Ultra-Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study of Polyethylene Crystallization from Solution

Crystallization of polyethylene in deuterated toluene solution has been investigated using time-resolved ultra small angle neutron scattering for the first time. Both slit-smeared and de-smeared scattering spectra were analyzed using Guinier’s law to obtain time-dependent structural information. The average lateral dimension of crystallites grows linearly with time, while the degree of crystallinity increases as square of time. The results suggest that the number density of nuclei remains constant during the crystal growth.