Spherulite morphology in thin films of natural rubber

Abstract

Crystalline ‘spherulites’ grown in ultra-thin films of natural rubber at — 26 °C were examined in the electron microscope. The spherulites form hollow domes, like blisters in the film, which collapse under electron irradiation producing remarkable fibre-like patterns of folds and creases. Within the spherulite, crystalline and amorphous regions coexist and the former appear to grow to a preferred thickness of a few hundred Angstroms with the molecular chains oriented perpendicular to the film. The molecules are thus almost certainly folded as in polymer single crystals grown from dilute solution. Electron diffraction data suggest that relatively large regions of the spherulite correspond to single crystals. A growth mechanism for the spherulites is proposed.