Synchrotron X-ray tomography of flame retardants in polymers

POLY 635

Leslie G. Butler, lbutler@lsu.edu, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1804
Quantitative 3D imaging of flame retardants blended in polymers have been used for three different projects: (a) measurement of the heterogeneity in a blended sample, (b) the local concentration around fiberglass reinforcement, and (c) the change in heterogeneity as a function of annealing. Overall, synchrotron X-ray tomography is found to provide rapid assessments of polymer blend structure at the near micron scale.