Small-angle X-ray scattering and polymer melting: A model study

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) gives information on lamellar stacks in semicrystalline polymers. SAXS experiments have been used to follow the melting transition that occurs over a temperature range of 10 degreesC or more. One common feature is the increase in the average period by 50-100% during the melting process, a change that is often attributed to sequential melting of crystals in the lamellar stack. A quantitative treatment shows that the scattering experiment indicates only the original period, not the average period that increases throughout sequential melting. With this model, I discuss the relation between structural parameters of the melting structure and quantities derived from the SAXS intensity, the correlation function, and the interface distribution function. Uncertainties persist in our understanding of polymer melting. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.