Accessing the hidden lamellar nanostructure of semi-crystalline nascent polymers by small-angle X-ray scattering contrast variation

Most melt-crystallized polymers present a lamellar nanostructure of alternating crystalline and amorphous lamellae which is coherent enough to display a broad interference peak in small-angle X-ray scattering experiments (SAXS). Nascent semi-crystalline polymers, on the other hand, though highly crystalline, hardly show an interference peak. This has long been attributed either to the formation of extended chain crystals or to a highly incoherent lamellar stacking. Here it is shown that a coherent lamellar order is shaded by a large scattering contribution from the air/grain interface. This is revealed by a SAXS contrast variation technique that suppresses the air/grain interface scattering and leaves only the scattering contribution from the internal lamellae.