APPLICATION OF DIGITAL IMAGE-ANALYSIS TO THE STUDY OF HIGH-ORDER STRUCTURE OF POLYMERS

A digital image analysis (DIA) technique has been applied directly to the study of the high-order structure of polymers probably for the first time. Using this method, various types of physical information can be obtained in real and wave-number (k) space. Included in this DIA method are operations such as two-dimensional Fourier transformation, cross sectional profiles along various curves, the size and shape distribution of droplets, etc. This technique is widely applicable to any image obtained by optical microscopy, electron microscopy, ordinary photography, etc. In this communication, we apply the DIA method to the study of the pattern formation in polymers, namely the structure of spherulite and phase separation in polymer blends.