Car bumper polymer composite, PMMA and polypropylene

This sample is a coplymer of polypropylene (PP) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The PP is the soft phase and the PMMA is the hard phase. This material is used in the atuomotive industry for things like bumpers. It needs to be flexible and durable, yet rigid enough to hold a shape. The surface distribution of phases was in question and lateral force was used to distinguish the two phases. In this case, the softer phase appears darker (less "sticky") in the LFM image. Consult our tech note # 101 on LFM for more detailed interpretation of LFM images.