The structure and morphology of nylon 9,2 has been investigated
using transmission electron
microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction.
A unit cell with parameters a =
5.45 Å, b = 8.7 Å, c (chain axis) = 31.8
Å, and β = 47.9° was determined and a
C12/c1 space group is
postulated. Chain conformation is practically all-trans, but the
torsion angles of the NH−CH2 bonds
slightly deviate from 180° in order to optimize the hydrogen-bonding
interactions between neighboring
chains. A structure with two directions of hydrogen bonding is
derived, although the unit cell is strongly
related to that found in nylon 6,6. Crystallization from the melt
and temperature-induced structural
changes have also been studied.