Fraunhofer FEP has established a set of proven workflows to characterise plastic web surfaces regarding their surface quality to evaluate the performance of the plastic web for different use scenarios, e.g.:

• Permeation barrier coatings
• Using the web as substrate for flexible electronics
• processabiliy at higher temperature

Therefore, we use a set of multiple characterisation methods such as:

• Surface properties and imaging (including defects, particles, surface morphology and roughness analysis)
  • Optical and Confical Microscopy
  • White Light Interferometry
  • Atomic Force Microscopy
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy
  • Hyperspectral imaging
• Mechanical and Thermomechanical properties
  • Adhesion testing (cross-cutting test; peeltest according to IPC-TM650)
  • Abrasion resistance test, pencil hardness test and nano indentation
  • Linear strain test, and evaluation of Young’s modulus
  • Temperature dependent Young’s modulus
• Optical Properties
  • Transmittance and Reflectance Spectra from 300 nm … 2500 nm wavelength (UV-VIS-Spectrometer)
  • Directed, scattered and total transmittance and reflectance
  • Visual Light Transmittance, Reflectance and Absorbance
  • Haze and Glare
• Chemical and structural Properties
  • Organic bonds (Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy)
  • Atomic Composition (GD-OES)
  • Crystallinity (X-ray diffraction analysis)
  • Wettability and surface energy
• Accelerated Ageing Testing
  • Outdoor weathering tests
  • Damp-Heat-Storage (85°C/85% r.h.)
• Permeability
  • Water vapor tranmsission rate (10 … 85°C)
  • Oxygen transmission rate (at 23°C/0% r.h.)