Structure of single-molecule single crystals of isotactic polystyrene and their radiation resistance

The structure of single-molecule single crystals of isotactic polystyrene (i-PS) was investigated by electron diffraction (ED). The nanoscale single-molecule single crystals were found to be more resistant to electron irradiation when compared to the larger crystals of many molecules, as indicated by both observation of ED and high-resolution electron microscopy with increasing radiation dose. It is proposed that since the single-molecule single crystals are very small, the secondary electrons escape more frequently from the crystal so that the radiation damage is reduced. Lattice imaging was achieved at room temperature in the case of single-molecule single crystals because of their stability to electron irradiation. Published 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36 : 105–112, 1998     

Crystallization and melting of poly(oxyethylene) analyzed by temperature-modulated calorimetry

Temperature-modulated calorimetry, TMC, is used to evaluate the temperature region of metastability between crystallization and melting. While crystals like indium can be made to melt practically reversibly during a TMC cycle of low amplitude so that sufficient crystal nuclei remain unmelted, linear macromolecules cannot, because of their need to undergo molecular nucleation. Modulation amplitudes varying from ±0.2 to ±3.0 K are used to assess the temperature gap between the slow crystallization region and the melting of metastable crystals of poly(oxyethylene) (PEO) of molar mass 1500 Da. This low molar mass PEO serves as a model compound with a metastable gap of melting/crystallization that can be bridged by TMC with a large modulation amplitude. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 1877–1886, 1997     

Small-angle x-ray scattering of isotactic polystyrene

Isothermal crystallization process of isotactic polystyrene at 167°C has been studied by smallangle x-ray scattering. The observed SAXS intensities consist of the twophase lamellar structure component, the density fluctuation, and the foreign particle components. The profile of lamellar structure component remains unchanged during crystallization while its intensity increases with crystallization. The lamellar structure of isotactic polystyrene is investigated on the basis of the interface distribution function. An interface distribution function is obtained from the lamellar structure component after correcting the effect of the finite thickness of boundary regions between crystalline and amorphous phases. In order to obtain the structure parameters, the Gaussian correlation model is used, in which the correlation between the distributions of neighboring crystal and amorphous thicknesses is taken into account. Agreement is satisfactory between the experimental results and the calculations. The structure parameters of isotactic polystyrene are determined for isothermal crystallization at 167°C as follows: the average and the standard deviation of crystal thickness are 40 A and 10 A, respectively, those of amorphous thickness are 70 A and 23 A, and the standard deviation of long period is 31 A.     

Single-chain single crystals

Single-chain single crystals of isotactic polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide) were studied by using transmission electron microscopy, high resolution electron microscopy, electron diffraction. Single-chain single crystals were prepared by spreading a dilute solution of polymers on a water surface and collecting the resulting single-chain particles on copper grids, followed by isothermal crystallization. A statistical analysis of the sizes of single-chain crystals was found to match with the known molecular weight distribution of original sample, indicating the particles to be composed of single chain. Observation of the morphology and electron diffraction gave evidence of the single crystal nature. Regular-shaped single-chain crystals were obtained after isothermal crystallization for a longer time. By close observation, several types of morphologies were found for single-chain crystals of isotactic polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide); in addition to the conventional morphologies observed for multi-chain crystals, new morphologies were observed in both cases. The morphologies of poly(ethylene oxide) were explained according to the crystal structure and twin modes. Tent-like single-chain crystals were often observed. Because of the small size of the crystals, they can avoid collapse on the substrate. The crystalline c-axis of single-chain crystals were found to orient preferably in the direction normal to the substrate. The investigation of electron diffraction and high resolution electron microscopy revealed that the structure of the single-chain crystals of isotactic polystyrene is the same as for multi-chain crystals. A reasonable explanation is given for the unusual resistance to electron irradiation and the missing of lower-index reflections. Regular periodic stripes were found on the top surface of single-chain crystal of isotactic polystyrene with an average periodic length in accordance with (220) spacing. In addition, a statistical thermodynamics theory was developed for single-chain crystal. It is found that the equilibrium dimensions are related to molecular weight and annealing temperature, while the equilibrium melting temperature depends on molecular weight.     

Crystallization of isotactic polystyrene from solution

Difficulties previously encountered in the growth of chain-folded single crystals of isotactic polystyrene suitable for study by electron microscopy and electron diffraction have been overcome using very poor solvents (including atactic polystyrene of low molecular weight). The hexagonal lamellar crystals produced are relatively stable under electron bombardment and, as a consequence, dark-field moiré patterns produced by double diffraction from overlapping layers are easy to study. These patterns show no evidence of differences in lattice spacing between fold and nonfold planes such as have been reported in single crystals of several other polymers. Such differences were attributed to congestion at fold surfaces and their absence in polystyrene, for which the surface energy of fold surfaces is small, supports this interpretation. A comparison of crystallization kinetics of polystyrene crystals grown from good and from poor solvents reveals differences in growth rates of three or more orders of magnitude at comparable supercoolings. This disparity cannot be accounted for by acceptable adjustments of thermodynamic parameters in current theories of crystallization with chain folding. The role of molecular conformation in solution appears to exert an unexpectedly large influence on crystallization rate.     

Crystallization of isotactic polystyrene from dilute solutions

The overall rate of crystallization of isotactic polystyrene from dilute solutions, 1% by weight, in trans-decalin and benzyl alcohol was studied as a function of temperature using dilatometry. These solvents were chosen because the dissolution temperatures of crystalline isotactic polystyrene are practically the same in both solvents. The overall rate of crystallization as a function of crystallization temperature showed a maximum in both solvents at about 50°C. At lower crystallization temperatures the rate of crystallization is much lower. The overall rate of crystallization of isotactic polystyrene in benzyl alcohol is far larger than in trans-decalin at the same undercooling throughout the temperature range, which is in apparent contradiction to present crystallization theories. At very large undercooling (T_c lower than about 0°C) the solutions of isotactic polystyrene in both solvents quickly become “rigid” gels. Surface replicas of freeze-etched gels indicate that a fringed micelle type of crystallization takes place at these low temperatures. The transition from folded chain crystallization to fringed micelle crystallization may be due to a stiffening of the polymer chain below about 50°C, with a reduced rotational mobility of the phenyl groups on the chain. If very dilute solutions, below 0.5% by weight, are crystallized at these low temperatures no gels were formed but fibrous crystals are produced which could be observed under the polarizing microscope.     

Diffusion-controlled growth of lamellar crystals in an isotactic polystyrene–polyphenylene oxide blend

The growth rates of lamellar crystals grown onto preseeded fibrillar crystals (“shishes”) in isotactic polystyrene and blends of isotactic polystyrene (iPS) with polyphenylene oxide are followed by using transmission electron microscopy. The preseeded fibrillar crystals avoid the problem of timedependent primary nucleation. The time dependence of lamellar growth is investigated. At a concentration of 50% PPO in iPS, the lateral lamellar growth rate of the precipitating isotactic polystyrene crystals conforms to a time law characteristic of diffusion-controlled growth (R ∝ t^1/2). Diffusion coefficients are estimated from the growth kinetics. The method could prove a simple means of measuring diffusion coefficients in polymer blends in which one component is crystallizable.     

Optimized Gaussian basis sets for use with relativistic effective (core) potentials: K,Ca, Ga—Kr

Correlation-consistent valence basis sets were developed for the third-row main block elements (K, Ca, Ga—Kr) for use with relativistic effective core potentials. These basis sets are somewhat larger than double-zeta in size, with polarization functions, and are balanced for use in both Hartree–Fock and correlation calculations. Spin–orbit splittings for atoms and molecules are calculated and compared to experiment. These calculations use the approximate spin–orbit operator from the relativistic effective core potentials. The use of these results in the calculation of accurate thermochemical data is discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Direct formation of form I poly(1‐butene) single crystals from melt crystallization in ultrathin films

The morphologies and crystalline structures of melt‐crystallized ultrathin isotactic poly(1‐butene) films have been studied with transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. It is demonstrated that a bypass of form II crystallization can be achieved with an increase in its crystallization temperature. Electron microscopy observations show that melt‐grown isotactic poly(1‐butene) single crystals have a well‐shaped hexagonal form, whereas form I crystals converted from form II display the morphologies of their tetragonal precursors. Electron diffraction results indicate that, instead of the twinned hexagonal pattern of the converted form I crystal, the directly formed form I single crystals exhibit an untwinned hexagonal pattern. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2641–2645, 2002     

Properties of solution-grown crystals of fractions of isotactic polypropylene with different degrees of stereoregularity

Solution-grown crystals of fractions of isotactic polypropylene (IPP) with different degrees of stereoregularity have been obtained by isothermal crystallization from α-chloronaphthalene, using a self-seeding technique. Electron micrographs of samples, crystallized under the same undercooling, show that, with decreasing fraction of isotactic pentads, the perfect rectangular shape of the single crystal is lost and the presence of more complex morphologies is increasingly observed. The equilibrium dissolution temperature T_d of IPP fractions, from polymers prepared with a titanium based catalyst, decreases linearly with decreasing percentage of isotactic pentads. An extrapolated value of 171°C is obtained for the equilibrium dissolution temperature of a crystal of IPP with 100% isotactic pentads, i.e., an IPP crystal free of configurational defects. The melting temperature T′_m and the apparent enthalpy of fusion ΔH of crystallized and annealed crystal aggregates have been determined by differential calorimetry. The equilibrium melting temperature T_m also depends greatly upon the isotactic pentad concentration. For 100% concentration the extrapolated value of T_m is 181°C. T_m decreases about 1°C per 1% decrease in the isotactic pentad population. The observed equilibrium melting and dissolution temperature depression does not follow the predictions of the Flory equation for copolymer crystallization. In fact, the effect of decreasing probability of isotactic sequence propagation is to depress T_d and T_m much more rapidly. The apparent enthalpy of fusion of both solution-grown crystals and melt-recrystallized samples decreases with an increase in the number of configurational impurities along the chain. For the most stereoregular fraction the average length of isotactic stereoblocks has been compared with the lamellar thickness of solution-grown lath-shaped single crystals.     

Solution grown isotactic polystyrene crystals. I. Degree and distribution of crystallinity; thermal stability

The subject of this paper is the degree of crystallinity and annealing behavior of solution grown single crystals of isotactic polystyrene (IPS) in relation to the fold length, an enquiry which acquires special significance in view of the fact that previously the fold length had been found to be identical over a wide range of crystallization temperatures (T_c). It was found that both crystallinity and thermal stability increase with T_c even over the range of constant fold length thus invalidating the usual assumption that the fold length and crystal properties are uniquely correlated. Further, the crystallinity figures as measured by conventional calorimetry are very low (<50% throughout) which by conventional ideas would require an unrealistically thick amorphous surface layer. However, the “linear crystallinity” (crystal core thickness as determined from x-ray linewidths) is much larger, commensurate with crystallinities in single crystals from other materials. It is suggested that this is the more relevant figure for the subdivision of the lamellas into crystal core and surface layer. The additional amorphous content being otherwise accommodated. Further, this “linear crystallinity” is broadly unaffected by fold length changes induced by heat annealing. The thermal stability (including annealing ability) of the crystals differs markedly whether T_c is above or below ～60°C, a T_c value which is in the range where the fold length is constant, but corresponds to a maximum in the crystallization rate. Possible connections between crystallization conditions and the stability of the resulting crystals (fold length considerations apart) are pointed out.     

Stereospecific polymerization of some methyl aryloxymethacrylates

By exposure to ultraviolet and gamma radiation and by the usual methods of thermal polymerization, the stereospecific polymerization of methyl aryloxymethacrylates was carried out at different temperatures in several solvents. Triad tacticity values of the polymers obtained by free-radical and ionic routes were computed from nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data. Results of this investigation support our earlier observation

1 See: K. Saunders, T. Balakrishnan, R. W. Lenz, and K. Hatada, Macromolecules, 12 , 392 (1979).

that, under the conditions used, heterotactic content is the maximum in most of these polymers, thereby justifying the high steric effect of the bulky and polar aryloxy side chain which offers equal isotactic and syndiotactic placements.     

Structure formation during isothermal crystallization of oriented isotactic polystyrene

Isothermal crystallization from the glassy state of oriented isotactic polystyrene (iPS) was studied using in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and in situ wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) studies. The oriented amorphous films of iPS were prepared by rolling the amorphous iPS film to a draw ratio of 3 or 4. In situ FTIR was used to investigate the ordering process of polymer chains prior to crystallization by measuring the change in the dichroic ratio with time, while in situ WAXD studies were used to investigate the development of the crystalline structure. The studies showed that the orientation process and the conformation change preceded crystallization. This observation suggests that polystyrene chains undergo an ordering process during the induction period of crystallization. The degree of orientation markedly increases with time in the induction period, suggesting that heat treatment of oriented amorphous materials under constraint provides a useful method for processing highly oriented materials. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2912–2921, 2000     

Yield of 16OS18O from the 18OH initiated oxidation of CS2 in 16O2

The yield of ¹⁶OS¹⁸O from the ¹⁸OH initiated oxidation of CS₂ in ¹⁶O₂ was measured by using a discharge flow reactor coupled to a chemical ionization mass spectrometer. ¹⁶OS¹⁸O is the dominant SO₂ isotopomer produced with a yield of 0.90 ± 0.20 relative to ¹⁸OH loss. The errors are estimates for the uncertainty at the 95% confidence level. The implications of these results to the understanding of the CS₂ oxidation mechanism are discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Formation and morphology of “shish-like” fibril crystals of aliphatic polyesters from the sheared melt

We found the formation of “shish-like” fibril crystals of aliphatic polyesters such as poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(12-hydroxydodecanoic acid) (PHDA) and poly(16-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid) (PHHA) from the sheared melt with shear rate  = 5 s⁻¹ observed by polarizing optical microscope (POM). The melting temperature T_ms of obtained fibril crystals of PLLA and PCL were higher than those of spherulites and were close to the equilibrium melting temperature . The small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns from the bulk sample including fibril crystals, small amount of unoriented small crystals and amorphous showed no peaks arose from the existence of long periods in fibril crystals. These are the evidence that the observed fibril crystals consist of assemblies of a lot of extended chain crystals (ECCs). We observed the morphology of moderately extracted single strand of fibril crystals at the magnification of POM by means of scanning electron microscope. We found that macroscopic fibril crystals of PLLA with diameter d = 10 μm consist of the bundle structure of microscopic fibril crystals with d = 2 μm. From POM observation of the formation of fibril crystals of PLLA and PCL, we showed phase diagrams of molecular weight M and crystallization temperature T_c for the formation of fibril crystals. From these phase diagrams, we evaluated a critical M and T_c for the formation of fibril crystals. Moreover, from the sequential melting and crystallization experiments, it was implied that the entanglement and transesterification play an important role on the formation of fibril crystals of aliphatic polyesters.     

Formation of a highly ordered poly (N,N'-bis-phenoxyphenylpyromellitimide) powder using a high pressure curing technique

A high-pressure curing technique was developed to help determine the effects of solvent presence during the thermal curing of the polyimide poly (N,N'-bis-phenoxyphenylpyro-mellitimide) (PMDA-ODA). A powder form of this aromatic polyimide was produced from a polyamic acid solution using the high-pressure thermal curing technique. Preliminary characterization of the powder indicates a high degree of crystallinity with a measured density of 1.46 ± 0.01 g/cm³ and a distinct melting point of 594°C. The addition of chemical curing agents to the polyamic acid solution prior to thermal treatment reduced the amount of crystallinity observed in the cured material. Molecular weight measurements of the polyamic acid precursor and powder suggest that the high degree of order observed in the powder is a result of degradation during cure. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America

     

The analysis of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO® resin) in mixtures of PPO resin,polystyrene, and copolymers of PPO resin and polystyrene

A method of determining the quantity of ungrafted poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO®

1 Trademark of General Electric Company.

resin) in mixtures of such polyphenylene oxide or PPO resin, polystyrene (PS), and graft copolymers of PPO resin and PS is described. The technique is a combination of physical and chemical separations and gel permeation chromatographic (GPC) analysis. The extent of grafting on PPO resin and the quantity of ungrafted PPO resin were calculated from molecular weight data and compositional analysis.     

Crystallization,thermal behavior,and compatibility in isotactic polystyrene/poly(o-chlorostyrene-co-p-chlorostyrene) blends

The dependence of the kinetics of crystallization and melting behavior in isotactic polystyrene/poly-o-chlorostyrene-co-p-chlorostyrene (iPS/Po-CIS-co-p-CIS) blends on temperature, thermal history, and blend composition has been investigated. The crystallization rate at a given temperature and copolymer composition decreases with increasing copolymer content in the blend when the samples are premelted. These effects can be ascribed to the reduction of mobility of the crystallizable chains due to the presence of the copolymer and to the decrease in the number of heterogenous iPS nuclei as a result of the premelting process. The Avrami exponent values and the analysis of the blend morphology indicate that the growth mechanism of the crystals is strongly influenced by thermal treatment. There is no measurable change in the melting temperature of iPS in the blends, with composition indicating that, on the basis of the Flory-Huggins approximation of the thermodynamics of polymer mixing, the net interaction parameter at the melting temperature is close to zero. From the comparison of the phase diagram for the isotactic polystyrene-containing blend with that of the atactic-containing blend, it can be concluded that in the amorphous state polystyrene with a regular configuration is slightly less compatible with the P(o-CIS-co-p-CIS) than is polystyrene with random configuration.     

Interfacial tension measurement with the neumann triangle method

The interfacial tensions between polystyrene (PS) and poly(butylene terephthalate)

1 System. name: poly(tetramethylene terephthalate).

(PBT), PS/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and PBT/PMMA pairs have been obtained by employing the Neumann Triangle method (NT). The results are in good agreement with those obtained by the breaking thread method. For the first time, the NT method was applied to a reactive polymer pair with an in-situ compatibilizer to measure the interfacial tension. We found that the interfacial tension of the PS/PBT system with a small amount of poly(styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate)

2 System. name of glycidyl: 2,3-epoxypropyl.

(PS-GMA) is significantly reduced compared to that without PS-GMA.