Strain‐induced crystallization and mechanical properties of functionalized graphene sheet‐filled natural rubber

The effects of functionalized graphene sheets (FGSs) on the mechanical properties and strain‐induced crystallization of natural rubber (NR) are investigated. FGSs are predominantly single sheets of graphene with a lateral size of several hundreds of nanometers and a thickness of 1.5 nm. The effect of FGS and that of carbon black (CB) on the strain‐induced crystallization of NR is compared by coupled tensile tests and X‐ray diffraction experiments. Synchrotron X‐ray scattering enables simultaneous measurements of stress and crystallization of NR in real time during sample stretching. The onset of crystallization occurs at significantly lower strains for FGS‐filled NR samples compared with CB‐filled NR, even at low loadings. Neat‐NR exhibits strain‐induced crystallization around a strain of 2.25, while incorporation of 1 and 4 wt % FGS shifts the crystallization to strains of 1.25 and 0.75, respectively. In contrast, loadings of 16 wt % CB do not significantly shift the critical strain for crystallization. Two‐dimensional (2D) wide angle X‐ray scattering patterns show minor polymer chain alignment during stretching, in accord with previous results for NR. Small angle X‐ray scattering shows that FGS is aligned in the stretching direction, whereas CB does not show alignment or anisotropy. The mechanical properties of filled NR samples are investigated using cyclic tensile and dynamic mechanical measurements above and below the glass transition of NR. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Use of thermal analysis techniques for examining blow-molded pet bottle specimens

Eight samples from different areas of stretch-blow-molded poly(ethylene terephthalate) [PET] bottles, including a PET resin control, were tested by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA). The glass transition temperature (T _g) was found to linearly decrease about 6C from zero to 45 percent initial crystallinity. Measurements ofT _c (crystallization temperature, DSC) and film tension modulus (TMA) were related to crystallization rate during stretch-blow-molding. The TMA linear coefficients of thermal expansion and shrinkage were shown to be important for blow-molding temperature control.     

Deformation temperature and lamellar thickness dependency of Form I to Form III phase transition in syndiotactic polypropylene during tensile stretching

Phase transition from form Ⅰ to form Ⅲ in syndiotactic polypropylene crystallized at different conditions during tensile deformation at different temperatures was investigated by using in situ synchrotron wide angle X-ray diffraction technique. In all cases, the occurrence of this phase transition was observed. The onset strain of this transition was found to be crystalline thickness decided by crystallization temperature and drawing temperature dependent. The effect of drawing temperature on this phase transition is understood by the changes in mechanical properties with temperature. Moreover, crystalline thickness dependency of the phase transition reveals that this form Ⅰ to from Ⅲ phase transition occurs first in those lamellae with their normal along the stretching direction which have not experienced stress induced melting and recrystallization.     

Influence of fluorine on thermal properties of lead oxyfluoride glass

Oxyfluoride glasses are the basic materials for obtaining transparent glass–ceramic (TGC) which can be used in a wide range of optoelectronics devices such as: amplifiers, up-conversion, telescopes, laser sources. Oxyfluoride TGC is obtained by the control heat treatment of the parent glass due to low phonon nanocrystalline phases. The oxyfluoride glasses from the sodium–lead–silica system were the object of investigation. The influence of fluoride content on the thermal properties of glasses was analyzed. Thermal characteristics of glasses like the transition temperature T _g, the temperature for the crystallization onset T _x, and the maximum crystallization temperature T _c, thermal stability parameter were determined by DTA/DSC method. The linear expansion coefficients of oxyfluoride glasses as a function of temperature were measured using a thermo-mechanical analyzer (TMA 7 Perkin-Elmer). The effect of crystallization on the thermal expansion coefficient and softening temperature T _s was found.     

Preoriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) yarns: Influence of the gauche-trans transformation on crystallization

Effects of macromolecular orientation on the crystallization of preoriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) filaments were studied. Infrared spectrophotometry and differential scanning calorimetry analyses showed that macromolecular segments in the trans conformation begin to crystallize below the glass transition temperature. Since filaments prepared by stretching at room temperature have different degrees of orientation, it is possible to evidence correlations between crystallization from an anisotropic matrix and the resulting morphology.     

EFFECT OF HOT STRETCHING ON THE STRUCTURE OF POLYIMIDE FROM 1,4--BIS (3'''', 4''''--DICARBOXYPHENOXY) BENZENE AND 4,4''''-OXYDIANILINE

The structure of polyimide from 1,4-bis (3', 4'-dicarboxyphenoxy) benzene and 4,4'-oxydianiline film specimens before and after hot stretching has been investigated by WAXD, DSC and FTIR. As evidenced by both the WAXD and DSC results, it could be believed that strain induced crystallization did take place after hot stretching. Meanwhile, shifting position and splitting of some band peaks existed on the FTIR spectrograms were explained in terms of the close packing of chains and the changes of inter-molecular charge-transfer interaction between imide groups and aromatic groups upon crystallization.     

Shape memory effect and recovery stress property of carbon nanotube/waterborne epoxy nanocomposites investigated via TMA

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have received great attention and scientific interest in widespread technological development during last few decades. Besides the development of novel SMPs, various techniques have been practiced for characterization of shape memory effect (SME) of SMPs. In this study, the shape memory effect and recovery stress property of the carbon nanotube (CNT)/waterborne epoxy (WEP) nanocomposites below and above the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the nanocomposites and under isostrain and isostress were systematically investigated via thermal mechanical analysis (TMA), respectively. The experimental results showed that the nanocomposites exhibit excellent shape memory effect. The shape memory fixity and recovery ratios were approximately 100% even below glass transition temperature (T_g). A remarkable point is that the strain of the nanocomposites suddenly increased with the temperature decreasing in a certain period of the heating-cooling cycles under isostress condition and the strain increment increased with temperature in general. Especially at low temperature, the recovery stress was very sensitive to temperature under isostrain condition of ±0.25 °C temperature with differential of 25.5 °C developed pressure difference of 0.20 MPa. Moreover, TMA is a practical method for quantifying the SME and recovery stress properties of SMPs and their composites.     

聚左旋乳酸/聚氧化乙烯共混物的拉伸行为及结构转变

采用熔融共混方法制备了聚左旋乳酸(PLLA)和超高分子量聚氧化乙烯(PEO)共混物, 通过差示扫描量热(DSC)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和二维广角X射线散射(2D-WAXS)等方法系统研究了PEO的加入对不同温度下PLLA拉伸行为及拉伸过程中微观结构变化的影响. 结果表明, PLLA/PEO共混物为非均相体系, PEO粒子均匀分布在PLLA中形成两相结构. PEO的加入能够显著降低PLLA的玻璃化转变温度(T_g), 在25～60 ℃范围内显著提高PLLA的拉伸性能. 在60 ℃拉伸时, PEO的加入提高了PLLA在拉伸过程中的结晶和形变能力. 在80 ℃拉伸时, 共混物的拉伸断裂伸长率下降, 但共混物的结晶速度仍高于纯PLLA样品.     

Synthesis,thermal characterization,and tensile properties of alipharomatic polyesters derived from 1,3‐propanediol and terephthalic,isophthalic, and 2,6‐naphthalenedicarboxylic acid

In this work, three alipharomatic polyesters—poly(propylene terephthalate) (PPT), poly(propylene isophthalate) (PPI), and poly(propylene naphthalate) (PPN)—were prepared and studied with the aliphatic diol 1,3‐propanediol and the corresponding aromatic diacids. Their synthesis was performed by the two‐stage melt polycondensation method in a glass batch reactor. The thermal characterization of these polyesters was carried out with different thermal techniques such as simultaneous thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, thermomechanical analysis (TMA), and dynamic thermomechanical analysis. From the recorded values for the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) and melting temperature with all the aforementioned techniques, it could be said that they were in good agreement. According to the thermogravimetric results, PPT and PPI showed about the same thermal stability, whereas PPN seemed to be somewhere more thermostable. Remarkably, a transition existed immediately after T_g that was realized by the first derivative of TMA, and it was characterized as a midrange transition. For all polyesters, the average coefficient of linear thermal expansion was calculated with TMA. The secondary relaxations T_β and T_γ, recorded with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, were mainly affected by the kinds of monomers. Concerning the mechanical properties, PPN had the highest tensile strength at break, whereas PPT had the highest elongation at break. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3998–4011, 2005     

Thermal Methods Applied to the Glass Transition of Mixed Network AlPO4–BPO4–SiO2 Glasses

Glass transition effect of mixed network AlPO₄–BPO₄–SiO₂ glasses was studied. DTA/DSC and TMA measurements has been applied in the research. It has been found that glass transition effect has structurally sensitive properties. Glass transition temperature T _g, changes of specific heat (Δc _p)and thermal expansion coefficient (α) accompanying the process depend on the nature and the number of components forming the glassy framework. Character of chemical bonds combining them into the glass structure has an influence on the glass transition effect. Its course is dependent on the flexibility of the structure of glasses. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Structure and blood compatibility of highly oriented poly(lactic acid)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends produced by solid hot stretching

Highly oriented poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blends were fabricated through solid hot stretching technology in an effort to improve the mechanical properties and blood biocompatibility of PLA as blood‐contacting medical devices. It was found that the tensile strength and modulus of the blends can be improved dramatically by stretching. With the increase of draw ratio, the cold crystallization peak became smaller, and the glass transition and the melting peak moved to high temperature, while the crystallinity increased, and the grain size of PLA decreased, indicating of the stress‐induced crystallization during drawing. The oriented blends exhibited structures with longitudinal striations which indicate the presence of micro‐fibers. TPU phase was finely and homogeneously dispersed in the PLA, and after drawing, TPU domains were elongated to ellipsoid. The introduction of TPU and orientation could enhance the blood compatibility of PLA by prolonging kinetic clotting time, and decreasing hemolysis ratio and platelet activation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Birefringence and glass transition temperatures of poly(diethylene glycol terephthalate) networks

A series of polymer networks were prepared by trifunctionally endlinking poly(diethylene glycol terephthalate). The elastomeric properties of these materials were studied at constant temperature using experiments that involve both the elastic force and birefringence. Whereas the stress-strain isotherms show an anomalous increase in the modulus at very high elongation ratios, a downturn appears in the birefringence-strain isotherms at the same extensibilities. These results suggest that the upturn that appears in the force should be attributed to maximum chain extensibility rather than to strain-induced crystallization. A variety of additional thermoelastic experiments were carried out on these networks, to elucidate the dependence of the glass transition temperature on strain. It was found that for the elongation ratios at which the networks exhibit Gaussian behavior, the free-volume effects on the glass transition temperature T_g (decreasing T_g with increasing free volume) offset the conformational effects (increasing T_g with decreasing entropy). However, the contrary occurs in the region where the stress increases anomalously with increasing strain.     

Mechanical properties of anion exchange membranes by combination of tensile stress–strain tests and dynamic mechanical analysis

The thermomechanical properties of anion exchange polymers based on polysulfone (PSU) quaternized with trimethylamine (TMA) or 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) and containing hydroxide or chloride anions by tensile stress–strain tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) have been determined. The reported mechanical properties included the Young's modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at break from tensile tests and the storage and loss modulus and glass transition temperature from DMA. The anion exchange membranes behaved as stiff polymers with Young's modulus in the order of 1 GPa, relatively with high strength (about 30 MPa) and low elongation at break (around 10%) was observed. Tensile tests were also made with membranes exchanged with hydrogen‐carbonate and carbonate anions to control the absence of important carbonation of the OH form. The glass transition temperatures were of the order of 150 °C (PSU‐TMA) or 200 °C (PSU‐DABCO) for the hydroxide form, confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry; they increase further by about 50 K, when hydroxide ions are replaced by chloride. This result and the increase of the storage modulus could be interpreted by the higher hydration of hydroxide ions and the plasticizing effect of water, which reduced the Van der Waals interactions between the macromolecular chains. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1180–1187     

Study of crystallinity and thermomechanical analysis of annealed poly(ethylene terephthalate) films

The objective of this article was the determination of the degree of crystallinity of a series of heat-set poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films and their study by thermomechanical analysis (TMA) in order to elucidate a peculiar behaviour that takes place around the glass transition region. For this purpose, amorphous cast Mylar films from DuPont were annealed at 115 °C for various periods of time. Four methods were used to study the crystallinity of the samples prepared: differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), density measurements (DM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). From the results obtained, the following conclusions are drawn: amorphous PET Mylar films can be crystallized in a degree of about up to 30% after thermal treatment for 30 min (cold crystallization) above glass transition temperature. When these semicrystalline samples are subjected to TMA, they show a two step penetration of the probe into them, which decreases with the increase of the degree of crystallinity. The first step of penetration was attributed to the shrinkage of the amorphous or semicrystalline sample, which takes place on the glass transition temperature, while the second step was attributed to the continuous softening of the sample, and the reorganization of the matter which takes place on heating run due to cold crystallization.     

Effect of strain‐induced molecular ordering on mechanical performance and barrier properties of polylactide nanocomposites

Plastic deformation of polylactide has been known as a self‐reinforcement alternative to improve mechanical and barrier properties. In this study, the structural evolution was investigated during a hot‐drawing process, at different initial strain rates and temperatures above T_g of polylactide. The drawing process at T_g +10 °C, led to the formation of an intermediate molecular ordering, between the crystalline and amorphous phases. A lower fraction of this mesomorphic phase was found to develop with the addition of nanoparticles. An increase in the stretching temperature to T_g +30 °C, caused an improvement of the crystallization kinetics, compared to that of thermally activated crystallization. A strain hardening behavior was observed in the presence of mesophase during a stretching process of the hot‐drawn films at room temperature. Permeability was discerned to its basic components, diffusivity, and solubility coefficients. The matrix degradation influenced the permeability components. The diffusivity decreases in the presence of the impermeable matters. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1865–1876     

Rigid amorphous fraction in poly(ethylene terephthalate) determined by dilatometry

Volumetric thermal analysis of semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, with different content of crystalline phase was carried out using mercury-in-glass dilatometry. The effect of crystals on the thermal properties of amorphous phase (glass transition temperature, T _g, thermal expansion coefficients, α) were determined. At cold-crystallization (106°C, up to 4 h), crystalline content of 2.4–25.3 vol.% was achieved. Increasing content of crystalline phase broadens the glass transition region and increases T _g. The change of thermal expansion coefficient during glass transition is lower than that predicted by the two-phase model, which indicates the presence of a third fraction — rigid amorphous fraction (RAF), whose content steadily increases during crystallization. However, its relative portion (specific RAF) is significantly reduced. Further significant decrease in specific RAF appears after annealing at a higher temperature.     

Thermal properties of post-consumer PET processed in presence of phosphites

Thermal properties of recycled triphenylphosphite (TPP) chain extended poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was investigated. As the TPP concentration increases, both reaction residues and molecular mass increase affecting significantly the thermal properties and crystallization behavior of the material. The presence of TPP residues did not affect the crystalline melt temperature (T _m), but modified the glass transition temperature (T _g), the crystallization temperature on heating (T _hc) and the crystallization temperature on cooling (T _cc). In the samples submitted to extraction with acetone, the properties were influenced by molecular mass changes, probably due to the presence of some insoluble reaction residue. The thermal stability of the sample purified by extraction after chain extension was comparable to that of the non-extended sample when heating was carried out under nitrogen atmosphere.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microstructural evolution and mechanical investigation of hot stretched graphene oxide reinforced polyacrylonitrile nanofiber yarns

To reveal the enhancement effect of graphene oxide (GO) in polymer nanofiber yarns, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/GO nanofibers with different GO content (0.1‐0.5 wt%) were electrospun. The alignment of PAN chains and GO in nanofibers was enhanced by hot stretching of the yarn in dry conditions. The microstructure of the composite nanofiber yarns was investigated through X‐ray diffraction, polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that the hot stretching above T_g of PAN precursor lead to the increased orientation‐induced crystallization and alignment of PAN chain and GO. The yarn with 0.1 wt% GO and stretched by 4 times its length obtained the highest strength and modules (310.88 ± 24.68 MPa and 7.24 ± 0.55 GPa), which were 600% and 500% higher than those of the as‐electrospun pure PAN yarn. The most promising tensile properties found in hot stretched yarns with low GO content was because the strong interaction occurred between PAN molecules and oxygen‐containing functional groups. Indirect evidence of GO aggregation was also presented, which adversely affected the mechanical properties at higher GO content. Composite nanofiber yarns were sewable and weavable, and could be used as a new generation of composite reinforcement after pyrolysis.     

The use of synchrotron radiation for study of structural changes in polymers during phase transition and deformation

An experimental method using monochromatized synchrotron radiation for a wide-angle x-ray scattering study of polymers during phase transition and deformation is described. Results obtained on low-density and high-density polyethylenes and on polypropylene are given. Melting processes could be studied conveniently by making exposures during a temperature scan; a few seconds were found sufficient to obtain a diffraction spectrum. This way relatively fast crystallization processes and the structural change accompanying stress relaxation could be followed easily. The crystalline-amorphous ratio was found to decrease continuously much below the melting temperature measured dilatometrically and by DSC, implying that in the α_c-relaxation transition region of polyethylene and polypropylene a structural change takes place. At the initial state of crystallization the 040 reflection in polypropylene was found to be stronger than the 110 one, while after crystallization has been completed this ratio was inverted. Equatorial spectra made after rapid uniaxial stretching of polypropylene sheet were found to exhibit a slight time dependence demonstrating that orientation went on after stretching had been stopped.     

Kinetics of the pyrolysis and combustion of göynük oil shale

Thermal behaviour of the glass series (100–y)[0.5ZnO·0.1B₂O₃·0.4P₂O₅]·yTiO₂ (with y=0–39 mol% TiO₂) was investigated by DSC and TMA. The addition of TiO₂ results in a non-linear increase of glass transition temperature. The compositional dependences of thermal stability, evaluated by two criteria exhibit two maxima for the glasses doped with 10.7 and 35.9 mol% TiO₂. All the glasses crystallize on heating in the temperature range of 576–670°C. The crystallization mechanism was studied at the glasses with 19.4 and 35.9 mol% TiO₂ and the results showed that surface nucleation mechanism prevails in these glasses over the internal one.