Crystal and phase morphology of dynamic-packing-injection-molded high-density polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate blends

The effect of shear stress, provided by so-called dynamic-packing injection molding, on crystal morphology and phase behavior was investigated for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in blends with ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) of various viscosities and vinyl acetate (VA) contents, with the aid of differential scanning calorimetry, two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering (2D SAXS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A shish-kebab pattern was found in the oriented zones of dynamic samples, and the ratio of shish to kebab increased as a function of the EVA content in the blends up to 20 wt %, regardless of the VA content. This showed that molecules of HDPE could easily be stretched to form a shish structure in the presence of EVA. Moreover, a large increase in the long spacing, characterized by 2D SAXS measurements, was achieved because of the presence of EVA. The SEM results showed an obvious decrease in the domain size of the EVA phase under the effect of shear stress. All these results suggested shear-induced mixing between HDPE and EVA, in that ethylene segments of EVA molecules could be forged in the shish structure during shear and the other fractions of EVA were located in the amorphous regions between the adjacent lamellae of HDPE. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1831–1840, 2004     

Shear‐Induced Morphological Change in PP/LLDPE Blend

The morphology of a PP/LLDPE blend (50 : 50) by phase dissolution at high shear rate combined with dynamic packing injection molding at low shear rate was investigated by atomic force microscopy. Phase dissolution under high shear rate is manifested by a co‐continuous two‐phase structure that could be broken down to an island‐like structure when a low shear rate is applied via dynamic packing injection molding or simply by manual deformation.     

Structure and properties of polyethylene prepared via low‐frequency vibration‐assisted injection molding

A self‐made low‐frequency vibration‐assisted injection‐molding (VAIM) device was adopted to explore the relationship between mechanical property and morphology for high‐density polyethylene injected moldings. The main processing variables for the VAIM are vibration frequency and vibration pressure amplitude, and tensile properties and morphology were investigated under different VAIM processing conditions with conventional injection molding for comparison. The moldings prepared by VAIM exhibit a very well defined laminated morphology composed of a layered structure with enhanced crystallinity. Increased with vibration frequency at constant vibration pressure amplitude, the shish‐kebab structure is exhibited in the shear layer of the specimen prepared by VAIM, whereas row nucleation lamella exists in the same layer produced by enhanced vibration pressure amplitude at a constant vibration frequency. These oriented structures and enhanced crystallinity, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry, serve to obtain stronger injection moldings. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 13–21, 2005     

Ductile–brittle‐transition phenomenon in polypropylene/ethylene‐propylene‐diene rubber blends obtained by dynamic packing injection molding: A new understanding of the rubber‐toughening mechanism

For a more complete understanding of the toughening mechanism of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene‐propylene‐diene rubber (EPDM) blends, dynamic packing injection molding was used to control the phase morphology and rubber particle orientation in the matrix. The relative impact strength of the blends increased at low EPDM contents, and then a definite ductile–brittle (D–B) transition was observed when the EPDM content reached 25 wt %, at which point blends should fail in the ductile mode with conventional molding. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the shear‐induced crystal structure, morphology, orientation, and phase separation of the blends. WAXD results showed that the observed D–B transition took place mainly for a constant crystal structure (α form). Also, no remarkable changes in the crystallinity and melting point of PP were observed by DSC. The highly oriented and elongated rubber particles were seen via SEM at high EPDM contents. Our results suggest that Wu's criterion is no longer valid when dispersed rubber particles are elongated and oriented. The possible fracture mechanism is discussed on the basis of the stress concentration in a filler‐dispersed matrix. It can be concluded that not only the interparticle distance but also the stress fields around individual particles play an important role in polymer toughening. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2086–2097, 2002     

THE EFFECT OF EC ON ORIENTATION AND RELAXATION OF PP OBTAINED VIA DYNAMIC PACKING INJECTION MOLDING

As a long term project aiming at engineering plastics based on polypropylene (PP), in this work, we report the effect of ethylene-cellulose (EC) on the orientation and relaxation of PP obtained via dynamic packing injection molding (DPIM). 2d-WAXD results showed that PP with a highly oriented structure and a shish-kebab structure were achieved by DIPM, leading to an increase of tensile strength from 35.0MPa to 48.6MPa. The degree of orientation of PP was increased by adding only 1% of EC, resulting in a further increase of tensile strength from 48.6MPa to 53.8MPa. Shish was found to exist not only in the oriented layer but also in the core of the sample after adding EC, as evidenced by DSC result.This was understood as due to the overall decrease of viscosity by the addition of EC, thus an increasing of shear rate. Higher shear rate can favor the orientation of molecules and continuous growth of shish structure, resulting in a change of shish distribution along the sample thickness. On the other hand, the relaxation mode of shish in the melt recrystallization of PP is also greatly affected by the presence of EC. A retarded relaxation of PP macromolecules was seen.Even more, SEM results showed that EC could form the short fibers in PP matrix along the shear flow direction. Compared with the morphology obtained by conventional injection molding, a much better dispersion and easy break-up of EC in PP matrix were observed for samples obtained by dynamic packing injection molding.     

The interfacial enhancement of LLDPE/whisker composites via interfacial crystallization

Interfacial interaction plays a key role in the preparation of high performance polymer composites. In this work, in order to explore the possibility to enhance the interfacial interaction via interfacial crystallization of polymer matrix onto the filler surface, interfacial crystallization structure and mechanical properties of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)/whisker composites were investigated. The composites were firstly prepared by melt compounding, followed by processing in both traditional and dynamic injection molding. DSC, WAXD, SEM were used to characterize the interfacial crystallization structure. And the mechanical properties were measured by tensile testing. An imperfect shish‐calabash structure, with whisker served as shish, and irregular LLDPE spherulite as imperfect calabash, was formed during common injection molding processing. Such a structure was considered as the main reason for the strong interfacial adhesion and the obviously improved tensile strength and modulus. Furthermore, introducing shear could cause the formation of relatively perfect shish‐calabash structure, leading to the stronger interfacial adhesion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene composite with two‐scale reinforcement

Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) composite with two‐scale reinforcement structure, i.e. nanoscale shish–kebab structure and micron‐scale glass fiber (GF) with orientation, was fabricated by an oscillatory shear injection molding (OSIM) technology. The oscillatory shear flow provided by the OSIM gave rise to a high fraction of shish–kebab structures in the iPP composite, characterized by X‐ray scattering technique. On the other hand, the oscillatory shear flow oriented GFs in the iPP composite, which was revealed by scanning electron microscopy measurement. The iPP composite with this two‐scale reinforcement structure exhibited simultaneously remarkably enhanced tensile strength and impact strength. Fracture mechanism of this iPP composite was also proposed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphological comparison of isotactic polypropylene parts prepared by micro‐injection molding and conventional injection molding

The morphological feature of microparts evolved during micro‐injection molding may differ from that of the macroparts prepared by conventional injection molding, resulting in specific physical properties. In this study, isotactic polypropylene (iPP) microparts with 200 µm thickness and macroparts with 2000 µm thickness were prepared, and their morphological comparison was investigated by means of polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). The results presented some similarities and differences. PLM observations showed that the through‐the thickness‐morphology of micropart exhibited a similar “skin–core” structure as macropart, but presented a large fraction of shear layer in comparison to the macropart which presented a large fraction of core layer. The SEM observation of shear layer of micropart featured highly oriented shish‐kebab structure. The micropart had a more homogeneous distribution of lamellae thickness. The degree of crystallinity of the micropart was found to be higher than that of the macropart. High content of β‐crystal was found in micropart. The 2D WAXD pattern of the core layer of macropart showed full Debye rings indicating a random orientation, while the arcing of the shear layer indicates a pronounced orientation. The most pronounced arcing of the micropart indicates the most pronounced orientation of iPP chains within lamellae. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An observation of accelerated exfoliation in iPP/organoclay nanocomposite as induced by repeated shear during melt solidification

A well‐exfoliated morphology is usually observed for polar polymer/clay nanocomposites via dynamic melt processing techniques, whereas only an intercalated or a partially intercalated/partially exfoliated morphology is often obtained for nonpolar polymer/clay nanocomposites, even though some polar compatibilzer is used. In this study, an accelerated exfoliation effect was observed for the first time in iPP/organoclay nanocomposites prepared through so‐called dynamic packing injection molding, in which the specimen is forced to move repeatedly in a chamber by two pistons that move reversibly with the same frequency as the solidification progressively occurs from the mold wall to the molding core part. The disordered level and exfoliated degree of clay was found to dramatically increase from the skin to the core of the prepared samples and eventually the WAXD reflections of interlayer d‐spacing diminished in the core. The changed degree of exfoliation was also proved directly by TEM observation. The prolongation of processing time, the gradual growth of solidification front, the increased melts viscosity, and the shear amplification effect were considered to explain the higher degree of exfoliation in the center zone of mold chamber. Our result suggests that a critical shear force may be needed to break down clay into exfoliated structure. This can be also well used to explain at least partially the intercalated morphology, which is commonly observed for nonpolar polymer/clay nanocomposites via conventional processing. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2005–2012, 2005     

The effect of shear on mechanical properties and orientation of HDPE/mica composites obtained via dynamic packing injection molding (DPIM)

The interfacial interaction and orientation of filler play important roles in the enhancement of mechanical performances for polymer/inorganic filler composites. Shear has been found to be a very effective way for the enhancement of interfacial interaction and orientation. In this work, we will report our recent efforts on exploring the development of microstructure of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/mica composites in the injection‐molded bars obtained by so‐called dynamic packing injection molding (DPIM), which imposed oscillatory shear on the melt during the solidification stage. The mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and the crystal morphology, orientation, and the dispersion of mica were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and two‐dimensional wide‐angle X‐ray scattering. Compared with conventional injection molding, DPIM caused an obvious increase in orientation for both HDPE and mica. More importantly, better dispersion and epitaxial crystallization of HDPE was observed on the edge of the mica in the injection‐molded bar. As a result, increased tensile strength and modulus were obtained, accompanied with a decrease of elongation at break. The obtained data were treated by Halpin–Tsai model, and it turned out that this model could be also used to predict the stiffness of oriented polymer/filler composites. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shear‐induced change of exfoliation and orientation in polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposites

For the improved dispersion of montmorillonite (MMT) in a polypropylene (PP) matrix, PP/MMT nanocomposites prepared via direct melt intercalation were further subjected to oscillating stress achieved by dynamic packing injection molding. The shear‐induced morphological changes were investigated with an Instron machine, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The original nanocomposites possessed a partly intercalated and partly exfoliated morphology. A transformation of the intercalated structure into an exfoliated structure occurred after shearing, and a more homogeneous dispersion of MMT in the PP matrix was obtained. However, the increase of the exfoliated structure was accompanied by the scarifying of the orientation of MMT layers along the shear direction. Some bended or curved MMT layers were found for the first time by TEM after shearing. However, the orientation of PP chains in the PP/MMT nanocomposites became very difficult under an external shear force; this indicated that the molecular motion of PP chains intercalated between MMT layers was highly confined. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1–10, 2003     

聚烯烃共混物注射制品的形态控制与多层次结构

从注射制品形态控制和结构表征的角度探讨高分子材料加工-形态-性能之间的关系.研究中采用动态保压成型方法来制备注射样品,在注射成型过程中引入剪切应力场的作用,制得的样品表现出明显的多层次结构,从外向里分别为皮层、剪切层、芯层,表现出不同的相形态、结晶形貌以及取向行为.研究发现,剪切应力对聚烯烃的形态发展和结构变化具有重要影响.在剪切应力的作用下,聚烯烃共混物中分散相会发生变形、取向,从而导致共混物的相转变点发生移动;结晶形态从球晶转变为shish-kebab结构;聚烯烃共混物在高剪切应力下相容,低剪切下发生相分离;HDPE/PP共混物的注射制品中出现附生结晶等现象.     

高强超韧高密度聚乙烯/聚丙烯共混物性能与微相分离结构的研究

在常规注射过程中 ,难以获得超高性能的共混体系注射制件 ,已有的研究表明 ,采用高剪切注射 ,可以抬高共混体系的最低临界相容温度曲线 (LCST)的位置 ,增加相容性 .当熔体进入模具后 ,冷却的同时相容性下降 ,开始相分离 ,相分离程度发展到某一程度即可获得高性能的制件 .对于高密度聚乙烯 (HDPE)、聚丙烯 (PP)两组分均为结晶型聚合物的共混体系 ,由于其相形态与结晶形态相互制约、竞争 ,微相分离程度难以控制 ,因此对其液 液相形态与结晶过程的控制是获得共混物最终形态与性能的关键 .采用振动保压注射成型技术不仅对HDPE、PP各自力学性能有明显的自增强作用 ,而且对HDPE/PP共混体系的力学性能也有十分明显的改善 .DSC、WAXD、SEM结果表明共混体系拉伸强度的提高主要取决于试样中串晶数量和大分子链的定向程度 ,而冲击强度则主要取决于两组分微观的相分离程度 .研究结果表明 ,HDPE/PP含量为 92 / 8的试样拉伸强度为 97 1MPa,80 / 2 0试样的缺口冲击强度为 4 5 5kJ/m2 ,较静态试样分别提高 4 3倍和 9 5倍 .采用振动填充注射技术针对某一组分可以获得高强度、高韧性的共混制件 .     

A novel hierarchical crystalline structure of injection-molded bars of linear polymer: co-existence of bending and normal shish–kebab structure

The hierarchy structures and orientation behavior of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) molded by conventional injection molding (CIM) and gas-assisted injection molding (GAIM) were intensively examined by using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and 2D wide-angle X-ray diffraction (2D-WAXD). Results show that the spatial variation of crystals across the thickness of sample molded by CIM was characterized by a typical skin–core structure as a result of general shear-induced crystallization. Unusually, the crystalline morphologies of the parts prepared by GAIM, primarily due to the penetration of secondary high-compressed gas that was exerted on the polymer melt during gas injection, featured a richer and fascinating supermolecular structure. Besides, the oriented lamellar structure, general shish–kebab structure, and common spherulites existed in the skin, sub-skin, and gas channel region, respectively; a novel morphology of shish–kebab structure was seen in the sub-skin layer of the GAIM parts of HDPE. This special shish–kebab structure (recognized as “bending shish–kebab”) was neither parallel nor perpendicular to the flow direction but at an angle. Furthermore, there was a clear interface between the bending and the normal shish–kebab structures, which may be very significant for our understanding of the melt flow or polymer rheology under the coupling effect of multi-fluid flow and complex temperature profiles in the GAIM process. Based on experimental observations, a schematic illustration was proposed to interpret the formation mechanism of the bending shish–kebab structure during GAIM process.     

剪切应力场中聚丙烯熔体在近熔点处冷却结晶的晶体结构研究

通过自主设计的动态保压注塑成型装置研究剪切应力场下聚丙烯(PP)熔体在近熔点处冷却结晶的晶体结构.用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、示差扫描量热法(DSC)和广角X射线衍射(WAXD)分析了PP试样在近熔点处冷却后从表层到剪切层的结晶结构的变化.SEM研究表明,与传统注塑成型样品(SL)和剪切力场中高熔体温度下冷却得到的试样(DH)相比,近熔点附近冷却得到的PP试样(DL)从表层到剪切层的结晶结构和形态有明显变化.DL从表层到剪切层均生成了尺寸较大的取向结晶结构,无明显的串晶产生.DSC研究表明,与SL和DH相比,DL剪切层无脊纤维晶熔融峰且晶片熔融温度较高,证明其样品内部晶片尺寸较大.WAXD进一步研究显示,DL内部主要晶面(110,040和130)的结晶尺寸与SL和DH相比并没有发生明显改变.     

Molecular weight dependence of hybrid shish kebab structure in injection molded bar of polyethylene/inorganic whisker composites

In our previous work, a hybrid shish kebab structure, with polyethylene (PE) crystal lamellae periodically decorated on the surface of an inorganic whisker (SMCW) and aligned approximately perpendicular to the long axis of the whisker, has been observed in the injection molded bar of PE/SMCW composites. To investigate the effect of the molecular weight of the PE matrix on the formation of the hybrid shish kebab structure and the corresponding physical properties of HDPE/SMCW composites, in this work, three types of PE with different molecular weights were used to prepare the composites. They were first melt blended and then subjected to dynamic packing injection molding (DPIM), in which the prolonged shear was exerted on the melt during the solidification stage. An obvious hybrid shish kebab (HSK) structure, with PE crystal lamellae closely packed on the surface of the SMCW, was found in the samples with a low molecular weight PE (LMW-PE) matrix and a medium molecular weight PE (MMW-PE) matrix. However, in samples with a high molecular weight PE (HMW-PE) matrix, an incomplete HSK structure with PE crystal lamellae loosely decorated on the surface of the SMCW was observed. Furthermore, DSC results indicated that SMCW served as a good nucleating agent only for the composite with a LMW-PE matrix and the nucleation efficiency decreased with increasing PE molecular weight. Correspondingly, the tensile strength of the PE/SMCW composites was significantly improved by adding SMCW for the samples with a LMW-PE or MMW-PE matrix. Especially for samples with a LMW-PE matrix, the tensile strength was remarkably enhanced by the presence of only 1 wt % SMCW. For the composites with a HMW-PE matrix, the addition of SMCW had almost no reinforcing effect on the composites. The molecular weight dependence of the formation of HSK and property enhancement was discussed on the basis of the chain mobility and crystallization capability of the PE matrix.     

Epitaxial crystallization and oriented structure of linear low‐density polyethylene/isotactic polypropylene blends obtained via dynamic packing injection molding

In this work, as a part of a long‐term project aimed at controlling of crystal structure and phase morphology for a injection molded product, we investigated the oriented structure and possible epitaxial growth of polyolefin blend (low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE)/isotatic polypropylene (iPP)), achieved by dynamic packing injection molding, which introduced strong oscillatory shear on the gradually‐cooled melt during the packing process. The crystalline and oriented structures of the prepared blends with different compositions were estimated in detail through 2D X‐ray diffraction, calorimetry, and optical microscopy. As iPP was the dominant phase (its content was more than 50 wt%), our results indicated that it could be highly oriented in the blends. In such case, it was interesting to find that LLDPE epitaxially crystallized on the oriented iPP through a crystallographic matching between (100)_LLDPE and (010)_iPP, resulting in an inclination of LLDPE chains, about 50° to the iPP chain axis. On the other hand, as iPP was the minor phase, iPP was less oriented and no epitaxial growth between iPP and LLDPE was observed; even LLDPE remained oriented. The composition‐dependent epitaxial growth of LLDPE on oriented iPP could be understood as due to: (1) the effect of crystallization sequence, it was found that iPP always crystallized before LLDPE for all compositions; (2) the dependence of oriented iPP structure on the blend composition; (3) the “mutual nucleation” between LLDPE and iPP due to their partial miscibility. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interlocking shish‐kebab morphology in polybutene‐1

The aim of this research was to explore the effect of shear‐controlled orientation injection molding (SCORIM) on polybutene‐1 (PB‐1). This article describes the methods and processing conditions used for injection molding and discusses the properties of the moldings. Both conventional and SCORIM have been used for the production of moldings. SCORIM is based on the application of specific macroscopic shears to a solidifying melt that facilitates enhanced molecular alignment. The effect of the process was investigated by performing mechanical tests, X‐ray studies, differential scanning calorimetric studies, polarized light microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Moldings exhibited an improved mechanical performance as compared with conventional moldings. Young's modulus was increased over twofold, and the impact energy was enhanced by 60%. The improvement in mechanical performance was combined with an increase in crystallinity and enhanced molecular orientation. The application of SCORIM also favored the formation of the stable Form I′ in PB‐1. The formation of interlocking shish‐kebab morphology following the application of SCORIM was observed in the AFM studies. Relationships between the mechanical properties of PB‐1 and the micromorphologies formed during processing are demonstrated. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1828–1834, 2002     

Shear-induced change of phase morphology and tensile property in injection-molded bars of high-density polyethylene/polyoxymethylene blends

It is feasible to control the phase morphology and phase inversion for immiscible polymer blends to manipulate their properties. In this work, the blend of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/polyoxymethylene (POM) was used as an example, to demonstrate the effect of shear on the phase morphology and resultant mechanical properties in immiscible polymer blends. To do so, a well defined “in-process morphology control” process during injection molding was conducted. That was: after making the blends via melt mixing, the injection-molded bars were prepared via a so-called dynamic packing injection molding equipment to impose a prolonged shearing on the melts during the solidification stage. Phase morphologies and crystal structures of the blends were estimated mainly through scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and 2D wide-angle X-ray scattering, respectively. For in-process morphology controlled samples, co-continuous structures, especially subinclusions inside another continuous phase induced by shear, were observed when the HDPE content was between 30 wt% and 50 wt%, leading to much early occurrence of phase inversion and also the lowest degree of orientation for both HDPE and POM. However, for samples obtained via conventional injection molding, a droplet morphology was always observed with HDPE dispersed in POM as the content of HDPE was up to 30 wt%, but with POM dispersed in HDPE as the content of HDPE was 50 wt%. The performances of injection-molded bars were mainly respect to the phase morphologies for samples obtained via conventional injection molding in which tensile properties continuously decreased with increasing of HDPE content up to 30 wt% and then increased with further increasing of HDPE content. For the in-process morphology controlled samples, the tensile properties depended not only on the phase morphology, but more importantly on the degree of orientation. One observed only a slight decrease of tensile property as the content of HDPE was less than 15 wt%, while an abrupt decrease when the content of HDPE was between 30 wt% and 50 wt%, probably due to the lowest degree of orientation in this composition range.     

在低频振动场中注射成型HDPE试样的力学性能及其形态控制

利用自行研制的低频振动注射实验装置探讨HDPE振动注射试样力学性能和微观形态之间的关系 .实验中对常规注射和振动注射成型的试样力学性能和微观形态进行了对比实验 .SEM实验结果显示 ,振动注射制件芯层的形态由常规注射的球晶转变为垂直于振动波传递方向排列的片晶结构 ,在剪切层中同时存在串晶或柱状堆砌的片晶结构 .频率的改变 (0 相似文献