Application of the negative staining technique to both aqueous and organic solvent solutions of polymer particles

Abstract Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging of several different polymers in aqueous and organic solutions using the negative staining technique is demonstrated, to emphasise the possibilities of this specimen preparation technique for polymer science. Negative stains can readily be prepared in both water and organic solvents (e.g. dimethyl formamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and tetrahydrofurane (THF)). Polymer particle size, size distribution and shape seen in negative stain correlates well with those of unstained materials. The particle surface and smaller particles (e.g. 10–20 nm) are more clearly defined in the presence of a negative stain. The inherent problems of s…