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Light Scattering Evidence for Polyethylene Spherulites

Nature Physical Science volume 231, pages 60–62 (1971)Cite this article

Abstract

A RECENT communication1 comments on the reports2–4 that polyethylene does not produce spherulites resolvable with a light microscope but rather produces a complex mass of biréfringent units of sizes less than 1 µm. The observation of spherulites by others5, 6 had been attributed to degradation and excessive thinning of samples, but Booth and Hay1 dispute this hypothesis and present scanning electron microscope evidence that spherulites do occur in linear polyethylene films. The lack of resolution of spherulites with a conventional microscope was attributed to clouding of the contours of spherulites by other biréfringent spherulites in thicker samples.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polymer Research Institute and Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01002

    R. E. PRUD'HOMME & R. S. STEIN

Authors
  1. R. E. PRUD'HOMME
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  2. R. S. STEIN
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PRUD'HOMME, R., STEIN, R. Light Scattering Evidence for Polyethylene Spherulites. Nature Physical Science 231, 60–62 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/physci231060a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/physci231060a0

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