Gel permeation chromatographic studies of the degradation of polyethylene with fuming nitric acid. I. Single crystals

This paper describes the application of gel permeation chromatography to the morphology of polymer single crystals. Various types of single crystals of polyethylene were etched with fuming nitric acid, and the molecular weight distributions of the degraded fragments determined. The crystal preparations studied were monolayer crystals grown from xylene solution at 85°C and multilayer crystals grown at 84°C and 70°C. In all cases peaks in the molecular weight distribution were observed corresponding to single and double transverses of the molecular chains through the lamellae. By using the chromatograph calibration described in a previous paper, the position of these peaks were compared and correlated with previous estimates of lamellar thickness from low-angle x-ray measurements. The relative positions of the peaks provide information regarding the nature of the fold surface. The results are found to be consistent with a model in which the majority of the molecules are tightly folded.