The basic concepts of quantitative stereology are introduced and how stereology relates morphology to a statistical characterization of foams is described. The stereological parameters for the foam system are obtained with a computer-interfaced optical microscope and are calculated by traditional methods for either static or dynamic systems and for either polymeric or nonpolymeric foams. These foam parameters are used either individually or in combination to provide an additional perspective on the mechanism of foam formation and stability. Finally, they serve to generate correlations with physical test values associated with the bulk foam behavior.

No abstract