On the morphology and orgin of the fibres observed in Nascent Ziegler polyethylene

Abstract

Abstract Fibrils in nascent Z IEGLER polyethylene have been compared to those crystallised from stirred solutions, and similarities between the two types have been observed. It is concluded that both the Z IEGLER polyethylene and the stirring‐induced fibres have a composite extended chain and chain‐folded structure. The origin of the nascent polyethylene fibrils is discussed, and the possibility that they are flow‐induced is considered. An alternative mechanism is also envisaged, in which the proposed structure is accounted for in terms of unequal growth rates of molecules from clusters of active sites.