On polyhydroxybutyrate banded spherulites, concentric rings were observed between cross polarizers or without polarizers. The rings used to be considered as cracks. In this paper, we provide evidences to distinguish t...On polyhydroxybutyrate banded spherulites, concentric rings were observed between cross polarizers or without polarizers. The rings used to be considered as cracks. In this paper, we provide evidences to distinguish the concentric rings from cracks observed on PHB spherulites. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy confirmed that these concentric rings with varying spacing were growth terraces rather than cracks. The height of the terraces reached up to several hundred nanometers. It was observed that the external terraces were higher than the internal terraces, which was proposed to result from layer by layer growth. This is the first report on the new microscopic feature of polyhydroxybutyrate spherulites. Spherulites with birefringent bands, wavy fluctuation of height were also observed.展开更多
文摘On polyhydroxybutyrate banded spherulites, concentric rings were observed between cross polarizers or without polarizers. The rings used to be considered as cracks. In this paper, we provide evidences to distinguish the concentric rings from cracks observed on PHB spherulites. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy confirmed that these concentric rings with varying spacing were growth terraces rather than cracks. The height of the terraces reached up to several hundred nanometers. It was observed that the external terraces were higher than the internal terraces, which was proposed to result from layer by layer growth. This is the first report on the new microscopic feature of polyhydroxybutyrate spherulites. Spherulites with birefringent bands, wavy fluctuation of height were also observed.
