Structure and morphology of heavily deformed single crystals of a polydiacetylene. I. Electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction

The structure and morphology of heavily deformed single crystals of a diacetylene polymer have been studied using a combination of x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Crystals have been deformed by both rolling and hammering. The crystals remain intact during deformation and can be reduced in thickness by a factor of over 5 in directions perpendicular to their chain axes. It is found that the chain orientation is maintained during both hammering and rolling. A greenish-colored surface skin develops during both types of deformation but the structure of the interior of the crystals depends upon the type of deformation employed. The interior of the hammered crystals consists of crystal blocks ca. 50 μm thick formed by cleavage perpendicular to the chain direction whereas the rolled crystals tend to be fibrous with no evidence of molecular fracture. The possible deformation mechanisms which have given rise to the different structures have been discussed.