Investigation of the Variation in Orientation and Crystallinity in Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Containers Using Microfocus X-ray Diffraction

The microfocus X-ray beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has been used to investigate the variation in molecular orientation and crystallinity in the wall of a container fabricated from poly(ethylene terephthalate). Two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray scattering patterns were recorded and displayed in real time as the specimen was tracked across the incident X-ray beam enabling the measurement of textural changes to be made with a spatial resolution of ~2 μm.