Investigations on the morphology of poly-1,4-(phenylethyl xylylene) in solution.

Several poly-1,4-(phenylethyl xylylene)s of varying molecular weight were investigated with a combination of X-ray and light scattering techniques as well as with scanning force and transmission electron microscopy to elucidate their aggregation behavior in solution. It turns out that this polymer aggregates into ribbon-like supermolecular structures. Aggregation is the more pronounced the higher the concentration and the molecular weight of the polymer. Switching the solvent from tetrahydrofuran to chloroform only weakly diminishes the ability to form aggregates. The stiff aggregate ribbons in solution are 30–40 nm broad, about 5 nm high and several micrometers long. The cross-section of the ribbons is inhomogeneous and presumably consists of 0.5 nm thick layers.