| Abstract: | Solid solutions of two low-molecular-weight polyethylene fractions, formed by rapid quenching from the melt, were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, low-frequency Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Two kinds of defects exist in these solid solutions; namely, a disruption of chain extension and the presence of monoclinic packing. The distribution of fully extended chain-segment lengths and the intensity of the 717 cm?1 infrared band, characteristic of the monoclinic phase, are found to be composition dependent. Our spectroscopic studies of the solid solutions support the model first proposed by Ott and Slagle. |
