Characterization of semicrystalline random copolymers by small-angle neutron scattering

A new method is introduced to determine the degree of partitioning of noncrystallizable comonomer units (B units) between the two phases of a semicrystalline random copolymer. The method is based on the comparison of the intensities of small-angle neutron and x-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS, respectively). By this technique two quantities can be evaluated: the difference Δρ of the mass densities between the crystalline and the disordered regions, and the concentration fluctuations of the B units in the two phases. It is found that SANS is very sensitive to the presence of small amounts of B units if their scattering length is sufficiently different from that of the A units. This will be the…