Nicholas Rider

Application Engineer, Nanoscience Instruments, Inc.

Materials Characterization: Finding the Right Tool for Fast Fiber Analysis

Abstract: This talk will cover multiple techniques used to characterize fibers, filters, and nanofibers, with data and analysis primarily from the Phenom desktop SEM. The FiberMetric software will be highlighted to show the automation of statistical fiber analysis.
Materials characterization instruments allow determination of fiber dimensions, histograms of fiber length and diameter, roughness of a fiber surface or coating texture, mechanical properties to understand the strength of a material and more. Knowing what data is needed defines the right tool to acquire the right data. An optical profiler can provide metrology data in 3D with true color. With the increasing demand for nanofibers, a scanning electron microscope that is easy to use may be more suitable. Automated measurement generates statistical data in minutes. For surface imaging in 3D, an atomic force microscope can scan a sample at the nanometer level. Nanoindentation, now accessible with a small footprint, can provide mechanical properties.