Persistence Length of Isotactic Poly(hydroxy butyrate)

The persistence length of isotactic poly(hydroxy butyrate) was measured using small-angle neutron scattering. The value obtained from these measurements reflects a high degree of local chain persistence. If this local persistence is accounted for, scattering from these chains can be globally fit with Gaussian scaling. A global scattering function, the unified equation, is used, which decomposes the chain structure into two levels, one corresponding to the Gaussian regime and one to the persistence regime. The persistence length obtained using this global scattering function is compared to that obtained using the graphical approach of Kratky and Porod with good agreement. Additionally, the global fitting approach of Sharp and Bloomfield is also considered. The Kratky and the Sharp and Bloomfield approaches appear to yield different values for the persistence length. Additionally, the Sharp and Bloomfield function does not allow inspection of the component parts of the fit. One advantage of both global functions is that the level of statistical confidence in the persistence length can be determined in a least-squares fit. Another advantage is the removal of ambiguity concerning an apparent regime of non-Gaussian scaling between the persistence scaling regime and the Gaussian regime.