MICROFOCUS X-RAY-DIFFRACTION OF SPHERULITES OF POLY-3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE

The microfocus X-ray beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Fa cility has been used to investigate the variation in molecular orienta tion and crystallinity in spherulites of the organic polymer poly-3-hy droxybutyrate (PHB). This is the first report of the correlation of op tical and X-ray measurements on spherulitic polymer films where X-ray diffraction patterns have been recorded and displayed continuously in real time while the specimen was tracked in steps of 10 mu m across an incident X-ray beam with a diameter as small as 10 mu m.