| Abstract: | A method of obtaining good quality ultrathin sections from nylon 6 bulk samples has been developed by using a special embedding technique and cryo-ultramicrotomy. The morphologies of nylon 6 processed by compression and injection molding and of reaction injection molded nylon 6 were studied in ultrathin sections of bulk samples by means of transmission electron microscopy. It was established that the spherulites of nylon 6 in bulk are built up from long flat ribbonlike lamellae. The thickness of the lamellae is in the range 50–60 Å. The width varies from 150 to 600 Å and depends on the type of nylon 6 and the method of processing. The length of the lamellae is relatively large approaching spherulite radii, extending often from the point of their origin up to the spherulite borders. Three or four neighboring lamellae within spherulites usually show similar orientation of their flat faces and form domains which can easily be mistaken for fibrils in light microscopy or low resolution electron microscopy. |
