Estimating Percent Crystallinity of Polyethylene as a Function of Temperature by Raman Spectroscopy Multivariate Curve Resolution by Alternating Least Squares.

We have recently demonstrated a methodology to estimate the percent crystallinity (PC) of polymers directly with Raman spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) by alternating least-squares (ALS). In the MCR-ALS methodology, the Raman spectrum of a semicrystalline polymer is separated into two constituent components (crystalline and molten/amorphous) and their corresponding concentrations. The methodology necessitates that the Raman spectrum at any temperature be a linear combination of two MCR spectral components (one molten and one crystalline). This is true in the case of simple systems such as crystalline pendant alkyl domains in polymers (Samuel et al. Anal. Chem. 2016, 88, 4644). However, in the case of main chain polymer crystals (e.g., polyethylene), the situation can be complicated owing to several molecular changes in the lattice in addition to conformational reorganizations during melting. Under this circumstance, a simple two-state model may not be adequate and we describe the modifications required to treat such systems, keeping the basic principles of the proposed methodology unchanged. A comparative study with wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and Raman spectroscopy is also performed to substantiate our findings. In addition to estimating percent crystallinity (PC), our methodology is capable of revealing additional information, such as interchain interactions in crystal lattice, that in principle will help distinguishing polymorphic transformations, subtle changes in lamellar lattice dimensions, and other phase changes in polymers.

Conformational Preferences and the Phase Stability of Fullerene Hexa-adducts.

Molecular conformation and the assembly structure determine the spatial arrangements of the constituent units and the functions of a molecule. Although, fullerene hexa-adducts (FHAs) have been known as functional materials with great versatility, their conformational preferences and phase stability remain a complicate issue. By choosing bithiophene (T2 ) and dodecyl bithiophene (C12 T2 ) as the peripheral units of FHA, and using microscopic, scattering and diffraction characterizations, our study reveals how the intramolecular interaction and environmental stimulus affects the conformational preferences and phase stability of FHAs.