Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution

Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution

For any given polymer, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) is higher than, if not equal to, the number average molecular weight (Mn). The only situation in which the weight average molecular weight and the number average molecular weight are equal is when a polymer consists only of chains with equal molecular weight. However, this never happens in a synthetic polymer, since it is difficult to control the polymerization process up to a molecular level with accuracy to a hundred percent.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Thermomechanical performance of continuous carbon fibre composite materials produced by a modified 3D printer.

Heliyon·2023

Same author

Lateral resolution of electrostatic force microscopy for mapping of dielectric interfaces in ambient conditions.

Nanotechnology·2020

Same author

[Opacification of hydrophilic intraocular lens after multiple injections of bevacizumab].

Der Ophthalmologe : Zeitschrift der Deutschen Ophthalmologischen Gesellschaft·2018

Same author

Influence of outer-layer finite-size effects on the dewetting dynamics of a thin polymer film embedded in an immiscible matrix.

Soft matter·2018

Same author

A ring system detected around the Centaur (10199) Chariklo.

Nature·2014

Same author

Albedo and atmospheric constraints of dwarf planet Makemake from a stellar occultation.

Nature·2012

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Preparation of Liquid-exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets with Controlled Size and Thickness: A State of the Art Protocol

Preparation of Liquid-exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets with Controlled Size and Thickness: A State of the Art Protocol

Published on: December 20, 2016

Evaluation of morphological representative sample sizes for nanolayered polymer blends.

A Bironeau¹, J Dirrenberger², C Sollogoub¹

¹PIMM, Arts et Métiers-ParisTech/CNAM/CNRS UMR 8006, 151 bd de l'Hôpital, Paris, France.

Journal of Microscopy

|May 10, 2016

Summary

This study addresses microstructural sample size in polymer blends using atomic force microscopy. A statistical approach effectively estimates sample representativity and characterizes material heterogeneity across multiple scales.

Keywords:

Atomic force microscopy coextrusion multilayer structure nanolaminate nanolayered film nanostructured material polymer blend representative volume element

More Related Videos

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation

Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation

Published on: June 17, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Preparation of Liquid-exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets with Controlled Size and Thickness: A State of the Art Protocol

Preparation of Liquid-exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets with Controlled Size and Thickness: A State of the Art Protocol

Published on: December 20, 2016

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation

Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose, Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation

Published on: June 17, 2014

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Microstructural analysis is crucial for understanding material properties.
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) provides high-resolution imaging of nanostructured materials.
Determining representative sample sizes is essential for accurate material characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

To address the critical issue of representative sample size in microstructural analysis.
To investigate the morphological properties of a one-dimensional nanolayered polymer blend.
To establish a statistical method for estimating sample representativity.

Main Methods:

Utilizing Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to obtain micrographs of nanolayered polymer blends.
Performing image analysis on AFM data to extract statistical information on morphology.
Applying an asymptotic relationship to link point variance and ensemble variance for sample size estimation.

Main Results:

Statistical data revealed variability in microstructural morphology influenced by thermomechanical processing.
The study established a method to estimate the representativity of microstructural samples.
The statistical approach proved effective in discriminating and characterizing heterogeneity at multiple scales.

Conclusions:

The size of representative microstructural samples is a critical factor in material analysis.
A statistical framework using AFM data can accurately assess sample representativity.
This methodology is valuable for characterizing complex nanolayered polymer systems and their heterogeneity.