Structural evolution and acoustic phonon behavior in crystalline PTFE latex films

The structural evolution of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) crystalline polymer latex films is studied at hundreds nanometer length scale by atomic force microscopy and Brillouin light scattering. In a controlled sintering process the transition is observed from the original particle distribution towards a 'fibrillar' structure of crystalline regions embedded in a disordered matrix. This transition is accompanied by a cross-over from localized acoustic excitations to propagating acoustic phonons, related to mesoscopic elastic properties. After sintering, a 'mark' of the original particulate structure persists, suggesting that filming of crystalline polymers may be analogous to sintering of ceramic powders. Films of crystalline polymers can thus be exploited as model systems to study the elasto-optical properties of granular and disordered media.