A quantitative, space-resolved method for optical anisotropy estimation in bulk carbons

This paper presents an innovative and quantitative method for characterization of bulk carbons using polarized light microscopy. It yields maps of transverse preferential orientation and quantitative transverse anisotropy. It can be utilized on any region observable with an optical microscope, at any attainable scale. It requires a set of micrographs from the same region of a carbon-based sample at different combinations of polarizer and analyzer positions. Applications of the technique to several actual carbon-based materials are presented and discussed.