Characterization of free volume and density gradients of polystyrene surfaces by low-energy positron lifetime measurements
Free volume and density gradient widths of the free surface of high molecular mass polystyrene was characterized by use of a pulsed low-energy positron lifetime beam. A density gradient in terms of mass density (g/cm(3)) versus depth (nm) was obtained from the experimental beam data using a novel approach, yielding a width of the density gradient of approximately 3.5 nm. The procedure accounted fo