SAXS for Polymer Research
Polymer materials develop complex internal structures as they are synthesized, blended, stretched, cooled, or processed. Block copolymers form periodic nanodomains, semicrystalline polymers grow lamellae within amorphous regions, and fillers distribute through a matrix to tune mechanical, optical, or barrier properties. Orientation can emerge under flow or tension, and thin films often develop gradients or ordered surface layers that differ from the bulk. These multiscale features determine how membranes separate, how packaging resists deformation, how coatings cure, and how composites perform. To optimize these materials, researchers need tools that reveal how polymer morphology forms and evolves under realistic conditions.
Laboratory Small and Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS and WAXS) and grazing-incidence techniques allow polymer structures to be examined under the exact conditions where they form or transform. Because measurements can be performed in situ during crystallization, order–disorder transitions, solvent evaporation, or thermal annealing, and in operando during stretching, flow, or coating, researchers can follow how lamellae thicken, how block-copolymer domains reorganize, how orientation develops, or how additives modify chain packing. These techniques capture structural evolution in bulk materials and thin films without altering the sample, providing a direct link between processing history, nanoscale morphology, and the resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties.
Questions you can answer with SAXS for Polymer Research
How do PE, PP, or PA semicrystalline polymers develop lamellae during cooling, and how does the lamellar thickness influence mechanical strength and ductility?
What nanoscale morphology do PS-b-PMMA, PI-b-PS, or PLA-based block copolymers adopt under different annealing or solvent-casting conditions?
How does orientation in PET or biaxially stretched films evolve during tensile deformation, and how uniform is it across the film?
How do surface and bulk regions in thin polymer films differ in terms of ordering, density, or crystallinity after drying or annealing?
Are silica, carbon black, or nanoclay fillers well dispersed in an elastomer or thermoplastic matrix, or do they form aggregates or percolated networks?
How does the nanoscale architecture of polymeric membranes (e.g., UF, NF, or ion-exchange membranes) relate to pore size distribution and filtration or ion-transport performance?