Polymer surface structures determined using ToF-SIMS

This article reviews the recent applications of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry in the determination of surface structures of semicrystralline and amorphous polymer films. Examples given include the determination of end-group distributions on semicrystalline polymer surfaces, lamellar orientation on thin-film surfaces, the structures of the folds of lamellae, the morphologies of polymer blends, the relationship between film stability and the concentration of the end groups, and the structures of thin polymer films.