Polarized Raman studies of crystalline and amorphous orientation in polyethylene

Abstract

AbstractPolarized Raman intensities have been obtained from thin films of oriented low‐density polyethylene (PE) immersed in silicone oil to minimize surface scattering. Studies were made using the 1170 cm−1 crystalline band and the 1081 cm−1 amorphous band, and from these the orientation averages 〈cos2 θ〉 and 〈cos4 θ〉 were calculated. These were found to compare favorably with the values of 〈cos2 θ〉 for the polymer chain in the crystalline and amorphous phases obtained from measurements of infrared dichroism. Both orientation averages could be theoretically fitted by using reasonable parameters.