Melting and crystallization of poly(butylene terephthalate) by temperature‐modulated and superfast calorimetry

Quantitative temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) and superfast thin‐film chip calorimetry (SFCC) are applied to poly(butylene terephthalate)s (PBT) of different thermal histories. The data are compared with those of earlier measured heat capacities of semicrystalline PBT by adiabatic calorimetry and standard DSC. The solid and liquid heat capacities, which were linked to the vibrational and conformational molecular motion, serve as references for the quantitative analyses. Using TMDSC, the thermodynamic and kinetic responses are separated between glass and melting temperature. The changes in crystallinity are evaluated, along with the mobile–amorphous and rigid–amorphous fractions with glass transitions centered at 314 and 375 K. The SFCC showed a surprising bimodal change in crystallization rates with temperature, which stretches down to 300 K. The earlier reported thermal activity at about 248 K was followed by SFCC and TMDSC and could be shown to be an irreversible endotherm and is not caused by a glass transition and rigid–amorphous fraction, as assumed earlier. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1364–1377, 2006     

Heat capacity of poly(vinyl methyl ether)

The heat capacity of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) has been measured using adiabatic calorimetry and temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). The heat capacity of the solid and liquid states of amorphous PVME is reported from 5 to 360 K. The amorphous PVME has a glass transition at 248 K (?25 °C). Below the glass transition, the low‐temperature, experimental heat capacity of solid PVME is linked to the vibrational molecular motion. It can be approximated by a group vibration spectrum and a skeletal vibration spectrum. The skeletal vibrations were described by a general Tarasov equation with three Debye temperatures Θ₁ = 647 K, Θ₂ = Θ₃ = 70 K, and nine skeletal modes. The calculated and experimental heat capacities agree to better than ±1.8% in the temperature range from 5 to 200 K. The experimental heat capacity of the liquid rubbery state of PVME is represented by C_p(liquid) = 72.36 + 0.136 T in J K^?1 mol^?1 and compared to estimated results from contributions of the same constituent groups of other polymers using the Advanced Thermal AnalysiS (ATHAS) Data Bank. The calculated solid and liquid heat capacities serve as baselines for the quantitative thermal analysis of amorphous PVME with different thermal histories. Also, knowing C_p of the solid and liquid, the integral thermodynamic functions of enthalpy, entropy, and free enthalpy of glassy and amorphous PVME are calculated with help of estimated parameters for the crystal. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2141–2153, 2005     

Conformational contribution to the heat capacity of the starch and water system

The heat capacities of starch and starch—water have been measured with adiabatic calorimetry and standard differential scanning calorimetry and are reported from 8 to 490 K. The amorphous starch containing 11–26 wt % (53–76 mol %) water shows a partial glass transition decreasing from 372 to 270 K, respectively. Even the dry amorphous starch gradually increases in heat capacity above 270 K beyond that set by the vibrational density of states. This gradual increase in the heat capacity is identified as part of the glass transition of dry starch that is, however, not completed at the decomposition temperature. The heat capacities of the glassy, dry starch are linked to an approximate group vibrational spectrum with 44 degrees of freedom. The Tarasov equation is used to estimate the heat capacity contribution due to skeletal vibrations with the parameters Θ₁ = 795.5 K, Θ₂ = 159 K, and Θ₃ = 58 K for 19 degrees of freedom. The calculated and experimental heat capacities agree better than ±3% between 8 and 250 K. Similarly, the vibrational heat capacity has been estimated for glassy water by being linked to an approximate group vibrational spectrum and the Tarasov equation (Θ₁ = 1105.5 K and Θ₃ = 72.4 K, with 6 degrees of freedom). Below the glass transition, the heat capacity of the solid starch—water system has been estimated from the appropriate sum of its components and also from a direct fitting to skeletal vibrations. Above the glass transition, the differences are interpreted as contributions of different conformational heat capacities from chains of the carbohydrates interacting with water. The conformational parts are estimated from the experimental heat capacities of dry starch and starch—water, decreased by the vibrational and external contributions to the heat capacity. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 3038–3054, 2001     

Reversible and irreversible heat capacity of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) analyzed by temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry

The heat capacity of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) has been analyzed using temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) and compared with results obtained earlier from adiabatic calorimetry and standard differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Using quasi‐isothermal TMDSC, the apparent reversing and nonreversing heat capacities were determined from 220 to 540 K, including glass and melting transitions. Truly reversible and time‐dependent irreversible heat effects were separated. The extrapolated vibrational heat capacity of the solid and the total heat capacity of the liquid served as baselines for the analysis. As one approaches the melting region from lower temperature, semicrystalline PTT shows a reversing heat capacity, which is larger than that of the liquid, an observation that is common also for other polymers. This higher heat capacity is interpreted as a reversible surface or bulk melting and crystallization, which does not need to undergo molecular nucleation. Additional time‐dependent, reversing contributions, dominating at temperatures even closer to the melting peak, are linked to reorganization and recrystallization (annealing), while the major melting is fully irreversible (nonreversing contribution). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 622–631, 2000     

Heat capacity of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

The heat capacity of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) has been measured using adiabatic calorimetry, standard differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). The heat capacities of the solid and liquid states of semicrystalline PTT are reported from 5 to 570 K. The semicrystalline PTT has a glass transition temperature of 331 K. Between 340 and 480 K, PTT can show exothermic ordering depending on the prior degree of crystallization. The melting endotherm of semicrystalline samples occurs between 480 and 505 K, with a typical onset temperature of 489 K (216°C). The heat of fusion of the semicrystalline samples is about 15 kJ mol⁻¹. For 100% crystalline PTT the heat of fusion is estimated to be 30 ± 2 kJ mol⁻¹. The heat capacity of solid PTT is linked to an approximate group vibrational spectrum and the Tarasov equation is used to estimate the heat capacity contribution due to skeletal vibrations (θ₁ = 550.5 K and θ₂ = θ₃ = 51 K, N_skeletal = 19). The calculated and experimental heat capacities agree to better than ±3% between 5 and 300 K. The experimental heat capacities of liquid PTT can be expressed by: $ C^L_p(exp) $ = 211.6 + 0.434 T J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ and compare to ±0.5% with estimates from the ATHAS data bank using contributions of other polymers with the same constituent groups. The glass transition temperature of the completely amorphous polymer is estimated to be 310–315 K with a ΔC_p of about 94 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹. Knowing C_p of the solid, liquid, and the transition parameters, the thermodynamic functions enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs function were obtained. With these data one can compute for semicrystalline samples crystallinity changes with temperature, mobile amorphous fractions, and resolve the question of rigid-amorphous fractions.© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys. 36: 2499–2511, 1998     

Analysis of the residual entropy of amorphous polyethylene at 0 K*

The residual entropy of amorphous polyethylene (PE) at 0 K is discussed within the framework of the heat capacity (C_p). The measured C_p of the liquid was extended from the glass transition to low temperature by separately finding its three parts—the vibrational, conformational, and external contributions—and extrapolating each to low temperature. The vibrational C_p was calculated from the frequency distributions of the group vibrations on the basis of force constants obtained from experimental infrared and Raman spectra as well as the skeletal vibrations in the amorphous solid (glass) obtained from fitting of the appropriate experimental C_p to Debye functions in the form suggested by Tarasov. The conformational part of C_p was evaluated from a fit of the heat capacity of the liquid, decreased by the contributions of the vibrational and external parts, to a one‐dimensional Ising model that can be extrapolated to 0 K and requires two discrete states described by stiffness, cooperativity, and a degeneracy parameter. The external part was computed from the experimental data for expansivity and compressibility, fitted to an empirical equation of state, and modified at low temperatures in accordance with the Nernst–Lindemann approximation. The computed C_p of the liquid PE agreed with the experiment from 600 K to the beginning of the glass transition at about 260 K. Extending the heat capacity to 0 K, bypassing the freezing of the large‐amplitude conformational motion in the glass transition, led to a positive residual entropy and enthalpy and avoided the so‐called Kauzmann paradox. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1245–1253, 2002     

Heat capacities of poly(amino acid)s and proteins

In an ongoing effort to understand the thermodynamic properties of proteins, solid-state heat capacities of poly(amino acid)s of all 20 naturally occurring amino acids and 4 copoly(amino acid)s have been previously reported on and were analyzed using our Advanced THermal Analysis System (ATHAS). We extend the heat capacities of poly(L-methionine) (PLMFT) and poly(L-phenylalanine) (PLPHEA) with new low temperature measurements from 10 to 340 K. In addition, analyses were performed on literature data of a first protein, zinc bovine insulin dimer C₅₀₈H₇₅₂O₁₅₀N₁₃₀S₁₂Zn, using both the ATHAS empirical addition scheme and computation with an approximate vibrational spectrum for the protein. For the solid state, agreement with the measurement could be accomplished to ±1.6% for PLMET, ±3.5% for PLPHEA, and ±3.2% for insulin, linking the macroscopic heat capacity to its microscopic cause, the group and skeletal vibrational motion. For each polymer, one set of parameters, Θ₁ and Θ₃, of the Tarasov function representing the skeletal vibrational contribution to the heat capacity are obtained from a new optimization procedure [PLMET: 542 K and 83 K (number of skeletal vibrations N_s = 15); PLPHEA: 396 K and 67 K (N_s = 11); and insulin monomer: 599 K and 79 K (N_s = 628), respectively]. Enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy have been derived for the solid state. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reversible and irreversible heat capacity of poly[carbonyl(ethylene‐co‐propylene)] by temperature‐modulated calorimetry

The heat capacity of poly[carbonyl(ethylene‐co‐propylene)] with 95 mol % C₂H₄? CO? (Carilon EP®) was measured with standard differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and temperature‐modulated DSC (TMDSC). The integral functions of enthalpy, entropy, and free enthalpy were derived. With quasi‐isothermal TMDSC, the apparent reversing heat capacity was determined from 220 to 570 K, including the glass‐ and melting‐transition regions. The vibrational heat capacity of the solid and the heat capacity of the liquid served as baselines for the quantitative analysis. A small amount of apparent reversing latent heat was found in the melting range, just as for other polymers similarly analyzed. With an analysis of the heat‐flow rates in the time domain, information was collected about latent heat contributions due to annealing, melting, and crystallization. The latent heat decreased with time to an even smaller but truly reversible latent heat contribution. The main melting was fully irreversible. All contributions are discussed in the framework of a suggested scheme of six physical contributions to the apparent heat capacity. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1565–1577, 2001     

Reversible melting and crystallization of high‐molar‐mass poly(oxyethylene)

The heat capacity of poly(oxyethylene) (POE) with a molar mass of 900,000 Da has been analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry and quasi‐isothermal, temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry. The crystal structure, lattice parameters, and coherently scattering domain sizes have been measured with wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction as a function of temperature. The high‐molar‐mass POE crystals are in a folded‐chain macroconformation and show some locally reversible melting starting already at about 250 K. At 335 K, the thermodynamic heat capacity reaches the level of the melt. The reversible crystallinity depends on the modulation amplitude and has been varied in the melting range from ±0.2 to ±3.0 K. Before melting, there is neither a change in the crystal structure nor a change in the domain size, but the expansivity of the crystals increases at about 320 K. These observations support the interpretation that the monoclinic POE crystals possess a glass transition temperature with a midpoint at about 324 K, whereas the maximum melting temperature is 341 K. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 475–489, 2007     

乙醇和甲苯组成的最低共沸混合物热力学性质的研究

The molar heat capacity of the azeotropic mixture composed of ethanol and toluene was measured by a high precision adiabatic calorimeter from 80 to 320 K. The glass transition and phase transitions of the azeotropic mixture were determined based on the heat capacity measurements. A glass transition at 103.350 K was found. A solid-solid phase transition at 127.282 K, two solid-liquid phase transitions at 153.612 and 160.584 K were observed, which correspond to the transition of metastable crystal to stable crystal of ethanol and the melting of ethanol and toluene, respectively. The thermodynamic functions and the excess ones of the mixture relative to the standard temperature 298.15 K were derived based on the relationships of the thermodynamic functions and the function of the measured heat capacity with respect to temperature.     

Reactions and structural changes during thermal annealing in a semicrystalline,aromatic diacetylene‐containing polyester

Thermally induced solid‐state reactions and microstructure changes in a high molar mass, semicrystalline, aromatic diacetylene‐containing polyester, poly[2,4‐hexadiyn‐1,6‐ylene terephthalate], were investigated with a combination of laser Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction analysis. The study has provided some new insights into the rather complex solid‐state reactions in the semicrystalline diacetylene‐containing polyester. Results suggest that, in addition to the usual desired solid‐state topochemical crosspolymerization in the crystalline region, a certain degree of random crosslinking reaction occurs in the amorphous region, especially when the annealing is carried out above the glass transition. After prolonged annealing or annealing at a higher temperature, a further reaction involving the formed polydiacetylene chains may occur, as evident from the reduction in crystallinity and even complete loss of crystallinity. An attempt has been made to separate the contribution of the topochemical reaction from the overlapping exothermic activities in the differential scanning calorimetry curves via subtraction. This allows the monitoring of the crystalline‐phase solid‐state topochemical crosspolymerization. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2354–2363, 2002     

水与正丁醇二元体系最低共沸混合物的热容

Molar heat capacities of n-butanol and the azeotropic mixture in the binary system [water （x=0.716） plus n-butanol （x=0.284）] were measured with an adiabatic calorimeter in a temperature range from 78 to 320 K. The functions of the heat capacity with respect to thermodynamic temperature were estabhshed for the azeotropic mixture. A glass transition was observed at （111.9±1.2） K. The phase transitions took place at （179.26±0.77） and （269.69±0.14） K corresponding to the solid-hquid phase transitions of n-butanol and water, respectively. The phase-transition enthalpy and entropy of water were calculated. A thermodynamic function of excess molar heat capacity with respect to temperature was estabhshed, which took account of physical mixing, destructions of self-association and cross-association for n-butanol and water, respectively. The thermodynamic functions and the excess thermodynamic ones of the binary systems relative to 298.15 K were derived based on the relationships of the thermodynamic functions and the function of the measured heat capacity and the calculated excess heat capacity with respect to temperature.     

Heat capacity of solid‐state biopolymers by thermal analysis

Heat capacities in the solid state of four globular proteins (bovine β‐lactoglobulin, chicken lysozyme, ovalbumine, and horse myoglobin) and of the poly(amino acid) poly(L ‐tryptophan) have been determined using the Advanced THermal Analysis System (ATHAS). The experimental measurements were performed with adiabatic and differential scanning calorimetry over wide temperature ranges. The heat capacities were linked to an approximate vibrational spectrum by making use of known group vibrations and of a set of parameters, Θ₁ and Θ₃, of the Tarasov function for the skeletal vibrations. Good agreement was found between experiments and calculations with root mean square errors mostly within ±3%. The experimental data were analyzed also with an empirical addition scheme using the known data for poly(amino acid)s measured earlier. Based on this study, vibrational heat capacities can now be predicted for all proteins with an accuracy comparable to common experiments. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2093–2102, 1999     

The thermal properties of poly(pivalolactone)

Quantitative thermal analysis was carried out for poly-(pivalolactone) (PPVL), including heat capacity determinations from 140 to 550 K. The experimental C_p below the glass transition temperature was fitted to an approximate vibrational spectrum and the ATHAS computation scheme was used to compute the “vibration only” heat capacities from 0.1 to 1000 K. The liquid C_p was derived from an empirical addition scheme and found to agree with the experimental C_p with an RMS of ±2.8% from 240 K to 550 K. A glass transition, T_g, could be detected at 260 K, and the change in heat capacity for 100% amorphous PPVL was calculated to be 38.8 J/(K mol). Above T_g, semicrystalline samples seem to show a rigid amorphous fraction that does not contribute to the increase in heat capacity at T_g. Using the ATHAS recommended heat capacities, the various thermodynamic functions (enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs function) were derived. The residual entropy at 0 K for the amorphous PPVL was calculated to be 5.2 J/(K mol) per mobile bead, and was comparable to that obtained for a series of linear, aliphatic polyesters analyzed earlier.     

Influence of deformation on irreversible and reversible crystallization of poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐octene)

The effect of uniaxial deformation and subsequent relaxation at ambient temperature on irreversible and reversible crystallization of homogeneous poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐octene) with 38 mol % 1‐octene melt‐crystallized at 10 K min was explored by calorimetry, X‐ray scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. At 298 K, the enthalpy‐based crystallinity of annealed specimens increased irreversibly by stress‐induced crystallization from initially 15% to a maximum of, at least, 19% when a permanent set of more than 200% was attained. The crystallinity increased by formation of crystals of pseudohexagonal structure at the expense of the amorphous polymer, and as a result of destruction of orthorhombic crystals. The stress‐induced increase of crystallinity was accompanied by an increase in the apparent specific heat capacity from 2.44 to about 2.59 J g^?1 K^?1, which corresponds to an increase of the total reversibility of crystallization from, at least, 0.10 to 0.17% K^?1. The specific reversibility calculated for 100% crystallinity increased from 0.67 to 0.89% K^?1 and points to a changed local equilibrium at the interface between the crystal and amorphous phases. The deformation resulted in typical changes of the phase structure and crystal morphology that involve orientation and destruction of crystals as well as the formation of fibrils. The effect of the decrease of the entropy of the strained melt on the reversibility of crystallization and melting is discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1223–1235, 2002     

X‐ray studies on the double melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate)

The double melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide‐angle X‐ray analysis. DSC melting curves of melt‐crystallized PBT samples, which we prepared by cooling from the melt (250 °C) at various cooling rates, showed two endothermic peaks and an exothermic peak located between these melting peaks. The cooling rate effect on these peaks was investigated. The melt‐crystallized PBT sample cooled at 24 K min^?1 was heated at a rate of 1 K min^?1, and its diffraction patterns were obtained successively at a rate of one pattern per minute with an X‐ray measurement system equipped with a position‐sensitive proportional counter. The diffraction pattern did not change in the melting process, except for the change in its peak height. This suggests that the double melting behavior does not originate from a change in the crystal structure. The temperature dependence of the diffraction intensity was obtained from the diffraction patterns. With increasing temperature, the intensity decreased gradually in the low‐temperature region and then increased distinctly before a steep decrease due to the final melting. In other words, the temperature‐dependence curve of the diffraction intensity showed a peak that is interpreted as proof of the recrystallization in the melting process. The peak temperature was 216 °C. The temperature‐dependence curve of the enthalpy change obtained by the integration of the DSC curve almost coincided with that of the diffraction intensity. The double melting behavior in the heating process of PBT is concluded to originate from the increase of crystallinity, that is, recrystallization. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2005–2015, 2001     

Recent developments in thermal analysis of polymers: Calorimetry in the limit of slow and fast heating rates

This review focuses on new insights into the crystal melting transition and the amorphous glass transition of polymers that have been gained through recent advances in thermoanalytical methods. The specific heat capacity can now be studied under two extreme limits, that is, under quasi‐isothermal conditions (limit of zero heating rate) and, at the other end of the scale, under rapid heating conditions (heating rates on the order of thousands of degrees per second), made possible through nanocalorimetry. The reversible melting, and multiple reversible melting, of semicrystalline polymers is explored using quasi‐isothermal temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry, TMDSC. The excess reversing heat capacity, above the baseline, measured under nearly isothermal conditions is attributed to locally reversible surface melting and crystallization processes that do not require molecular nucleation. Observations of double reversible melting endotherms in isotactic polystyrene suggest existence of two distinct populations of crystals, each showing locally reversible surface melting. The second subject of the review, nanocalorimetry, is utilized to study samples of small mass under conditions of very fast heating and cooling. The glass transition properties of thin amorphous polymer films are observed under adiabatic conditions. The glass transition temperature appears to be independent of film thickness, and is observed even in ultra‐thin films. Recrystallization and reorganization during rapid heating are studied by nanocalorimetry of semicrystalline polymers. The uppermost endotherm seen under normal DSC scanning of poly(ethylene terephthalate) is caused by reorganization, and vanishes under the rapid heating conditions (3000K/s) provided by nanocalorimetry. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 629–636, 2005     

Calorimetric glass transition temperature and absolute heat capacity of polystyrene ultrathin films

The absolute heat capacity and glass transition temperature (T_g) of unsupported ultrathin films were measured with differential scanning calorimetry with the step-scan method in an effort to further examine the thermodynamic behavior of glass-forming materials on the nanoscale. Films were stacked in layers with multiple preparation methods. The absolute heat capacity in both the glass and liquid states decreased with decreasing film thickness, and T_g also decreased with decreasing film thickness. The magnitude of the T_g depression was closer to that observed for films supported on rigid substrates than that observed for freely standing films. The stacked thin films regained bulk behavior after the application of pressure at a high temperature. The effects of various preparation methods were examined, including the use of polyisobutylene as an interleaving layer between the polystyrene films. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3518–3527, 2006     

Synthesis,Characterization and Thermodynamic Study of the Solid State Coordination Compound Ni(Nic)2·H2O(s)(Nic=Nicotinate)

A novel compound‐monohydrated nickel nicotinate was synthesized by the method of room temperature solid phase synthesis and ball grinder. FTIR, chemical and elemental analysis, TG/DTG, and X‐ray powder diffraction technique were applied to characterize the structure and composition of the coordination compound. Low‐temperature heat capacities of the solid coordination compound have been measured by a precision automated adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 78 to 386 K. A solid‐solid phase transition occurred in the temperature range of 328–358 K in the heat capacity curve, and the peak temperature, the molar enthalpy and molar entropy of the phase transition were determined to be T_trs=(356.759±0.697) K, Δ_trsH_m=(13.650±0.408) kJ· mol^?1, and Δ_trsS_m= (38.279±0.086) J·K^?1·mol^?1, respectively. The experimental values of the molar heat capacities in the temperature ranges of 78–328 K and 358–386 K were fitted to two polynomials, respectively. The polynomial fitted values of the molar heat capacities and fundamental thermodynamic functions of the sample relative to the standard reference temperature 298.15 K were calculated and tabulated at the intervals of 5 K.