Polymer surface design and infomatics: Facile microscopy/image analysis techniques for self-organizing microporous polymer film characterization

Two methods are presented and exemplified for the characterization of self-organizing microporous polymer film surfaces via optical microscopy/image analysis. The first concerns the distribution of the pore diameters as measured by applying the Gini coefficient, which gives quantification to the degree of irregularity in this distribution while being sensitive to areas of regularity not necessarily present in the whole sample. The second technique, developed specifically for the purpose, quantified virtual light scattering (QVLS), concerns the difficult area of geometrical order in these films, assumed to be approaching hexagonally close-packed (HCP) in most instances. An algorithm is proposed that replicates the previous work of instrument-based light-scattering imaging but via a spatial infomatics analysis, therefore affording quantified parameters of the degree of order or otherwise present in the sample. QVLS is further exemplified by its application to a film-casting stage-temperature study and shows a favorable progression of geometry with stage-temperature reduction (range: 20-5 degreesC).