Lamellae Grating Assembly in Ring-Banded Spherulites

Abstract

Despite excruciating attempts by polymer physicists in last several decades, lamellar assembly in ring-banded spherulites (RBSs) is still an unsolved and highly debated puzzle. In an unprecedented manner, the banded rings, based on a model polymer, are mapped with advanced synchrotron microbeam X-ray diffraction. According to the diffraction map and microscopy-dissection morphology, the periodically banded structure is composed of lamellae self-assembled as structural gratings. The comparison of a real-time micrograph with this mapping shows the sequential arrangement and orientation of lamellae in gratings. Lamellar assembly in RBS is fully explained with experimental evidence. This methodology can be applied to a wide variety of polymers to analyze spherulites displaying periodic self-assembled patterns.