The Structure of <italic>n</italic>-Hexatriacontane Film Vacuum-deposited on Alkali Halide Crystals and Its Transformation by Heat Treatment

Abstract

n-Hexatriacontane was deposited on cleavage faces of alkali halide crystals in vacuo. The n-hexatriacontane film was composed of raft-like crystals crossing orthogonally. The electron diffraction pattern from the film consisted of reflections situated at the reciprocal lattice points hkl, of the sublattice and the series of 001 reflections in the small angle region. The crystal structure of the deposited n-hexatriacontane was orthorhombic form. The (110) plane of n-hexatriacontane crystal oriented parallel to the substrate (001) plane and its c-axis was parallel to the [110] direction of the substrate crystal. When the substrate was kept at a higher temperature than the melting point of n-hexatriacontane, the deposit coagulated to disk-like crystals whose c-axis was perpendicular to the substrate. The effect of heat treatment on the orientation was observed in the n-hexatriacontane and low molecular weight polyethylene films vacuum-deposited on alkali halide.