The nature of the amorphous phase in resultant engineering products

The supermolecular structures of selected polyolefines are discussed based on results of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, calorimetric measurements and mechanical spectroscopy. The results give a broader understanding of the relationships between processing history and morphology in the resultant engineering products. The effect of annealing, drawing, electron irradiations and different kind of filler on the polymer chains arrangements, and hence, properties of commercial products is presented. The idea of coexistence of two miscellaneous amorphous fractions in semicrystalline polymers is under consideration. The role of a crystal–amorphous interphase as a transition region is shown for the polymeric material applied as a selective membrane. Isotropic orientation of chains located in the interphase differ from the orientation of chains created truly amorphous phase. Although, one can hardly prove the existence of the interphase using the common accepted model of the free volume calculation, the similar relations between the processing history and all measurement parameters were found.