含柔性间隔基的热致液晶性共聚酯的结晶形态

采用偏光显微镜、扫描和透射电镜从不同层次的结构水平上研究了含柔性间隔基热致液晶性共聚酯的结晶形态。在偏光显微镜下观察到典型的负光性球晶形态,透射电镜揭示了球晶是由厚度为10nm并沿着径向生长的片晶结构所组成,分子链沿晶片厚度方向取向排列。并研究了分子链的刚性程度对热致聚芳酯结晶性质的影响。结果表明,分子链刚性越大其结晶性和球晶的完善性越高。     

The effect of melt drawing ratio on the crystal structural change and performance of polyketone extrusion cast film

In this paper, the polyketone (POK) extrusion cast film is manufactured by melt stretching method, and the evolution process of the crystal morphology and mechanical properties with the increase of melt drawing ratio (MDR) are followed. The results show that the melt stretching process produces many micro shish-kebab crystals in the POK. The length of the shish crystal and the thickness of the kebab crystal hardly increase with MDR, but the lateral length of the kebab crystal shows linear growth when MDR exceeds 40. The crystalline morphology of POK is mainly affected by melt relaxation. The molecular chain has sufficient relaxation during cooling at a low MDR (20–40). At this time, micro shish-kebab crystals are mainly randomly arranged. When MDR exceeds 40, the rapid melt stretching shortens the relaxation time of the tie chain between the neighborhood shish crystal, and the atomic force microscopy image shows a typical shish-kebab structure. This experimental result indicates that the formation of the oriented lamella structure may be related to the relaxation of the molecular chains between the micro-shish. When the length of the shish axis and the thickness of the kebab lamellae are similar, it is difficult to distinguish the two.     

Microporous membranes obtained from polypropylene blends with superior permeability properties

A blend of two polypropylene resins, different in molecular structure, one with linear chains and the other with long chain branches, was investigated to develop microporous membranes through melt extrusion (cast film process) followed by film stretching. The branched component significantly affected the row‐nucleated lamellar crystalline structure in the precursor films. The arrangement and orientation of the crystalline and amorphous phases were examined by wide angle X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy methods. It was found that blending of a small amount of a long chain branched polypropylene improved the orientation of the both crystalline and amorphous phases in the precursor films. Annealing, followed by cold and hot stretching were consequently employed to generate and enlarge pores in the films as a result of lamellae separation. SEM micrographs of the surface of the membranes obtained from the blend revealed elongated thin fibrils and a large number of lamellae. The lamellae thickness for the blend was much shorter in comparison to that of the linear PP precursor film. The permeability of the samples to water vapor and N₂ was significantly enhanced (more than twice) for the blend system. The porosity of the blend membrane showed a significant improvement with a value of 53% compared to 41% for the linear PP membrane. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 148–157, 2008     

Preferential formation of electroactive crystalline phases in poly(vinylidene fluoride)/organically modified silicate nanocomposites

The role of organically modified silicate (OMS), Lucentite STN on the formation of β‐crystalline phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is investigated in the present study. The OMS was solution blended with PVDF and cast on glass slide to form PVDF‐OMS nanocomposites. Solution cast samples were subjected to various thermal treatments including annealing (AC‐AN), melt‐quenching followed by annealing (MQ‐AN), and melt‐slow cooling (MSC). Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the crystalline structure of thermally treated samples. As a special effort, the combination of in situ thermal FT‐IR, WAXD, and DSC studies was utilized to clearly assess the thermal properties. FT‐IR and WAXD results of MQ‐AN samples revealed the presence of β‐phase of PVDF. Ion‐dipole interaction between the exfoliated clay nanolayers and PVDF was considered as a main factor for the formation of β‐phase. Melt‐crystallization temperature and subsequent melting point were enhanced by the addition of OMS. Solid β‐ to γ‐crystal phase transition was observed from in situ FT‐IR and WAXD curves when the representative MQ‐AN sample was subjected to thermal scanning. Upon heating, β‐phase was found to disappear through transformation to the thermodynamically stable γ‐phase rather than melting directly. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2173–2187, 2008     

Morphology and physical properties of triblock copolymers with crystalline end blocks

The morphology of crystalline end-block copolymers of poly(thiacyclobutane-b-isoprene-b-thiacyclobutane) (TCB–I–TCB) was studied by optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). A spherulitic texture was observed for both the TCB homopolymer and the TCB–I–TCB block copolymers. Well-defined phases arranged in an ordered structure exist when the films are cast above the melting temperature of the crystalline end blocks. The dimensions and the arrangements of the domains have been derived from both SAXS and electron microscope measurements. The deformation mechanism of the 41% end-block copolymer sample was also examined by a combination of SAXS and stress–strain studies. It was found that the interdomain spacing increased along the stretching direction as the extension ratio was increased. The morphology changes from hexagonally packed cylinders to rowtype cylinders upon the application of stress.     

间规1,2-聚丁二烯结晶结构研究

以间规1,2-聚丁二烯(s-PB)为研究对象,通过原位同步辐射小角X射线散射(SR-SAXS)和广角X射线衍射(WAXD)研究其结晶结构的变化过程.SR-SAXS曲线中存在明显的散射峰,表明在等温结晶过程中形成有序结晶结构;在等温结晶后间规1,2-聚丁二烯的片晶厚度、微晶尺寸均正比于1/Tc∞-T,根据高分子结晶中介相机理可以做出合理的解释.     

Analysis of crystallization behavior and crystal modifications of poly(butylene‐2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylate)

Information on the crystalline structure and the properties of poly(butylene‐2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylate) (PBN) has not been well reported until now, but it is known that there are two different crystal modifications in PBN, as follows: one is formed in isotropic samples by annealing (α form); another appears by annealing with tension (β form). The relation between the crystal modifications and the kinetics of isothermal crystallization for PBN was investigated using in‐situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). The melting behavior of each crystalline form was also studied by means of FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. From the analysis of the melt‐crystallized PBN specimens, the two crystalline forms coexisted in the isotropic samples melt‐crystallized at 230°C, but only the α crystal modification was observed in the films annealed at lower temperatures. In addition, it was revealed that, at 230°C, the β modification was formed only in the primary crystallization process. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 561–574, 1999     

Reorganization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) structures and conformations to alter properties

The solid‐state morphologies, structures, and chain conformations of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have been reorganized/altered from those normally produced by solution and melt processing. This has been achieved by two distinct methods: (1) formation of a crystalline inclusion compound (IC) between guest PET and host γ‐cylodextrin (γ‐CD), followed by removal of the host γ‐CD and coalescence of the guest PET (c‐PET) and (2) rapid precipitation of PET from a warm trifluoracetic acid solution into a large excess of rapidly stirred acetone (p‐PET). Our prior observations (FTIR, NMR, DSC, X‐ray) demonstrated that c‐PET processed in this manner has a morphology, structure, and non‐crystalline chain conformations that are quite distinct from those of as‐received PET (asr‐PET). Where possible to compare, here we find that c‐ and p‐PETs behave very similarly, but very distinctly from asr‐PET. The reorganized c‐ and p‐PETs were found to be repeatedly rapidly crystallizable from the melt with a high level of crystallinity, and in their non‐crystalline regions to have tightly packed chains predominantly adopting highly extended kink conformations, which evidence no glass‐transition behavior. What is most unusual and somewhat puzzling is that their contrasting structures, morphologies, conformations, and thermal responses were observed to be independent of melt annealing, and persisted even after holding both samples above T_m for extended periods (hours). p‐PET, which can be produced in larger quantities than c‐PET, was utilized to measure additional macroscopic properties, such as melt viscosities, densities, and the stress‐strain and thermal shrinkage of melt‐pressed films, for comparison to those of asr‐PET. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 735–746, 2007     

Crystalline structure and morphology of microphases in compatible mixtures of poly(tetrahydrofuran‐methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymer and polytetrahydrofuran

The crystalline structure and morphology of compatible mixtures of poly(tetrahydrofuran‐methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymers (PTHF‐b‐PMMA) with a polytetrahydrofuran homopolymer (PTHF) were studied with synchrotron X‐rays. Wide‐angle diffraction was used to study the crystalline structures in a confined lamellar region with a PTHF thickness ranging from 12.2 to 19.5 nm, and in a PTHF matrix with an interface distance between the PMMA cylinders ranging from 17 to 22 nm. As the above thickness values are around the long period (ca. 17 nm) of PTHF homopolymer under the crystallization condition used, the crystalline structure has been found to be very sensitive to the average thickness of the PTHF phase. The changes in the diffraction patterns with changing PTHF homopolymer content suggested a chain folding model in confined PTHF lamellae with the PTHF fiber axes being perpendicular to the thick PTHF lamella. In the case of hexagonally packed cylindrical PMMA microdomains with an interface distance ranging from 12 to 16 nm, the effects of PMMA cylinders on the crystallization morphology of PTHF in the PTHF matrix, and the effects of the PTHF crystallization on the hexagonally packed structure of PMMA cylinders were also studied. It is shown that only when the interdistance of two neighboring PMMA cylinders is comparable with the long period of the pure PTHF homopolymer, ordered PTHF stacks can be formed in the PTHF matrix. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 779–792, 1999     

Flow behaviour of gas-containing LDPE/i-PP melts

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the rheological behaviour and extrudate swell of polyolefin blends based on two grades of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and an isotactic polypropylene (i-PP). Blending was carried out on a twin-screw extruder “Brabender” at different composition ratios in the temperature range from 140 to 190°C. The LDPE/i-PP blends mixed with 0.5 wt.% blowing agent were extruded by means of “Brabender” extrusiograph at melt temperature of 200°C and different extrusion rates. The influence of composition content on the viscosity and extrudate swell was considered. The foam structure and morphology are discussed in terms of shear rate, molecular characteristics and composition content. The presence of layered structure was observed: an outer smectic layer and an inner partially crystalline layer. The thickness of smectic layer and size of spherulites were determined.     

Polymers coalesced from their cyclodextrin inclusion complexes: What can they tell us about the morphology of melt‐crystallized polymers?

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic polysaccharides with nano‐size, largely hydrophobic cavities, and exteriors covered with hydrophilic hydroxyl groups, making them water soluble. Threading and filling their cavities with polymer chains produces noncovalently bonded crystalline inclusion compounds (ICs). In this study, we formed fully covered, stoichiometric ICs between guest poly(L ‐lactic acid), poly(ε‐caprolactone), and nylon‐6 chains and host α‐CD. Coalesced samples of all three polymers were obtained after appropriately removing the stacked α‐CD host channels from their ICs. Distinct differential scanning calorimetriy (DSC) thermograms were observed for as‐received and coalesced samples, with the coalesced samples crystallizing faster at higher temperatures from their melts, and this distinction was maintained even after extensive, long‐time melt‐annealing (hours, days, and weeks). We believe this is due to the largely unentangled chains with extended conformations that are more densely packed in the initially coalesced samples. When small amounts (～2 wt %) of the coalesced polymers are used as self‐nucleating agents for their as‐received samples, the resulting self‐nucleated samples show DSC thermograms similar to those of the neat coalesced polymers, including their long‐time stability to melt‐annealing. Coalesced polymers, whether neat or in samples they self‐nucleate, may conserve their organization in the melt (largely extended and unentangled chains) for long periods, because the process of entangling the many chains influenced by a single initially extended unentangled coalesced chain, after it randomly coils, is extremely sluggish. By contrast, in melt‐crystallized or solution‐cast samples, polymer chains generally become fully randomly coiled, interpenetrate, and entangle after being heated and held in their melts for comparatively much shorter times. For example, we have recently observed (DSC) that ultra high molecular weight, gel‐spun spectra polyethylene (PE) fibers^® did not conserve or retain any memory of their as‐spun and highly drawn semicrystalline morphology even after spending as little as 2 min in the melt. As a consequence of the comparison to the behavior of coalesced polymer melts, we believe that polyethylene chains in Spectra fibers^® must be at least intimately dispersed within their crystalline regions, and likely partially coiled and entangled in their noncrystalline regions, thereby facilitating their rapid transformation into a full entanglement network of randomly coiling chains in the melt. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Preparation of Oriented Liquid‐Crystalline/Isotropic Block Copolymer Films with Parallel or Perpendicular Arrangement of Smectic Layers and Lamellar Microdomains

Films of a symmetric liquid‐crystalline/isotropic block copolymer consisting of a smectic LC side‐chain polymer and polystyrene were prepared by solvent casting from solution and from the isotropic melt. By annealing the solvent‐cast film in the S_A phase an oriented microphase‐separated film of lamellar morphology was obtained in which both the lamellae of the block copolymer and the smectic layers of the LC block were oriented parallel to the film surface. A lamellar morphology with perpendicular orientation of lamellae and smectic layers was generated by cooling the block copolymer from the melt.     

Synthesis of ordered mesoporous Fe3O4 and gamma-Fe2O3 with crystalline walls using post-template reduction/oxidation

Ordered mesoporous Fe(3)O(4) with crystalline walls (inverse spinel structure) has been synthesized for the first time, representing to the best of our knowledge, the first synthesis of a reduced mesoporous iron oxide. Synthesis was achieved by reducing ordered mesoporous alpha-Fe(2)O(3) (corundum structure) to Fe(3)O(4) spinel then to gamma-Fe(2)O(3) by oxidation, while preserving the ordered mesostructure and crystalline walls throughout. Such solid/solid transformations demonstrate the stability of the mesostructure to structural phase transitions from the hexagonal close packed oxide subarray of alpha-Fe(2)O(3) (corundum structure) to the cubic close packed subarray of Fe(3)O(4) spinel and gamma-Fe(2)O(3). Preliminary magnetic measurements reveal that the spins in both Fe(3)O(4) and gamma-Fe(2)O(3) are frozen at 295 K, despite the wall thickness (7 nm) being less than the lower limit for such freezing in corresponding nanoparticles (>8 nm).     

Process Induced Micro Structure Evolution in Polyester Polyurethane and Mechanical Properties Relationship

Summary: MDI-HQEE-Capa based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with Shore hardness of 94 A was injection molded. In order to study the influence of melt conditions on the material structure evolution and resulting mechanical properties a systematical variation in processing temperatures in the range between 195 °C and 250 °C was applied. The mold temperature was kept constant at 60 °C. Process induced samples morphologies were investigated by means of light microscope (LM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Mechanical visco-elastic properties were determined by means of cyclic tensile experiment and were correlated with results of structural investigations. The evaluation of morphology micrographs of raw TPU material and specimens molded at different temperatures shows a reduction in visual crystalline fraction. This gains a distinct change in the deformation behavior of injection molded TPU with increasing melt processing temperature.     

Composition fluctuation and domain spacing of low molar weight PEO–PPO–PEO triblock copolymers in the melt, during crystallization and in the solid state

We have studied a series of PEO–PPO–PEO triblock copolymers (Pluronics) in their melt and solid state mainly using static and time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). In the melt state, composition fluctuations were observed. Their temperature variation was in accordance with mean-field theory. A crossover from the mean-field regime to the fluctuation regime was observed for samples with high molar mass. To check the overall conformation of molecules in the disordered state, composition fluctuations during crystallization were investigated by time-resolved SAXS. Detailed analysis on the time dependent intensity and peak position indicate that molecules remaining in the disordered state adopt a stretched overall conformation. In the solid state, crystallization of PEO blocks induced phase separation, resulting in an alternating crystalline/amorphous lamellar structure. Samples with short PEO block formed a simple lamellar structure with extended-chain conformation. The domain spacing increased with crystallization temperature due to the swelling of the amorphous domain by uncrystallized molecules. Samples with long PEO block formed a mixed lamellar structure. Structures with once-folded and extended PEO block coexisted in a large temperature range and their relative fraction changed with crystallization temperature. This mixed structure was reduced to a simple lamellar structure with once-folded crystalline structure at low crystallization temperatures.     

Phase transitions in poly(heptane-1,7-diyl biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate). SAXS,WAXS and DSC study

The main-chain thermotropic liquid-crystalline poly(heptane-1,7-diyl biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate) (P7MB) was investigated by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and differential scanning calorimerty (DSC). Nonisothermal crystallisation with different rates of cooling and heating was used. On cooling, two phase transitions are observed, isotropic melt - smectic (I-Sm) and Sm- three-dimensional crystalline structure (Sm-Cr), whereas on heating only one transition is observed, Cr-I transition. The transition enthalpies were calculated. Temperature dependences of d-spacings of all crystalline peaks and of the peak observed at high values of scattering vector in the SAXS region were derived. The temperature dependence of the degree of crystallinity was established, based on the integrated intensities of the crystalline peaks and amorphous halo in WAXS.     

Polymeric micro‐sequential concentric transcrystalline morphology self‐assembly,with intermittent self‐shear‐oriented amorphous layers

The investigation and understanding of polymer crystallization processes, the resulting crystalline morphologies, and the mechanism of their formation is crucial in creating materials with desired properties for specific applications. The present research introduces and investigates a new polymeric crystalline morphology, observed for the first time in this research. This newly observed morphology, is a sequentially micro‐multi‐layered concentric morphology that self‐assembles throughout the bulk polymer matrix, with intermittent self‐shear‐oriented amorphous layers. The research analyses the structure and mechanism of its formation. Polarized light microscopy studies have shown a drastic and sudden morphology change that occurred during crystalline growth. Crystalline‐growth kinetics studies performed, showed a distinct pulsatile repeating growth pattern of approximately two growth pulses per second. Thermal analysis indicated the presence of two different populations of crystalline strength. Crystalline structure was analyzed by XRD pattern measurements. It was demonstrated here, that the sequential concentric transcrystalline morphology is nucleated on a shear‐oriented amorphous molecular layer in the adjacent melt formed during and as a consequence of crystalline growth, which occurs in a micro‐periodic sequences, with intermittent self‐sheared amorphous layers. The structure was confirmed by both scanning electron microscope and reflectance microscopy. Small angle X‐ray scattering measurements of the same materials reported in literature are consistent with the melt shear‐orientation theory described earlier. The discovery of this new crystalline morphology in this research, potentially opens a new door in the vast field of material properties and applications. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SAXS and DSC studies of the crystallization and melting phenomena of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)

The relationships between the crystallization temperature, T_c, the crystal thickness, d_c and the melting peak temperature, T_m of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) have been determined by carrying out time‐ and temperature‐dependent small angle x‐ray scattering experiments. A two‐step melting has been suggested, resulting in the occurrence of two well defined independent boundary lines, indicating the transformation from melt into the partially crystalline state. For crystallization temperatures lower than 40°C, during heating, more pronounced peak shifts are observed with the final melting of the crystallites having the same thickness of d_c ≈︁ 7 nm. In this region, it is evident that crystals have relatively good stabilities, since they have fairly uniform thickness. At higher temperatures, above 40°C, T_m increases with T_c, together with the thickness. The transformation of the melt into the partially crystalline state depicts a two‐step process, beginning with the formation of a well defined initial structure with lower order, which is subsequently stabilized.     

Size effect and mechanochemical contraction of the Si(100) specimens

Variation of thickness of specimens of single crystalline silicon Si(100) prepared by scribing of the water of 100 mm diameter to parts of smaller size under atmospheric conditions is studied. It is shown that the thickness of specimens having small surface (∼1 cm²) decreases after scribing by 0.8–1.0% (with the error of measurements < 0.3%). The observed decrease in the thickness is explained by the effect of sorption of vapors of atmospheric moisture in micropores with the decrease in the external surface of specimens of Si(100) (the sorbostriction phenomenon).     

Crystallinity and conformational changes in poly(β-benzyl L-aspartate)

The crystallinity of poly(β-benzyl L -aspartate) is highly variable, in a series of specimens prepared under various conditions: films cast from chloroform solutions at various evaporation rates, films cast comparatively slowly from chloroform–trifluoroacetic acid solutions, films prepared from dichloroacetic acid solution by treatment with ethyl alcohol, precipitates formed from trifluoroacetic acid solution by addition of ether. Film cast slowly from chloroform is in the highly crystalline ω form. In contrast, the conformation of the benzene rings in the ω helix obtained from the α helix by heating is distorted to some extent in comparison with the structure of the highly crystalline ω form. Crystallization and conformational changes from the α to the ω form, and from the ω to the β form upon heating, are correlated with the dispositions of the side chains, the packing of the benzene rings, and the motion of the side chains. The main chain of the α helix is distorted into the ω form when its side chains are in a favorable conformation. The α helix is stable in the disordered conformation, and it is distorted to some extent at high temperature.