Polymer characterization small angle light scattering

Microscopic examination (OM), small angle light scattering (SALS), scanning (SEM) or transmission electron microscopy (TEM) wide (WAXS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) spectroscopy are other techniques usually necessary to characterize fully the polymer crystal morphology but will not be dwelt upon in this chapter. 

Light scattering is a classical technique used to study solutions (with the necessary difference in refractive index between solvent and solute). This is described in Chapter 2. It is also used for characterization of superstructures (spherulitic, axialitic, etc.) in semicrystalline polymers. The technique is called small-angle light scattering (SALS) and information is obtained about type and size of superstructure (Chapter 7). 

Xiao, Z.C., Li, Y, Ma, D.L., Schadler, L.S., and Akpalu, Y.A. (2006) Probing the use of small-angle light scattering for characterizing structure of titanium dioxide/low-density polyethylene nanocomposites. Journal of Polymer Science Part B Polymer Physics, 44, 1084-1095. 

Renken A, Hunkeler, D. Effect of the surfactant blend composition on the properties of polymerizing acrylamide-based inverse-emulsions characterization by small-angle neutron scattering and quasi-elastic light scattering. Polymer 1999 40 3545-3554. 

For the amphiphilic block copolymer in the non-polar selective solvent, the unpolar blocks form the corona, which provides solubilization and stabilization, while the polar or hydrophilic and functionalized blocks form the core, which is able to dissolve metal compounds due to coordination, followed by the nucleation and growth of metal particles upon reduction. Also the internal structure of block-copolymer micelles, as given by the size of core and corona and the density profile in each domain, has been carefully characterized by static and dynamic light scattering [146] and by small angle neutron scattering using contrast variation techniques [147], The micellar corona has many of the characteristics of a spherical polymer brush. 

Several techniques are commonly used to measure the size distributions of metal colloid particles. Electron microscopy. X-ray diffi ction, and small angle X-ray scattering are the most commonly used, although dassical methods such as sedimentation rates are sometimes reported. The techniques whidi have been extensively applied to the sizing of polymer colloids and emulsions, [183] such as light scattering and neutron scattering, have been only rarely applied to the characterization of metal sols. [103, 151, 153, 184]... 

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