Atomic Force Microscopy of Solution Grown Polyethylene Single Crystals

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to the precise thickness measurements of thin lamellae about 10 nm thick of polyethylene single crystals which were grown from dilute solutions and precipitated on cleaved mica. The obtained values agree well with the thickness determined by small angle X-ray scattering. Moreover, AFM observation allowed determination of the thickness difference of several angstroms in the different growth sectors of small crystals about several µ m wide. From the measurements, it was concluded that the free energy of the fold surface in the 110 growth sector was 30% larger than the values in the 100 sector. The larger surface free energy in the 110 sector means higher fold energy in the growth sector.