| Abstract: | Small- and intermediate-angle (0.006 < Q < 0.25 Å) neutron scattering experiments have been performed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Amorphous and semicrystalline samples with deuterated PET molecular weights of 24,200 and 40,500 were prepared. The average value of R /M determined in the small-angle region for the amorphous samples is 0.406, in close agreement with the experimental θ-solvent (0.398–0.420) and theoretical (0.394) values for unperturbed dimensions. The intermediate-angle results for the amorphous sample are consistent with the random coil prediction to Q = 0.08 Å, but beyond this Q value there is some deviation from Gaussian behavior. The semicrystalline samples show a decrease in the radius of gyration as measured in the small-angle region and an increase in intensity (when compared to the amorphous data) in the intermediate-angle region, especially for the low-molecular-weight material. These results suggest that crystallization in PET is accompanied by greater molecular reorganization than has previously been observed in most bulk polymers. |
