Crystallite orientation effects in the 720/730 cm−1 doublet of transcrystalline polyethylene

Transcrystalline films of polyethylene were studied by polarized infrared spectroscopy with varying angles of incidence. The average orientation of the unit cells in the transcrystalline structure was shown to be such that the a axes were predominantly parallel to the surface of the films, and the b axes were predominantly perpendicular to the surface.