JPS63253234A - Method for observing section of high-polymer organic structural body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit quick prepn. of a sample having a sharp section by solidifying high-polymer org. structural bodies by agar, then cutting the same to a desired thickness by a razor. CONSTITUTION:A hollow yarn membrane 3 of cellulose triacetate to be used as a reverse osmosis membrane is cut to about 15mm length and the cut membranes are put into a plastic container 5 sized about 5mmX20mmX5mm. The dissolved agar 6 is poured and filled in the container 5. The agar is dissolved to about 3-10% conc. and the hardnesses of the hollow yarn fibers and the agar are approximated to each other as far as possible. After the agar solidifies, the sample is taken out of the plastic container 5 and the agar and hollow yarn fibers are thinly and successively cut together by the safety razor 7. The sliced sample is observed by an optical microscope or stereoscopic microscope, by which the sharp sectional condition of the hollow yarn fiber is recognized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is directed to the application of polymeric organic structures such as fibrous cellulose acetate membranes and various polymeric organic fibers used in reverse osmosis devices, ultrafiltration devices, etc. The present invention relates to a method of observing the cross-sectional state of a material using a microscope.

(Prior Art) Generally, in order to understand the internal structure of fibers, it is essential to observe the cross-sectional state of fibers. Conventionally, for this type of observation, as shown in Fig. 4, 1 cut the observation fiber 3 to an appropriate length and put it in a plastic capsule 1, 1 harden it with epoxy resin 2, and then use a microtome. Using a glass blade 4 or the like to scrape off the epoxy resin, a cross-sectional portion of the fiber was taken out as a sample, and the cross-sectional state was observed using a stereoscopic microscope or a scanning electron microscope.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) In this conventional method, ■ It takes more than 10 hours to harden the fibers with the epoxy resin (hardening time), and it takes a long time to prepare the sample; ■ The solidified epoxy resin Because it is hard, it takes a lot of time to cut it with a glass blade, and the glass blade is easily damaged, and it also has disadvantages such as being difficult to cut quickly (and making it difficult to obtain a clear cross-section).

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cross-sectional observation method that can obtain a sample with a clear cross-section in a short time.

(Means and effects for solving the problems) Therefore, in the cross-sectional observation of a polymeric organic structure, the present invention solidifies the structure with agar and then cuts it to a desired thickness with a razor blade. Its structure is to perform microscopy using a sample, and this is a means of solving the above problems.

In other words, the present inventors have found that agar, which has been edible since ancient times, is used instead of the conventionally used epoxy resin to obtain this kind of cross-sectional observation sample, and that it is the best solidifying material and solidifying conditions. By using this agar, it is possible to shorten the sample preparation time from over 10 hours to an extremely short time of about 30 minutes, and at the same time, it is possible to easily and sharply cut samples using a safety razor as a cutting blade. A fiber cross section is obtained.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The polymer organic structure used in the example is a hollow fiber membrane of cellulose triacetate used as a reverse osmosis membrane. This sample is a hollow fiber with an outer diameter of approximately 150 μm and an inner diameter of 50 μm as shown in Figure 5, which is relatively commonly used for desalinating seawater, and pressure is applied from the outside of the fiber. Get fresh water from the inside. In order to understand the internal structure of this hollow fiber membrane, the membrane was cut using the following method and the cross section was observed.

(1) First, 5 (u + width) x 2 as shown in Figure 1.
Put the hollow fiber membrane 3 cut into a length of about 15 m into a plastic container 5 measuring 0 (mm length) x 5 (n height) (as many membranes as you like are possible if necessary). Pour the dissolved agar 6 into the container 5. Fulfill.

(2) The concentration of agar is 3-10%, preferably 4-8%.
% gives the best results (clear cross sections).

That is, in order to uniformly cut hollow fiber fibers and agar at the same time, it is desirable that the hardness of the two be as close as possible, and it is thought that this condition is met when the concentration of agar is 4 to 8%.

Incidentally, when the agar concentration is 2%, even if the agar is cut, the hollow fibers cannot be cut cleanly. In this example, the dissolved agar used was one in which 200 ml of 6% agar was placed in a 300 ml Erlenmeyer flask and heated in a microwave oven for 3 minutes.

(3) After the agar 6 hardens (hardens in about 5 minutes), take out the sample from the plastic container 5.
(thickness less than mm).

(4) By observing this thinly cut sample with an optical microscope or a stereomicroscope, it was possible to clearly understand the cross-sectional state of the hollow fiber fibers.

In the above embodiment, a hollow fiber membrane of cellulose triacetate was used as an example of the polymeric organic structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, various polymeric organic fibers (nylon, vinylon, polyurethane) ,polyester,
It can be applied to macromolecular organic substances with structures other than fibers (silk, wool, cotton, etc.) and structures (membrane, solid), and the sample preparation conditions are not limited to the above examples. Naturally, it also varies depending on the material, etc.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the method of the present invention, the time for preparing a sample can be shortened from 10 hours to 30 minutes, or less than about 1720 minutes, compared to the conventional method, and the operation is relatively easy. This method is simple and allows better observation of cut surfaces than conventional methods.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1 is a side sectional view when the sample is solidified, Figure 2 is a three-dimensional view showing the solidified state of the sample, and Figure 3 is when the sample is cut. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view when preparing a sample by the conventional method, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the hollow fiber membrane. Explanation of main parts of the figure 5 - Plastic container 3 - Hollow fiber membrane 6 - Agar 7 - Safety razor patent Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Seiryo Engineering Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] When observing the cross section of the polymer organic structure, the structure is solidified with agar and then cut to a desired thickness using a razor blade. Observation method.