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A structural study of glassy polystyrene

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Abstract

X-ray scattering from three polystyrene glasses and from a partially devitrified specimen has been measured. The intensity data are identical for quenched and slowly cooled atactic polystyrene but differ for isotactic polystyrene quenched to the glassy state. Radial Distribution Functions (RDF) exhibit five principal peaks centred at 1.5, 2.5, 5, 6, and 10Å for all of the glasses. A model RDF based on the published crystal structure is shown to compare well with the RDF obtained experimentally for devitrified isotactic polystyrene. On the basis of this model, peaks in the RDFs are assigned. It is shown that both inter- and intramolecular scattering contributes to the polystyrene RDF at distances beyond 3.7Å. The structure is dominated by steric interaction of the phenyl groups, affecting both chain conformation and molecular packing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science, The Technological Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    S. M. Wecker, Theodore Davidson & J. B. Cohen

Authors
  1. S. M. Wecker
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  2. Theodore Davidson
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  3. J. B. Cohen
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Wecker, S.M., Davidson, T. & Cohen, J.B. A structural study of glassy polystyrene. J Mater Sci 7, 1249–1259 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550690

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550690

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