Abstract:
Electron microscopy data are used to comparative analysis of the topological structure of the surface of two samples of cellulose triacetate (CTA) films. The samples were obtained from CTA solutions without use (sample No 1) and with the use of a small sodium fluoride additive that lowers the viscosity of the solution (sample No 2). It is shown that in sample No 1, the nodes of the physical network of macromolecules are periodically alternating regions of local orientation order - microdomains of average size $d\sim$ 18 nm. In sample No 2, due to repackaging of microdomains on the scale $R>d$, a uniformly disordered fractal cluster of the mesophase CTA is formed. The fractalization of the surface and the growth of structural anisotropy are consistent with the decrease in the viscosity of the solution and explain the change in the deformation properties of sample No 2 compared to No 1.
Keywords:polymer films, electron microscopy, microdomains, mesophase, structural transition, fractal clusters.