Scattering of Light in Crystalline Polymers. I. Formation and Melting of the Crystalline Phase in Neoprene

Abstract The process of formation and melting of neoprene crystallites was investigated by the polarized light scattering method. Conclusions about the nonreversibility of the crystallization and melting processes were drawn on the basis of angular distribution measurements of depolarized and polarized components of light scattered from polymer films. The appearance of a relatively small number of large crystallites is characteristic for the initiation of crystallization; further development of crystallization is accompanied by a decrease in the size of the crystallites. All crystallites disappear simultaneously during the melting process. The size of the crystallites determined by microphotography corresponds approximately to the particle size determined by the formula for isotropic, spherical particles. A method for the determination of the melting range of crystalline polymers is proposed.