AFM lateral force imagining of modified polychloroprene: A study based on roughness analysis

Films of a binary polymer blends comprising polychloroprene (PCP) and piperylene-styrene copolymer (PSC) have been prepared by solution casting. The dependence of the surface morphology of the free blend films on PSC content was studied with both roughness and correlation analysis of lateral force microscopy (LFM) images. Significant changes in roughness and lateral parameter values of different blend film sides have been observed depending on the blend composition. It was shown that up to 15 wt.% PSC is distributed continuously in PCP bulk. The increase of roughness and lateral parameter values at the air/film surface shows the enrichment of PCP in the blends containing 25 wt.% or more PSC. The enrichment of PCP on the air/film surface favours the increase of PSC concentration at the backing/film surface. The films underside morphology becomes similar to that of PSC, when its content reaches 40 wt.%.