Radiation-induced crosslinking: II. Effect on the crystalline and amorphous densities of polyethylene

Small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to determine the structural changes in polyethylene induced by radiation. The changes in densities of the crystalline and amorphous phases, ρ c and ρ a , were calculated after direct determination of the mean square density fluctuation . ρ a increases with increasing radiation dose for both linear and branched polyethylene. This accounts for the serious discrepancy between crystallinities determined from wide-angle x-ray scattering and density measurements. This study confirms our previous proposal that crosslinks occur primarily in the noncrystalline phase, most likely at the defects in the lateral grain boundary regions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47197/1/396_2004_Article_BF00655884.pd