Low frequency Raman spectroscopic study on lamellar polymer crystals

The recently observed very low-frequencyRaman bands in polyethylene open up the possibility of determining the straight-chain stem lengths within the crystal as opposed to the full periodicity constituted by crystal core plus amorphous surface layer given by lowangle X-ray diffraction. Past works (6–10) have established the correlation with lamellar thickness but leave doubts about the possibility of making the distinction just indicated. The first objective of the present work was to examine this point on crystals where the chains are inclined to different extents with respect to the lamellar surface. The samples include single-crystals grown from solution at different temperatures and oriented bulk polyethylenes. It is concluded that the low-frequencyRaman peaks correspond to the inclined chain length as opposed to the layer thickness, hence providing a measure of a chain as opposed to a platelet property. TheRaman based length figures are only slightly below those of the appropriately inclined straight traverses across the full lamellae, hence on the basis of existing understanding non-trans chain sequences are confined to a surface region which must be much narrower than required by the usually envisaged amorphous crystalline two-phase structure. Similar studies were carried out also on single crystals of the linear polyester poly(decamethylene sebacate). These demonstrate in the first place that polymers other than polyethylene can also be amenable to suchRaman studies and secondly that in this particular instance, changes in the relative thicknesses of crystal core and surface layer could be registered. The two studies in conjunction affirm the potential of the low-frequencyRaman technique for the study of polymer crystal morphology.