A versatile biaxial stretching device for in situ synchrotron radiation small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering measurements of polymer films

• Published in: Review of scientific instruments 2023-02, Vol.94 (2), p.023906-023906
• Main Authors: Zhu, Jianhe, Liu, Shenghui, Lu, Yimin, Cheng, Hong, Han, Xueqing, Liu, Liangbao, Meng, Lingpu, Yu, Wancheng, Cui, Kunpeng, Li, Liangbin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Polymer films; Polymers; Radiation; Real time; Scientific apparatus & instruments; Stretching rate; Synchrotron radiation; Synchrotrons; Time measurement; X-ray scattering
• ISSN: 0034-6748; 1089-7623
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0130284

A biaxial stretching device is designed and developed for the real-time structural measurements of polymer films. This device adopts a vertical layout to perform real-time x-ray scattering measurements. It has a maximum stretching ratio of 8 × 8 in two perpendicular directions. Its maximum experimental temperature and stretching rate are 250 °C and 100 mm/s, respectively. The control accuracies of the experimental temperature and stretching rate are ±1 °C and 0.01 mm, respectively. All the parameters related to film biaxial processing, such as stretching speed, stretching ratio, and temperature, can be independently set. The device feasibility is demonstrated via a real-time experiment in a synchrotron radiation beamline. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction, small-angle x-ray scattering, and stress–strain data can be simultaneously obtained during various stretching modes. The proposed device fills the gap between the synchrotron radiation x-ray scattering technique and the biaxial stretching processing of polymer films. This device will play an important role in improving the understanding of the physics behind biaxial polymer processing.