Dispersion of carbon black or other inorganic fillers can be determined by cutting or microtoming the rubber and analyzing with reflected light, transmitted light or electron microscopy. In the case of LOM, carbon black dispersion can be determined using the reflected light method commonly known as the Phillips dispersion rating. More precise carbon black dispersion can be determined by microtoming thin sections and using transmitted light for the analysis. SEM analysis uses atomic number contrast to determine the dispersion of inorganic fillers with the fillers appearing lighter (high atomic number) than the surrounding rubber (low atomic number).

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* EDX is Energy Dispersive X Ray, LOM is Light Optical Microscopy, OC is Optical Comparator, SEM is Scanning Electron Microscopy, TEM is Transmission Electron Microscopy