Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Stiffness Measurement of Soft Silicone Substrates for Mechanobiology Studies Using a Widefield Fluorescence Microscope
Published on: July 3, 2018
Silica-rubber microstructure visualised in three dimensions by focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy
L B Tunnicliffe1, A G Thomas, J J C Busfield
1Department of Materials, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Abstract:
A focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) technique for three-dimensional reconstruction and representation of material microstructures was applied to a silica-filled synthetic rubber for the first time. Backscattered electron imaging allowed differentiation between rubber matrix, silica filler and zinc oxide (used as an activator for the sulphur vulcanisation reaction). Subsequent image processing allowed three-dimensional isosurface model generation of the particulate structure within the rubber composite and separation of zinc oxide from the silica filler. The potential for development and application of this technique using finite element analysis modelling is also highlighted.

