Real-time WAXD detection of mesophase development during quenching of propene/ethylene copolymers

Real-time development of the mesomorphic structure in random propene-ethylene copolymers has beenmonitored during fast cooling from the melt by coupling an effective quenching device with a state-of the-art detector at a synchrotron radiation facility. Even when the whole structuring process lasts onlyfew tenths of a second, it has been possible to precisely follow the progress of the phase transition.This has enabled us to appreciate that the kinetics of the mesophase development is affected to a lesserextent that of the monoclinic -form by randomly distributed ethylene constitutional defects.