In situ observations of the mesophase formation of isotactic polypropylene—A fast time-resolved X-ray diffraction study

In situ observation of the formation process of mesophase of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is reported in structural point of view. Combining a rapid temperature jump and a high-flux synchrotron radiation X-ray scattering techniques, very rapid transformation from the molten amorphous state to the mesophase has been observed. The transformation proceeded very quickly in a narrow temperature range accompanied by instantaneous fluctuations in micrometer scale, suggesting the mesophase formation proceeds similarly to spinodal decomposition.