Characterisation of Molecular Organisation in Polymeric Materials

Over the past forty years, considerable advances have been made in our understanding of the way in which the physical properties of polymers can be related to their chemical structure.1 The ability to interpret changes in the observed physical properties in terms of changes in chemical structure requires knowledge of the way in which polymer chains are organised at micron and submicron levels. Any classification of the polymeric state of matter recognises the existence of two extreme situations: the highly organised crystalline state and highly disorganised amorphous state. In between these two extremes, there will exist situations that reflect an intermediate degree of organisation and perfection of order. The organisation observed in polymer systems can range from molecular levels to microscopic and macroscopic dimensions. The classification of the organisation is referred to as the morphology. Knowledge of the morphology is critically important in the development of micro-mechanical models of stress within polymer materials and understanding how this should be scaled to macroscopic dimensions.