Characterization of barrier clay coatings using AFM and SEM

The coalescence of water based barrier coatings was studied using atomic force microscopy (ATM). The strong effect of drying conditions on the surface topography of the poly(styrene-butadiene) based dispersion was observed. The effect of clay addition to the latex was evaluated by topographic images and in some cases by using phase shift signal acquired in non-contact mode. While the structure of this clay coating was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using cross-sectional specimens. Backscattered electron imaging revealed clear contrast between the binder and the pigments when osmium tetroxide was used to staining of poly(styrene-butadiene) based binder.