LIGHT-SCATTERING FROM CRYSTALLINE SUPERSTRUCTURE IN TUBULAR-EXTRUDED POLYBUTENE-1 FILMS

In reported experiments, light scattering from polybutene-1 films prepared by tubular extrusion was studied in order to investigate its crystalline superstructure and the deformation mechanism. Analysis of the light-scattering patterns together with electron micrographs, indicate the existence of sheaflike crystalline superstructures. The sheaves are aligned nearly side by side with their axes preferentially oriented perpendicular to the machine direction. The H//v scattering patterns exhibit a ″butterfly″ appearance. Analysis of the patterns in terms of scattering and azimuthal angles at which the scattering intensity is a maximum yields information on the size and shape of the sheaflike texture. The information should be of importance in studies of anisotropic crystal growth caused by molecular orientation in the melt and of the deformation mechanism of the texture. The deformation behavior should be representative of that of different parts of spherulites, at least qualitatively; the deformation of the texture along the machine and transverse directions corresponds to deformation of equatorial and meridional regions of a spherulite, respectively.