A fundamental investigation of erucamide migration in polyolefin resins was conducted using contact angle, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF SIMS). The migration of erucamide to the polymer surface was monitored using a pseudo-real-time experimental design from nearly the instant of film formation to equilibrium. The level of erucamide concentration at the surface reaches near equilibrium within the first 2 h of film production based on XPS detection depth. On the single-crystal layer basis observed in AFM, a full coverage of erucamide was near complete within the first 20 min of the experiment. Early-stage observation of the migration using AFM showed a crystalline domain growth, which was attributed to the crystalline morphology of erucamide on the polymer film surface. AFM and ToF SIMS observation of erucamide distribution showed generally even distribution over the observed areas, with local unevenness likely resulting from crystal-domain growth-formed patches. (c) 2007 American Vacuum Society.