Numerical analysis of lamellar thickness distributions

A comparison of crystallite thickness distributions, as obtained from thin section electron microscopy, small‐angle x‐ray scattering, and low‐frequency Raman acoustical model (LAM), is discussed in detail. It is shown with the aid of a large number of examples that a reliable numerical estimate of crystal thicknesses and long spacings is a complex problem. The values that are obtained by the different experimental techniques depend not only on the crystallite morphology, such as curvature and lateral extension, but very specifically, and crucially, on the nature of the thickness distribution. A series of widely different types of size distributions have been developed by controlling the molecular weight and crystallization temperature. Studies of these distributions, by the aforementioned experimental techniques, have revealed the reasons when and why agreement or disagreement is obtained in the determination of the crystallite thickness distribution.