ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY IN SYNTHETIC-POLYMER MEMBRANE RESEARCH

The use of electron microscopy (EM) to study microporous membranes is described. Application of EM to polymer membranes can be classified into two major areas: elucidation of membrane formation mechanisms (the effect of preparative parameters on morphology of the final membrane) and physical characterization of membranes. Conventional transmission and scanning electron microscopes have been used successfully to clarify details of membrane organization (structure) and formation mechanisms as well as supplying some information on the pores. However, neither transmission electron microscopy nor scanning electron microscopy could resolve the fine surface morphology of ultrafiltration membranes due to instrumentation limitations. The recent development of field-emission scanning electron microscopy has opened new opportunities in membrane research.