Physicists shed X-ray light on melting polymers
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Physicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and Lomonosov Moscow State University have combined thermal analysis and X-ray scattering-two techniques for studying crystal structure-in one experimental setup to investigate semicrystalline polymers. Over 100 million tons of such polymers are produced annually to make fabrics, packaging materials, neural prosthetics, and more. An in-depth understanding of the structure and behavior of these materials is necessary for synthesizing and processing polymers that do not fail even under extreme conditions and in specialized applications. The research findings were published in ACS Macro Letters and are featured on the cover of the journal.