Time-resolved X-ray diffraction studies of structural transitions in organic polymers using synchrotron radiation

The high brilliance of the Daresbury Synchrotron Radiation Source has been exploited in time-resolved x-ray fibre diffraction of changes in polymer conformation and organisation in response to patterns of mechanical and thermal stress similar to those followed during industrial processing. This has involved the development of a new x-ray camera which can be used in both wide and small angle diffraction and allows uniaxial drawing for draw rates up to 72,000% per minute (i.e. an increase in length by a factor of 720 in one minute) at temperatures from ambient to 400°C. The use of electronic area detectors which display the diffraction pattern while it is recorded allow experiments to be conducted in real-time. The variation in the diffraction is recorded as a series of frames. The time to record a frame can be as short as 40 msecs