Microbeam X-ray and Scanning Electron Microscopic Analyses on Sector-Banded Spherulites of Poly(p-dioxanone) Justified with Pixelated Iridescence

• Published in: Polymers Vol. 16; no. 19; p. 2736
• Main Authors: Woo, Eamor M., Lin, Chia-Hui, Nagarajan, Selvaraj, Su, Chean-Cheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.09.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Assembly; Crystallization; Crystals; Embossing; Identification and classification; Iridescence; Lactones; Microbeams; Morphology; Optical microscopy; Phenols; Polymers; Properties; Radiation; Scanning electron microscopy; Scanning microscopy; Spherulites; Spokes; Structure; Tannic acid; Temperature; X-ray scattering; X-rays; Taiwan; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Japan; periodic assembly mechanisms; iridescence; poly(p-dioxanone); microbeam X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym16192736

Poly(p-dioxanone) (PPDO) is crystallized with amorphous poly(p-vinyl phenol) (PVPh) and tannic acid (TA) as co-diluents to regulate and induce dendritic-ringed PPDO spherulites, with spoke- or sector-bands, aiming for convenience of analyses on interior lamellar assembly. Morphologies and interior lamellar arrangement leading to the peculiar rings on individual dendrites are evaluated by using polarized-light microscopy (PLM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Combinatory microbeam small-/wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) analyses further confirm the unique assembly patterns in periodic cycles. Alternate gratings are packed with periodic ridges composed of feather-like branches and the valley is featured with some embossed textures. The periodic gratings in the ringed spokes resemble those in nature’s structured coloration and are proven to display light-interference iridescence.