Clipped Random Wave Morphologies and the Analysis of the SAXS of an Ionomer Formed by Copolymerization of Tetrafluoroethylene and CF2CFO(CF2)4SO3H

• Published in: Macromolecules Vol. 42; no. 15; pp. 5774 - 5780
• Main Authors: Aieta, Niccolo V, Stanis, Ronald J, Horan, James L, Yandrasits, Michael A, Cookson, David J, Ingham, Bridget, Toney, Michael F, Hamrock, Steven J, Herring, Andrew M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 11.08.2009
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Properties and characterization; Structure, morphology and analysis; Ionomer; Data analysis; Tetrafluoroethylene copolymer; Numerical analysis; Supramolecular structure; Vinyl ether copolymer; Graphic method; Small angle X ray scattering; Experimental study; Comparative study; Sulfonate copolymer
• ISSN: 0024-9297; 1520-5835
• DOI: 10.1021/ma900719a

Using SAXS data, the microstructure of the ionomer formed by copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene and CF2CFO(CF2)4SO3H films has been approached by two methods: a numerical method (the unified fit approach) utilizing a simple model of spherical scattering objects to determine the radius of gyration of different scattering features of the ionomer films and by a graphical method, the clipped random wave approach (CRW), using the scattering data and a porosity parameter to generate a random wave which is clipped to produce a real-space image of the microstructure. We studied films with EW of 733, 825, 900, and 1082 in both the as-cast and annealed “dry” and boiled “wet” states. The results of the two data analysis techniques are in good size agreement with each other. In addition, the CRW model show striking similarities to the structure proposed in a recent dissipative particle dynamic models. This has been the first time to our knowledge that the CRW technique has been applied to a PFSA type ionomer.