres of about 500 nm diameter, which are selectively stained with osmium, is observed with soft X-rays in the wavelength region between 17 and 20 nm. For a 4-µ m-thick polyvinyl chloride film specimen formed by polymer powder compaction, peripheral areas of holes, grain boundaries, and areas probably degraded by HCl reduction are observed with soft X-rays in the wavelength region mainly around 2 nm.