Small-angle x-ray scattering study on conformation of amorphous polymer chain in the bulk

In a previous paper, the new method for the determination of the conformation of polymer chains in concentrated solution and in bulk by small angle X-ray scattering was reported. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the dimension and conformation of polystyrene chains in bulk by this method. The tagged polymer used was the copolymer of styrene and p-iodostyrene. Excess scattering was obtained by subtracting the intensity of polystyrene matrix from that of a mixture containing polystyrene and a small fraction of the tagged polystyrene. Since the excess scattering originates from the group of iodine atoms in the tagged polystyrene, the radius of gyration of the tagged polystyrene is estimated by Guinier plot. Measurement was made with a Kratky camera, and in order to obtain high scattering intensity, the primary beam with line-shaped cross section was used. The intercepts of two limiting curves in the plotted radius of gyration diagram showed good agreement, and the measured molecular dimension agreed with the unperturbed dimension of this polymer. It was concluded that the molecular chains in bulk are mutually penetrable, and the centers of gravity of the molecules distribute almost randomly. It was suggested from the plot of the excess scattering intensity that the conformation of the tagged molecules is a random coil. The present results did not support the ordered structure revealed by bundle model and meander model. (Kako, I.)