Scattering from truncated spherulites

A general two‐dimensional theory is derived to explain the light scattering from truncated spherulites. The severity of the truncation is expressed by a statistical parameter σ 2 /ā 2 which is the ratio of the variance σ 2 of the size of the spherulite to the square of its average size ā. The H v light‐scattering patterns are calculated for different values of the truncation parameter. It is observed that the truncation decreases the position of maximum scattering intensity of the pattern. It also increases the scattering intensity at small and large angles, but reduces it at intermediate angles. For a spherulitic polyethylene sample, the truncation parameter is found to equal 0.100 ± 0.030 as measured microscopically. The theory can also be used to calculate light‐scattering patterns from row‐nucleated spherulites. If it is assumed that the interference effect averages out to zero when a large number of spherulites is involved, a single “sliced” spherulite model can be used. Then, the scattering intensity per unit area decreases as the “slice” becomes very thin.