Abstract: | We have directly measured the free-volume hole distributions in semicrystalline polypropylene by positron lifetime annihilation spectroscopy. A Laplace inversion technique was engaged to analyze the positron lifetime spectra measured under quasi-isotropic external pressures of 0, 4.2, and 14.7 kbar into continuous lifetime distributions. The hole radii distributions as determined from the ortho-positronium lifetime distributions are found to be between 4.0 and 0.5 Å and to have maxima at 3.0, 1.9, and 1.1 Å under the external pressures of 0, 4.2, and 14.7 kbar, respectively. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |