Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2013
Wide angle X-ray powder diffraction data from unoriented and uniaxially oriented films of high-density polyethylene were analyzed by the Rietveld whole pattern profile fitting technique. A Voigt function was used to model the profile and extract crystallographic information such as the unit cell dimensions, crystallite size and strain, and degree of orientation. The analysis revealed that the technique was efficient in providing not only accurate unit cell dimensions without an internal standard, but also crystallite size and strain information. The oriented films were also successfully modeled with this technique.