Isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/barite nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/Barite nanocomposites were prepared by direct melt compounding. The effects of PET‐Barite interfacial interaction on the dynamic mechanical properties and crystallization were investigated by DMA and DSC. The results showed that Barite can act as a nucleating agent and the nucleation activity can be increased when the Barite was surface‐modified (SABarite). SABarite nanoparticles induced preferential lamellae orientation because of the strong interfacial interaction between PET chains and SABarite nanoparticles, which was not the case in Barite filled PET as determined by WAXD. For PET/Barite nanocomposites, the Avrami exponent n increased with increasing crystallization temperature. Although at the same crystallization temperature, the n value will decrease with increasing SABarite content, indicating of the enhancement of the nucleation activity. Avrami analyses suggest that the nucleation mechanism is different. The activation energy determined from Arrhenius equation reduced dramatically for PET/SABarite nanocomposite, confirming the strong interfacial interaction between PET chains and SABarite nanoparticles can reduce the crystallization free energy barrier for nucleus formation. In the DSC scan after isothermal crystallization process, double melting behavior was found. And the double endotherms could be attributed to the melting of recrystallized less perfect crystallites or the secondary lamellae produced during different crystallization processes. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 655–668, 2009     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behaviour of PET/ATO nanocomposites prepared by in situ polymerization

Neat poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and PET/antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization. The study of the isothermal crystallization behaviors of neat PET and PET/ATO nanocomposites was carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The crystallization kinetics under isothermal conditions could be described by the Avrami equation. For neat PET and PET/ATO nanocomposites, the Avrami exponent n both decreased with increasing crystallization temperature. In addition, for the same crystallization temperature, the value of n increased with increasing ATO content. These suggested that the crystallization types related to the values of n in the Avrami theory could not be suitable for the crystallization of PET and its nanocomposites. The change of the n values indicated that the addition of ATO resulted in the increase of the crystallizing growth points. That is a heterogeneous nucleating effect of ATO on crystallization of PET. In the DSC scan after isothermal crystallization process, multiple melting behavior was found. And the multiple endotherms could be attributed to melting of the recrystallized materials or the secondary lamellae produced during different crystallization processes. The equilibrium melting temperature of PET in the nanocomposites increased with increasing the ATO content. Surface free energy of PET chain folding for crystallization of PET/ATO nanocomposites was lower than that of neat PET, confirming the heterogeneous nucleation effect of ATO.     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of PP in PP/Mg(OH)2 composites

The crystallization and melting behavior of PP/Mg(OH)₂ composites was investigated, and the crystallization kinetic parameters and thermal characteristics were investigated according to the Avrami method. Optical polarizing microscope (POM) analysis suggested that the presence of Mg(OH)₂ particles gave rise to an increase in the number of nuclei and a decrease in PP spherulitic size. The Avrami exponent n of the PP and composites increased with increasing crystallization temperature, and markedly deceased with the addition of low Mg(OH)₂ content. A significant increase in crystallization kinetic constant, and a decrease in crystallization half time of PP were observed in the presence of Mg(OH)₂ particles, indicating a heterogeneous nucleating effect of Mg(OH)₂ upon crystallization of PP. The melting temperature and equilibrium melting temperature of PP in the composites decreased with increasing the Mg(OH)₂ content, which is directly related to the size of the PP crystals. The difference of PP melting enthalpies in the PP and composites demonstrated that the presence of Mg(OH)₂ can effectively enhance the crystalline of PP. The crystallization thermodynamics of PP and composites were studied according to the Hoffman theory. Surface free energy of PP chain folding for crystallization of PP/Mg(OH)₂ composites was lower than that of PP, confirming the heterogeneous nucleation effect of Mg(OH)₂. However, the evaluation of the nucleation activation energy of PP suggested the presence of a large amount of Mg(OH)₂ particles in the PP matrix reduced the mobility of PP segments and restricted the development of PP nucleation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1914–1923, 2005     

Crystallization,melting behavior,and morphology of PP/Novolac blends

The crystallization, melting behavior, and morphology of Polypropylene (PP) and PP/Novolac blends were studied by scanning electron microscopy, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized optical microscope. The results showed that the crystallization of PP in PP/Novolac blends was strongly influenced by crystallization temperature, particles size of Novolac, crosslinking, and compatibilizer maleic anhydride‐grafted PP. The Novolac resin could not only affect the crystal structure, but also acted as effective nucleating agents, accelerating the crystallization of PP in the PP/Novolac blends. And the smaller the Novolac particles were, the more effective were the nucleating agent for PP crystallization. Avrami equation was used to analyze the isothermal crystallization kinetics of PP and PP/Novolac blends. The influences of curing and compatibilizer on the crystallization behavior of PP were rather complicated. The crystallization thermodynamics were estimated using the Hoffman theory. The incorporation of cured Novolac and compatibilizer evidently decreased the chain folding energy of PP. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3288–3303, 2006     

尼龙6,6(PA_(6,6)及其共混物结晶性能的研究

<正> 尼龙6,6(PA_(6,6))是一种典型的结晶性工程塑料,被广泛应用于纺织、机械制造等行业,但其加工温度范围较窄,耐热性差。聚醚砜(PES)具有较高的玻璃化转变温度,是非晶聚合物,可以诱发某些结晶聚合物结晶。PES与PA_(6,6)共混体系的研究报道较少,本文用熔融法将PES与PA_(6,6)制成共混物,企图改善PA_(6,6)的结晶性,以提高其耐热性,取得了较理想的结果。     

EFFECT OF N,N,N’,N’-TETRAALKYL TEREPHTHALAMIDE ON NON-ISOTHERMAL CRYSTALLIZATION KINETICS OF POLYPROPYLENE

The effect of N,N,N＇,N＇-tetraalkyl terephthalamide （TATA） on the non-isothermal crystallization and melting characteristics ofpolypropylene （PP） was studied. The addition of TATA can lead to the formation ofβ-crystal PP. With the increase in TATA concentration the degree of crystallinity for β-crystal PP increased significantly, and that for a-crystal PP decreased, which indicated that TATA effectively induced the formation of β-crystal PP. WAXD also revealed the existence of β-crystal PP after the introduction of TATA into PP. PP containing TATA crystallized at a temperature range of 5-10℃ higher than that of pure PP, and the half-crystallization time （t1/2） and Avrami exponent （n） of PP at the same cooling rate were decreased by the addition of TATA, indicating that TATA influenced the crystallization rate and crystallization growth mode of PP. The rate constant of crystallization of PP containing TATA （Zc） was larger than that of pure PP, which further indicated that the crystallization of PP was accelerated by the addition of TATA.     

Cold crystallization and postmelting crystallization of PLA plasticized by compressed carbon dioxide

The cold crystallization at temperature T_cc (melting > T_cc > glass transition) and the postmelting crystallization of polylactic acid plasticized by compressed carbon dioxide (CO₂) were studied using a high-pressure differential scanning calorimeter. The kinetics of the two kinds of crystallization were evaluated by the Avrami equation as a function of pressure at certain temperatures. The effects of using talc as a nucleation agent on the two types of crystallization under pressure were also investigated. The results show that compressed CO₂ increased the mobility of the polymer chains in solid state, resulting in an increased rate of cold crystallization. The decreased rate of postmelting crystallization was mainly in the nucleation-controlled region, which indicates that the number of nuclei was decreased by the compressed CO₂. The growth rate of the two crystallization types followed the Avrami equation, but the kinetics of each depended upon temperature and pressure. The inclusion of talc accelerated postmelting crystallization but had little effect on cold crystallization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2630–2636, 2008     

The effects of natural zeolite and silane coupling agents on melting and crystallization behaviour of polypropylene

The thermal characterization of polypropylene (PP) composites containing untreated and treated zeolite with different silane coupling agents was carried out using thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to investigate the effects of natural zeolite and surface modifiers on melting, crystallization and degradation behaviour of PP. 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (AMPTES), methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) were used as surface modifiers at four different concentrations (0.5–2.0 mass%). Thermal analyses indicated that silane treatment and 2–6 mass% zeolite addition have no significant effect on the melting and degradation temperatures of the composites. The crystallization temperatures of the composites were increased due to the nucleating effect of the zeolite. The influence of the modifiers on the interactions between PP and zeolite was determined by the activities of untreated and treated zeolite. The maximum interactions leading to good adhesion were observed in the AMPTES treated composites. Also, non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of the composites was analyzed using Avrami and Kissinger models.     

聚酰胺6／聚醚砜共混体系的结晶与熔融行为

聚醚砜（ＰＥＳ）是一种非晶特种工程塑料，具有强度好，使用温度高等特点，但熔体粘度高，加工上有一定困难．聚酰胺６（ＰＡ６）是部分结晶的工程塑料，有很好的强度和耐磨性能．加入适量的ＰＡ６，可显著地降低ＰＥＳ的熔体粘度，且可基本保持ＰＥＳ的原有性能［１］．...     

聚丙烯/纳米蒙脱土复合材料的结晶动力学研究

采用热分析方法，研究了聚丙烯／纳米蒙脱土复合材料（PP／CLAY）的等温结晶行为，并分别用Avrami方程和赵志英方法对所得数据进行了分析，研究结果表明，纳米蒙脱土微粒对聚丙烯等温和非等温结晶行为均有不同程度的影响，可提高聚丙烯的结晶速率并改善结晶结构。     

Studies on Kinetics of Crystallization of PA6／UFAPR Composites

The influence of Ultrafine Full-Vulcanized Acrylate Powdered Rubber(UFAPR) on the isothermal crys-tallization kinetics and nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PA8 has been studied by means of DSC. The results show that with the introduction of a small amount of UFAPR, the crystallization rate of PA8 can be increased obviously, and the crystallization temperature range can be augmented and the crystallite size distri-bution of the crystal can be narrowed down. The change of free energy perpendicular to the crystal nucleus, which has been calculated according to the Hoffman theory, is consistent with the result of Avrami′s equa-tion. The unit surface free energy of the radial-developing crystal spherulite decreases while the crystalliza-tion rate of PA8 increases with the introduction of UFAPR. Meanwhile, it is shown by means of the polariz-ing microscope(PLM) that the crystal size drops down and the number of the crystal grains augments with the addition of UFAPR, which shows that UFAPR can function as a nucleating agent.     

镧配合物对等规聚丙烯等温结晶性能的影响

利用Avrami方程和Lauritzen-Hoffman结晶动力学理论研究了一种镧配合物LaC对等规聚丙烯(iPP) 等温结晶行为的影响. 差示扫描量热法(DSC)和X射线衍射技术(XRD)研究表明, LaC的加入并未改变iPP的结晶形态, 但LaC的存在能提高体系的结晶度并显著加速iPP的结晶过程. 在130 ℃进行等温结晶时, 含0.5%LaC(质量分数)的iPP与纯iPP相比, Avrami指数n值无显著差异, 但前者总的结晶速率常数k值比后者提高约4倍,而半结晶时间t1/2值减少到后者的62%, Avrami方程分析结果表明LaC的存在主要起到增加晶核的作用. 利用Lauritzen-Hoffman结晶动力学理论, 通过对iPP在121 ℃、124 ℃、127 ℃和130 ℃下等温结晶的数据进行分析可知, 加入0.5%的LaC后, 体系的成核常数kg从纯PP的3.3×105 K2增加到PP/LaC的3.8×105 K2, 而结晶生长时大分子在垂直于分子链方向折叠的界面自由能σe从纯PP的0.223 J·m-2降低到PP/LaC的0.154 J·m-2, 表明LaC在iPP结晶过程中不仅起到增加晶核的作用, 同时使大分子链更易排入晶格, 即起到促进结晶成长的作用.     

Nonisothermal crystallization and melting behavior of a luminescent conjugated polymer,poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐alt‐co‐2,5‐didecyloxy‐1,4‐phenylene)

The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of a luminescent conjugated polymer, poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐alt‐co‐2,5‐didecyloxy‐1,4‐phenylene) (PF6OC10) with three different molecular weights was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry under different cooling rates from the melt. With increasing molecular weight of PF6OC10, the temperature range of crystallization peak steadily became narrower and shifted to higher temperature region and the crystallization rate increased. It was found that the Ozawa method failed to describe the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PF6OC10. Although the Avrami method did not effectively describe the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PF6OC10 for overall process, it was valid for describing the early stage of crystallization with an Avrami exponent n of about 3. The combined method proposed in our previous report was able to satisfactorily describe the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PF6OC10. The crystallization activation energies determined by Kissinger, Takhor, and Augis‐Bennett models were comparable. The melting temperature of PF6OC10 increased with increasing molecular weight. For low‐molecular‐weight sample, PF6OC10 showed the characteristic of double melting phenomenon. The interval between the two melting peaks decreased with increasing molecular weight, and only one melting peak was observed for the high‐molecular‐weight sample. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 976–987, 2007     

光学纯度对聚左旋乳酸结晶与熔融行为的影响

通过示差扫描量热仪(DSC)和广角X射线衍射仪(WAXD)研究了聚左旋乳酸(PLLA)的光学纯度(91.6%、93.3%、94.0%、97.0%、98.4%)对聚乳酸结晶和熔融行为的影响。 在非等温结晶过程中,随着光学纯度的提高,聚乳酸的结晶峰值温度、熔点、熔融焓均提高。 在等温结晶过程中,PLLA的半结晶时间(t_1/2)随着光学纯度的增加而减少,在结晶温度100~110 ℃区间内半结晶时间均达到最小值;含有不同光学纯度PLLA的Avrami指数n≈3,表明光学纯度的变化不能改变聚乳酸以三维球晶生长的异相成核机理。 随着光学纯度的增加,聚乳酸δ-晶型转变为α-晶型的临界温度升高。 聚乳酸的结晶和熔融行为对光学纯度具有依赖性。     

Morphology and nonisothermal crystallization of in situ microfibrillar poly(ethylene terephthalate)/polypropylene blend fabricated through slit‐extrusion,hot‐stretch quenching

This study describes the morphology and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in situ micro‐fiber‐reinforced blends (MRB) obtained via slit‐extrusion, hot‐stretching quenching. For comparison purposes, neat PP and PET/PP common blends are also included. Morphological observation indicated that the well‐defined microfibers are in situ generated by the slit‐extrusion, hot‐stretching quenching process. Neat iPP and PET/iPP common blends showed the normal spherulite morphology, whereas the PET/iPP microfibrillar blend had typical transcrystallites at 1 wt % PET concentration. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of three samples were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Applying the theories proposed by Jeziorny, Ozawa, and Liu to analyze the crystallization kinetics of neat PP and PET/PP common and microfibrillar blends, agreement was found between our experimental results and Liu's prediction. The increases of crystallization temperature and crystallization rate during the nonisothermal crystallization process indicated that PET in situ microfibers have significant nucleation ability for the crystallization of a PP matrix phase. The crystallization peaks in the DSC curves of the three materials examined widened and shifted to lower temperature when the cooling rate was increased. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 374–385, 2004     

Crystallization kinetics and morphology of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate‐co‐propylene succinate)s

The crystallization behavior of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) and copolyesters poly(butylene succinate‐co‐propylene succinate)s (PBSPS) was investigated by using ¹H NMR, DSC and POM, respectively. Isothermal crystallization kinetics of the polyesters has been analyzed by the Avrami equation. The 2.2‐2.8 range of Avrami exponential n indicated that the crystallization mechanism was a heterogeneous nucleation with spherical growth geometry in the crystallization process of polyesters. Multiple melting peaks were observed during heating process after isothermal crystallization, and it could be explained by the melting and recrystallization model. PBSPS was identified to have the same crystal structure with that of PBS by using wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), suggesting that only BS unit crystallized while the PS unit was in an amorphous state. The crystal structure of polyesters was not affected by the crystallization temperatures, too. Besides the normal extinction crosses under the POM, the double‐banded extinction patterns with periodic distance along the radial direction were also observed in the spherulites of PBS and PBSPS. The morphology of spherulites strongly depended on the crystallization temperature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 420–428, 2007     

Melting and crystallization behavior of poly(vinylidene fluoride) produced isothermally in the intercrystalline spaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) from its blends

The melting of isothermally crystallized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF₂), produced in the intercrystalline spaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) from its blends, showed a unique behavior: the melting temperature decreased with the increasing crystallinity of PVF₂ (i.e., with increasing crystallization time) for PVF₂ volume fractions of 0.64 and 0.51. The melting temperature of already crystallized PET also decreased as the PVF₂ crystallization progressed and the isothermal crystallization temperature of PVF₂ increased. Separate reasons were proposed to account for these behaviors. The equilibrium melting temperatures of PVF₂ in the blends, measured by the Hoffman–Weeks extrapolation procedure, were used to calculate the polymer–polymer interaction parameter (χ₂₁); only the noncrystallized portion of PET contributing to the mixed amorphous phase was considered. The χ₂₁value (−1.75) was lower than χ₁₂ (−0.14), calculated from the melting temperature depression of PET. However, when they were normalized to the unit volumes of the respective components, the two values were found to be the same. The crystallization rate of PVF₂ decreased with an increasing volume fraction of PET in the blend. The Avrami exponent increased for the volume fraction of PVF₂ (0.77) and then progressively decreased with an increasing volume fraction of PET. A gradual change in the nature of the regime transition from regime II/regime I to regime III/regime II with increasing PET concentration was observed. The value of the chain-extension factor of PVF₂ significantly increased with an increase in the PET concentration in the blends. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2215–2227, 2004     

Effects of pressure on the compressibility and crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The effects of pressure on the compressibility and crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have been investigated. The Instron capillary rheometer was adapted as a high-pressure dilatometer to perform experiments up to 40,000 psi. Compressibilities of solid and molten PET were measured. The increases in compressibility with increase in temperature for the solid state are discussed in terms of free-volume theory. Results obtained for the melt are explained by invoking the second law of thermodynamics and the effect of pressure on the Gibbs free energy. The effects of temperature and compression rate on the pressure of crystallization (P_c) were also studied. As the crystallization temperature was increased from 240 to 286°C, P_c increased by about 16,000 psi. As the compression rate was raised from 1%/min to 8%/min, P_c increased 10,000 psi. At some undetermined compression rate above 8%/min it seemed impossible to induce crystallization in the melt, even with pressures up to 40,000 psi. Analysis of data on the kinetics of crystallization of PET melt under high pressures revealed low Avrami exponents, for which no unequivocal explanation is offered. It is possible, however, that crystallization at high pressure promotes the formation of a morphology made up of a certain percentage of “extended chains.” The alteration in the attendant spatial geometry involved in the crystallization might explain the lower Avrami exponents found. In another set of experiments, crystallization temperatures (T_c) were measured by slowly cooling PET melt under high pressures. As the pressure was raised from 3000 to 15,000 psi, T_c increased from about 246 to 282.5°C. These results are consistent with thermodynamic theory.     

Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposites

The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(propylene) (PP) and poly(propylene)/organic‐montmorillonite (PP/Mont) nanocomposite were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with various cooling rates. The Avrami analysis modified by previous research was used to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of PP and PP/Mont nanocomposite very well. The values of half‐time and Z_c showed that the crystallization rate increased with increasing cooling rates for both PP and PP/Mont nanocomposite, but the crystallization rate of PP/Mont nanocomposite was faster than that of PP at a given cooling rate. The activation energies were estimated by the Kissinger method, and the values were 189.4 and 155.7 kJ/mol for PP and PP/Mont nanocomposite, respectively. PP/Mont nanocomposite could be easily fabricated as original PP, although the addition of organomontmorillonite might accelerate the overall nonisothermal crystallization process. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 408–414, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10101     

聚丙烯接枝马来酸酐及其离聚物的等温结晶行为

采用ＤＳＣ对马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯（ＰＰ ｇ ＭＡＨ）及其３种５个离聚物的等温结晶行为进行了研究,发现在相对结晶度２％～９０％的范围内符合Ａｖｒａｍｉ方程．马来酸酐的引入及离子化并不改变ＰＰ的结晶行为,但样品的结晶速率增大,同时结晶速率亦随中和度的提高而增大．从Ｈｏｆｍａｎ理论得到７个样品的垂直于晶核的界面自由能σｅ,其变化与Ａｖｒａｍｉ方程的结果是一致的．