Disordered fiber mats made of glass microfibers (GMF) were studied using sm
all-angle light scattering (SALS), ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS
), SEM, and optical microscopy. The morphological scaling of these material
s in the micron scale was very similar to that of polymers in the nanometer
scale. In some fiber mats, such as GMF, the structure is randomized at the
time of formation, leading to a statistical analogy with the thermal rando
mization that occurs in nanometer-scale, high polymers. Analogues for the c
oil radius-of-gyration, persistence unit, and scaling regimes exist in such
fiber mats and may be a useful feature both for modeling thermally equilib
rated polymeric systems, as well as furthering the understanding of the phy
sical properties of fiber mats through analogy with the theoretical underst
anding of thermally equilibrated polymeric systems. (C) 1998 John Wiley & S
ons, Inc.