Small-angle X-ray Scattering Patterns Research Articles

Evolution of the microstructure and morphology of polyimide fibers during heat-drawing process

The development of crystalline structure and morphology for polyimide (PI) fibers in the heat-drawing process was investigated by simultaneous synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). WAXD results indicated that the drawing process resulted in a high crystal orientation and ordered crystal structure. Especially, as the drawing ratio increases to 2.0, a well-defined crystalline structure forms in the fibers. We propose that the highly oriented molecular chains induce the formation of crystalline regions. Namely, an orientation-induced crystallization occur with stretching in the case of the heat-drawing polyimide fibers. The meridional scattering streaks in the SAXS patterns for the as-spun fibers suggest the presence of periodic lamellar structure in the fibers. These crystalline lamellae may evolve to more complete crystalline regions. The size of microvoids in the cross-section of the PI fibers is analyzed by SAXS. As a result, the drawing process leads to the orientation of microvoids along the fiber, and to reduced diameter of the microvoids in the fiber. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis indicates that the activation energy Ea of α relaxation increases with the increase in the crystallinity and orientation in the fibers.

Effect of liquid crystals with cyclodextrin on the bioavailability of a poorly water-soluble compound, diosgenin, after its oral administration to rats

Diosgenin, found in wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), has been shown to ameliorate diabetes and hyperlipidemia, increase cell proliferation in a human 3D skin model, and inhibits melanin production in B16 melanoma cells. It is also an active element in cosmeceutical and dietary supplements. Although the bioavailability of diosgenin is low due to its poor solubility and intestinal permeability, it was subsequently improved using a β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion complex. Recently liquid crystals (LCs) were shown to enhance the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. The purpose in the present study was to prepare diosgenin LCs and investigate the interaction between LC and β-CD in order to improve its bioavailability of diosgenin. Crystallinity and particle diameters of LCs in water were determined by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and Zetasizer. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the plasma content of diosgenin after its oral administration to Wistar rats. Regarding the formation of glyceryl monooleate (GMO) and phytantriol (PHY) LC, SAXS patterns showed the hexagonal and cubic phases, respectively. Bioavailability was significantly enhanced after oral administration of LCs prepared by GMO than after diosgenin alone. The bioavailability was further improved with the combination of LC and β-CD than LC and water.

Studying nanostructure gradients in injection-molded polypropylene/montmorillonite composites by microbeam small-angle x-ray scattering

The core–shell structure in oriented cylindrical rods of polypropylene (PP) and nanoclay composites (NCs) from PP and montmorillonite (MMT) is studied by microbeam small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The structure of neat PP is almost homogeneous across the rod showing regular semicrystalline stacks. In the NCs the discrete SAXS of arranged crystalline PP domains is limited to a skin zone of 300 μm thickness. Even there only frozen-in primary lamellae are detected. The core of the NCs is dominated by diffuse scattering from crystalline domains placed at random. The SAXS of the MMT flakes exhibits a complex skin–core gradient. Both the direction of the symmetry axis and the apparent perfection of flake-orientation are varying. Thus there is no local fiber symmetry, and the structure gradient cannot be reconstructed from a scan across the full rod. To overcome the problem the rods are machined. Scans across the residual webs are performed. For the first time webs have been carved out in two principal directions. Comparison of the corresponding two sets of SAXS patterns demonstrates the complexity of the MMT orientation. Close to the surface (< 1 mm) the flakes cling to the wall. The variation of the orientation distribution widths indicates the presence of both MMT flakes and grains. The grains have not been oriented in the flowing melt. An empirical equation is presented which describes the variation from skin to core of one component of the inclination angle of flake-shaped phyllosilicate filler particles.

Crystal and Crystallites Structure of Natural Rubber and Peroxide-Vulcanized Natural Rubber by a Two-Dimensional Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction Simulation Method. II. Strain-Induced Crystallization versus Temperature-Induced Crystallization

New insights into the strain-induced crystallization (SIC) and temperature-induced crystallization (TIC) of unvulcanized natural rubber (NR) and peroxide-vulcanized natural rubber (PVNR) have been obtained by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SIC samples were deformed at various temperatures (from −50 to 50 °C) to determine the effect of temperature on the crystallite structure. In the WAXD patterns, highly oriented sharp crystal reflections were observed for the SIC samples, whereas sharp rings without preferred orientation were observed for the TIC samples. A novel 2D method to calculate WAXD patterns was used to obtain information on the crystallite structure. For the SIC samples, the crystallite sizes, volume, number of chains per crystallite, crystallite orientation, and crystal displacement disorder increased with increasing temperature but with a decrease in the number of crystals. The crystallite sizes and volume were much larger for the TIC samples as compared to the SIC samples. In the SAXS patterns, the presence of a lamellar peak was observed only for the SIC samples at low temperatures, whereas diffuse scattering was observed for the SIC samples at high temperatures and for the TIC samples. A two-phase stacking model was applied to the 1D integrated intensities of the TIC samples to determine the thicknesses of the crystalline and amorphous phases and the long-period spacing. The long period increased with increasing temperature, which was attributed to the reduction in the number of crystallites and the translation of chains from the crystalline regions to an amorphous state.

A study of small angle X-ray scattering from impregnated activated carbons

A description of the incipient wetness or imbibing method of impregnating activated carbons with a variety of chemical species and at various mass loadings is given. Since the impregnants can be located in macro, meso and micropores, changes to small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns should occur as impregnant is loaded into activated carbon. Using a modified Kalliat model and suitable interpretation, calculations illustrate the impacts of micropore filling and impregnant micrograins within larger pores on the SAXS patterns. SAXS measurements on a given set of impregnated carbons were used to determine the micropore volume and impregnant filling fraction as well as the impregnant micrograin volume. SAXS is demonstrated to be a useful tool for examining the distribution of chemical impregnant in microporous carbon materials.

Application of orthogonal experimental design in synthesis of mesoporous bioactive glass

An orthogonal experimental design method combining with quantitive analysis of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) pattern was applied to optimize the synthesis of bioactive glasses with highly ordered mesoporous structure (MBGs). The quantitive analysis of SAXS pattern allows a quantified evaluation of the ordering of the mesoporous structure, which makes it possible to tailoring the mesoporous structure of the MBGs with complex component by a traditional orthogonal experimental design method. The number of trials for preparing MBGs can be greatly reduced and the primary factors affecting the formation of mesoporous structure and the properties of MBGs can be easily found out by this orthogonal experimental design method. MBGs containing SiO2, CaO, Fe2O3 were prepared as an example to present the way to obtain optimized ordered mesoporous structure. It confirmed that Fe2O3 was the primary factor influencing the mesoporous structure of the MBGs. The ordering of the mesopores increased in the first and then decreased with the increase of F127 content.

Small-angle X-ray Solution Scattering Study of the Multi-aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase Complex Reveals an Elongated and Multi-armed particle

In animal cells, nine aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are associated with the three auxiliary proteins p18, p38, and p43 to form a stable and conserved large multi-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex (MARS), whose molecular mass has been proposed to be between 1.0 and 1.5 MDa. The complex acts as a molecular hub for coordinating protein synthesis and diverse regulatory signal pathways. Electron microscopy studies defined its low resolution molecular envelope as an overall rather compact, asymmetric triangular shape. Here, we have analyzed the composition and homogeneity of the native mammalian MARS isolated from rabbit liver and characterized its overall internal structure, size, and shape at low resolution by hydrodynamic methods and small-angle x-ray scattering in solution. Our data reveal that the MARS exhibits a much more elongated and multi-armed shape than expected from previous reports. The hydrodynamic and structural features of the MARS are large compared with other supramolecular assemblies involved in translation, including ribosome. The large dimensions and non-compact structural organization of MARS favor a large protein surface accessibility for all its components. This may be essential to allow structural rearrangements between the catalytic and cis-acting tRNA binding domains of the synthetases required for binding the bulky tRNA substrates. This non-compact architecture may also contribute to the spatiotemporal controlled release of some of its components, which participate in non-canonical functions after dissociation from the complex.

Heterocyclic and aromatic based polyurethane scaffolds: morphology and crystallinity studied by X-ray diffraction, small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry

The morphology, crystallinity and X-ray diffraction of speciality heterocyclic and aromatic based polyurethane and poly(urethane–urea) elastomers synthesized via a one-shot polymerization method were studied. The samples were chain extended by mixtures of aliphatic diols and furanic or aromatic diamine chain extenders. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements confirmed the results obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and revealed the presence of phases with sharp phase boundaries. The SAXS patterns are best fitted with a model that consists of liquid-like ordered polydisperse spheres. Most of the samples were shown to be poorly crystalline, but some soft-phase crystals do exist and these melted at about 353 K as confirmed by DSC and temperature-dependent wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Annealing at 273 K did not affect the thermal stability but influenced the morphology of the samples. The effect of annealing on the samples of poly(urethane–urea) extended using diamine chain extenders was smaller than that for polyurethane samples, which indicates a much higher thermal stability of the poly(urethane–urea) samples owing to the formation of bidentate hydrogen-bond networks across the urea groups.

Comparative SAXS and DSC study on stratum corneum structural organization in an epidermal cell culture model (ROC): Impact of cultivation time

Cell cultured skin equivalents present an alternative for dermatological in vitro evaluations of drugs and excipients as they provide the advantage of availability, lower variability and higher assay robustness compared to native skin. For penetration/permeation studies, an adequate stratum corneum barrier similar to that of human stratum corneum is, however, a prerequisite. In this study, the stratum corneum lipid organization in an epidermal cell culture model based on rat epidermal keratinocytes (REK organotypic culture, ROC) was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in dependence on ROC cultivation time and in comparison to native human and rat stratum cornea. In addition, the thermal phase behavior was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and barrier properties were checked by measurements of the permeability of tritiated water. The development of the barrier of ROC SC obtained at different cultivation times (7, 14 and 21days at the air–liquid interface) was connected with an increase in structural order of the SC lipids in SAXS measurements: Already cultivation for 14days at the air–liquid interface resulted overall in a competent SC permeability barrier and SC lipid organization. Cultivation for 21days resulted in further minor changes in the structural organization of ROC SC. The SAXS patterns of ROC SC had overall large similarities with that of human SC and point to the presence of a long periodicity phase with a repeat distance of about 122Å, e.g. slightly smaller than that determined for human SC in the present study (127Å). Moreover, SAXS results also indicate the presence of covalently bound ceramides, which are crucial for a proper SC barrier, although the corresponding thermal transitions were not clearly detectable by DSC.Due to the competent SC barrier properties and high structural and organizational similarity to that of native human SC, ROC presents a promising alternative for in vitro studies, particularly as it can be obtained under overall rather straightforward cell culture conditions and thus low assay costs.

Dynamic mechanical behavior and nanostructure morphology of hyperbranched‐modified polypropylene blends

AbstractPolypropylene (PP) was modified utilizing two types of polyesteramide‐based hyperbranched polymers (amphiphilic PS and hydrophilic PH). A maleicanhydride‐modified PP (PM) was used as a reactive dispersing agent to enhance the modification by grafting the hyperbranched polymers onto the PP chains. Pure PP, two different non‐reactively modified samples, i.e. excluding PM, and two different reactively modified samples, i.e. including PM, were studied. Investigating the morphology of the samples was performed by scanning electron microscopy. To follow the effect of the modification on the dynamic mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical analysis experiments both in the melt (rheometric mechanical spectrometry) and in solid state (dynamic mechanical thermal analysis) were carried out. In the next step, the nanocrystalline structure of the samples was studied by small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) in two different modes, i.e. static and recrystallization. Hundreds of SAXS patterns were analyzed automatically using procedures written in PV‐WAVE image‐processing software. The chord distribution function (CDF) was calculated and the long period (lp) of the crystal lamellae was extracted from the CDFs. The rheometric mechanical spectrometry results show that both hyperbranched polymers decrease complex viscosity η* and enhance liquid‐like behavior. This happens more significantly when PM is included. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis results reveal that Tg decreases when PS and PH are added. In the reactively modified samples this reduction is compensated most probably because of the crosslinked structure formed through the grafting reaction between the hyperbranched polymers and PM. Such structure is confirmed by SAXS data and calculated CDFs in the recrystallization mode. Static SAXS data also show enhancement in the crosshatched morphology of the crystalline lamellae of PP for reactively modified samples compared with non‐reactively modified samples. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

All-Atom Ensemble Modeling to Analyze Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering of Glycosylated Proteins

The flexible and heterogeneous nature of carbohydrate chains often renders glycoproteins refractory to traditional structure determination methods. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) can be a useful tool for obtaining structural information of these systems. All-atom modeling of glycoproteins with flexible glycan chains was applied to interpret the solution SAXS data for a set of glycoproteins. For simpler systems (single glycan, with a well-defined protein structure), all-atom modeling generates models in excellent agreement with the scattering pattern and reveals the approximate spatial occupancy of the glycan chain in solution. For more complex systems (several glycan chains, or unknown protein substructure), the approach can still provideinsightful models, though the orientations of glycans become poorly determined. Ab initio shape reconstructions appear to capture the global morphology of glycoproteins but in most cases offer littleinformation about glycan spatial occupancy. The all-atom modeling methodology is available as a web server at http://salilab.org/allosmod-foxs.

Modified Crystallization in PET/PPS Bicomponent Fibers Revealed by Small-Angle and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering

We present a small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) characterization of the semicrystalline structure of homo- and heterobicomponent core–sheath fibers melt-spun from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS). The two-dimensional SAXS/WAXS patterns of the various bicomponent fibers are found to reflect the mutual influence of the components on their thermal profiles along the spinline, leading to modified crystallization of the PET component and a larger strain rate in the PPS component. The predominant scattering features in the SAXS patterns are four-point reflections, an intense equatorial streak, and a central anisotropic diffuse scattering. The four-point reflections are attributed to tilted crystalline lamellar stacks of PET. The lamellar stack dimensions and the orientation of their lamellar surfaces are determined. We find that the heterobicomponent arrangement can promote the formation of equally spaced and uniformly sized crystallites in the PET phase and highly oriented crystallites in the PPS phase.

Phase behavior of didecylpyrrolidium bromide in aqueous solution

The phase behavior of a double chained pyrrolidinium surfactant, didecylpyrrolidium bromide (DC10PB), in aqueous solution was studied. Polarized optical microscopy (POM), cryogenic-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements were employed to investigate the properties of the structures formed. With increasing DC10PB concentration, isotropic solution phase, vesicle phase, and lamellar liquid crystal (LLC) phase are presented in aqueous solution. The structural parameters of the LLC phase were calculated from SAXS patterns, which show the change in detail as a function of the amount of DC10PB. The rheological measurements reveal that the viscoelasticity increases with DC10PB concentration because of the densely packing of the surfactant molecules.

Deformation and orientation behavior of polystyrene-b-polybutadiene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) triblock terpolymers: Influence of polybutadiene microstructures and the molar masses

Morphological changes caused by deformation and orientation of different domains of polystyrene-b-polybutadiene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate), SBM, triblock terpolymers were investigated using in-situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), tensile testing, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two sets of SBM triblock terpolymers with similar weight fractions of the three blocks were studied. The two sets differ in terms of their molecular weights. Each set contained two SBM differing in their polybutadiene isomers (1,2- and 1,4-B). Results showed that for 1,2-B based SBMs the polybutadiene block forms cylindrical domains which coalesce in the glassy lamellar matrix of the two glassy outer blocks whereas the lower molar mass 1,4-B based SBM forms mixed S/M and the higher one forms well segregated long range ordered lamellae. These morphological differences indicate that the deformation and the orientation behavior of the polymers' domains differ. In 1,2-B based SBMs yielding at high stresses was followed by a stress drop after the yield point. The other polymer type showed homogeneous deformation of the lamellar domains at their yield point. 2D-SAXS during deformation of the triblock terpolymers showed an anisotropic deformation pattern in the 1,2-B SBMs, whereas four point SAXS patterns were found for the 1,4-B SBMs. Further studies showed that the fragmented lamellar planes of the lower molar mass 1,2-SBM oriented randomly whereas the orientation of the lamellar planes of the higher molar mass 1,2-B SBM was parallel to the strain direction. The alignment of the lamellar planes of 1,4-B SBMs were randomly distributed in the unstretched state.

Pressure Jump Kinetics of Disorder to BCC Ordering in Diblock Copolymer Micelles in a Selective Solvent

We present time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements of the kinetics of a barotropic disorder–order transition in polystyrene–polyisoprene (SI) diblock micelles in diethyl phthalate (DEP), a styrene selective solvent. Because of the fast equilibration in a pressure jump we were able to observe the initial induction stage during which the short-range order of the micellar fluid increases, followed by a sharp first-order nucleation and growth of the BCC phase and eventual late stage coarsening. The time evolution of intensity from individual diffraction spots of a crystallite was obtained from the analysis of 2-dimensional SAXS patterns and shows late stage power-law growth. The time evolution of the SAXS intensity profiles was analyzed by fitting the contribution to the scattering from the ordered Bragg peaks by Gaussians and analyzing the contribution to the scattering from the disordered micellar liquid in terms of the Percus–Yevick interacting hard-sphere model. The time evolution of the micellar structural parameters obtained from this analysis reveals that the disorder to order transition occurs when the volume fraction of micelles reaches 0.53, and the effective hard sphere radius and volume fraction of micelles increases upon ordering while the core radius is unaffected. In both the ordered and disordered states the hard sphere radius and volume fraction of micelles increase with increasing pressure indicating increased swelling of the micellar corona. In the ordered state there is considerable penetration of the corona chains from neighboring micelles.

Correlation of nanostructural parameters and macromechanical behaviour of hyperbranched‐modified polypropylene using time‐resolved small‐angle X‐ray scattering measurements

AbstractPolypropylene (PP) is modified utilizing a poly(ester amide)‐based hyperbranched polymer (PS). A maleic‐modified PP is used to enhance the compatibility. Usual tensile experiments are carried out. The nanocrystalline structure is studied using small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) while a uniaxial mechanical load is simultaneously applied. SAXS patterns are analysed using procedures written in PV‐WAVE. The chord distribution function (CDF) is calculated and nanostructural parameters such as long period (lp) and nanodeformation (ϵNano) are extracted. The correlations between macromechanical parameters and nanostructures are studied. Mechanical results show that PS has a plasticizing effect. Reactively blended samples demonstrate enhanced mechanical properties. SAXS patterns reveal a well‐known structure of PP as a peculiar architecture of the nanostructure. Crystalline branching occurs in a geometry that is known as a mother–daughter crystal lamellar structure, also called a crosshatching structure. It is concluded that adding PS distorts the stacking of crystalline domains. The structural information from SAXS patterns in reciprocal space is visualized in real space in the calculated CDFs. The CDFs indicate that in simple blends, lp of the crystalline stacks increases compared to blank PP. Nevertheless, reactively blended samples show an increase of lp compared to blank PP; however, they possess smaller lp compared to simple blends. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

Advances in X-ray scattering: from solution SAXS to achievements with coherent beams

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of macromolecular systems in solution has become an obvious complement to high resolution structural studies. Using SAXS, structural hypotheses can be directly tested against experimental data in solution. Conformational changes or complex formation can be monitored, and help understanding structure-function relationships. Additionally, the reliability of the data has been much strengthened by on-line purification approaches. Moreover, when coherent X-rays are used for sample illumination, SAXS patterns become speckled and can provide electron-density maps directly by computational phase-retrieval methods. Furthermore, X-ray free-electron laser with femtosecond pulse duration will enable us to take time-frozen images of biomolecules in solution free from radiation damage. In this paper, recent experimental and methodological advances in both classical and coherent SAXS are reviewed.

Structure Development during Stretching and Heating of Isotactic Propylene–1-Butylene Random Copolymer: From Unit Cells to Lamellae

Structure changes in propylene–1-butylene (P–B) random copolymer having low content of butylene concentration (5.7 mol %) during stretching and heating were investigated by combined wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. On the basis of 2D data analysis, two crystal modifications with three orientation modes were determined: γ-phase lamellae with “tilted cross-β” configuration, aligned α-phase lamellae (with respect to the stretching direction) and α-phase daughter lamellae. It was found that γ-phase was unstable and could be transformed into α-phase by stretching. The early stage “four-point” SAXS pattern was attributed to the coexistence of both α- and γ-phase lamellae. The c-axis in the γ-phase was parallel to the lamellar long axis, where corresponding polymer chains were perpendicular to this axis. On the other hand, the c-axis in the α-phase was aligned to the stretching direction. After yielding, the SAXS pattern changed into a “two-point” pattern al...

Acrylic AB and ABA Block Copolymers Based on Poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) (PEHA) and Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) via ATRP

Acrylic block copolymers have several advantages over conventional styrenic block copolymers, because of the presence of a saturated backbone and polar pendant groups. This investigation reports the preparation and characterization of di- and triblock copolymers (AB and ABA types) of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). A series of block copolymers, PEHA-block-PMMA(AB diblock) and PMMA-block-PEHA-block-PMMA(ABA triblock) were prepared via ATRP at 90 °C using CuBr as catalyst in combination with N,N,N',N″,N″-pentamethyl diethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as ligand and acetone as additive. The chemical structure of the macroinitiators and molar composition of block copolymers were characterized by (1)H NMR analysis, and molecular weights of the polymers were analyzed by GPC analysis. DSC analysis showed two glass transition temperatures (T(g)), indicating formation of two domains, which was corroborated by AFM analysis. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis of AB and ABA block copolymers showed scattering behavior inside the measuring limits indicating nanophase separation. However, SAXS pattern of AB diblock copolymers indicated general phase separation only, whereas for ABA triblock copolymer an ordered or mixed morphology could be deduced, which is assumed to be the reason for the better mechanical properties achieved with ABA block copolymers than with the AB analogues.

A study of surface morphology and phase separation of polymer/cellulose liquid crystal composite membranes

This paper explores the effects of the incorporation of liquid crystalline phases into polyurethane (PU) matrix with the aim of creating composites with biomimetic surfaces. The surface morphology and phase separation structure of polyurethane/butyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester (PU/BPC) composite membranes with different BPC contents and underwent different post-treatments were investigated by using polarized optical microscopy (POM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).Well-dispersed liquid crystal (LC) domains occurred on the PU/BPC composite membranes surfaces. As the increment of BPC content, the LC domains tended to form enlarged quasispherical aggregates with poorly molecular orientation, and low degree of regular phase separation occurred between the LC domains and PU substrate. Membranes with different LC contents underwent heat treating and cooling at three different conditions exhibited distinct surface morphologies, meanwhile, a sharp peak emerged in the SAXS pattern, which indicated that the ordered arrangement of BPC molecular chains existed in the LC domains and the phase separation structure between substrate and LC domain had changed. Sharper and more intense SAXS peaks were found in the membranes that annealing in oven, indicating more regular arrangement of LC domains and more obvious phase separation presented than those cooling to 20°C or −20°C respectively. Results suggested that the surface morphology of polymer/LC membranes could be controlled through adjusting LC contents or post treatment conditions.