Preparation of Large Sections for the Microscopical Study of Paper Structure, 1994 Papermakers Conference Proceedings

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Traditionally, cross-sections of paper have been produced by microtome sectioning of 3-5 mm wide strips of paper embedded in epoxy resin blocks for examination with a light microscope. Sectioning artefacts, the resolution limits of the light microscope, and the small sample size make quantitative structural studies very difficult with this method. A different approach capable of providing large sectional areas for viewing in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been developed. The method combines grinding and polishing to produce the section plan with removal of a thin layer of the supporting epoxy to reveal the sample structure for examination in the SEM in normal operating modes. The method provides high quality sections for high resolution imaging of a wide range of pulp and paper products such as newsprint, filled and coated paper, linerboard and corrugated board. Digital image acquisition and analysis is recommended to efficiently handle the large amount of information made available with this technique.