Depth Profiling of Polymer Blends and Optical Fiber with the Aid of SIMS

In inhomogeneous polymer blends we cannot expect a homogeneous distribution of each component along the direction vertical to the free surface. Even in homogeneous polymer blends the distribution might be affected by the surface energy. This leads to the importance of the establishment of a depth profiling method. For polymer blends, AKIYAMA(1) has classified characterization methods into three categories: morphological, chemicophysical, and thermodynamic. They have been appreciated as useful methods. Besides these methods, the present authors would like to propose an application of the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) as a useful method for characterizing polymer blends, especially for depth profiling.