SAXS for Polymer Research
Polymers exist at different states and phases in manufacturing and use environments. Scientists need to optimise the polymer chemistry that delivers material performance at scale
Challenges
Nanodomains need precise control.
Periodic nanophase-separated structures form during synthesis and processing. The size, shape and periodicity must be controlled to tune the properties of the material.
Crystalline structure is hard to stabilize.
Lamellar thickness, deformation and thermal stability — all part of a polymer’s semicrystalline structure — directly govern its mechanical and barrier performance.
Fillers must disperse evenly, or performance suffers.
Mechanical, optical and barrier gains depend on fillers being distributed uniformly through the matrix, without aggregation or inconsistency.
Anisotropy varies, and so does performance.
Extrusion, drawing and molding induce orientation that isn’t always uniform, creating variable, process-history-dependent properties throughout the material.
Structure is multiscale, uneven, and always evolving.
From surface-vs-bulk differences to features spanning multiple length scales, structure keeps forming and shifting throughout processing — making it hard to isolate what controls performance, especially without real-time, in-process characterization.
Solutions
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. Measurements can also be done in operando during stretching, flow, or coating, across wide temperature and humidity conditions. This reveals how lamellae thicken and block-copolymer domains reorganize. Together, these measurements provide a direct link between processing history, nanoscale morphology, and the resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties, controlled by measuring:
Domain size and spacing in block copolymers
Track polymer structure formation directly during crystallization, solvent evaporation, order-disorder transitions, and thermal annealing, as they happen.
Nanocomposite filler dispersion and aggregation
Capture lamellar thickening and block-copolymer domain reorganization in real time during stretching, flow, or coating.
Phase transitions and crystal growth from thermal annealing
Quantify how molecular/crystalline orientation forms and evolves under processing conditions, rather than inferring it from finished-part properties.
Nanostructure and hierarchical morphology
Reveal how additives influence local chain organization and packing.
Pore size and porosity
Capture structural evolution in both bulk materials and thin films without altering or damaging the sample.
Lamellar structure and long-period spacing
Connect processing history to nanoscale morphology to resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties within a single characterization approach.
Crystal structure and crystallinity
Connect processing history to nanoscale morphology to resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties within a single characterization approach.
Molecular and crystal orientation (texture)
Connect processing history to nanoscale morphology to resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties within a single characterization approach.
Thin-film morphology and layer structure
Connect processing history to nanoscale morphology to resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties within a single characterization approach.
Structural evolution during processing and deformation
Connect processing history to nanoscale morphology to resulting mechanical, optical, or barrier properties within a single characterization approach.
Data example
In this example, a fluoropolymer was heated and cooled from 25°C to 130°C and back again with simultaneous SAXS/WAXS measurements. The charts show scattering instensity of the SAXS/WAXS data as a function of temperature. The WAXS data on the right show that changes to crystalline phase are reversible as the peaks return to the same position. However, the SAXS data shows an irreversible transition of the lamellar phase from a long period of 14nm to 32nm, known as the Curie transition.
Figure 1. Simultaneous SAXS (left) and WAXS (right) study of a fluoropolymer film during first heating and cooling. Ramp at 1°C/min (far left). 2D representation of SAXS and WAXS 1D curves as a function of temperature. Each horizontal pixel line corresponds to a 1D curve [Intensity = f(q) or f(2θ)] of 1 min exposure time.
Our solutions
