Glass transition study of blends of poly(N-methyldodecano-12-lactam) with poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid)

The blends of poly(N-methyldodecano-12-lactam) (MPA) with poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (PSAA) prepared from dioxane solutions were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The experimental DSC data of glass transition temperature T_g as a function of composition of amorphous phase were fitted for the as-prepared and re-scanned samples using theoretical approaches. The as-prepared blends show monotonic single-T_g dependence. The values of the Gordon-Taylor coefficient not far from unity suggest miscibility of the blend system in amorphous phase in the whole concentration range. As documented by FTIR, this miscibility is associated with hydrogen bonds between COOH groups of the acrylic acid units in PSAA molecules acting as the H-bond donor and CO groups of MPA acting as the H-bond acceptor. The T_g-dependencies obtained form the second runs have a profound sigmoid character. The Schneider treatment induced an idea of partial limited miscibility in the MPA/PSAA blends caused by prevalence of homogeneous contacts. The difference in T_g between the first and second run can partly be attributed to higher crystallinities in the former.     

Long‐term X‐ray stimulated crystallization of poly(N‐methyldodecano‐12‐lactam) in blend with poly(styrene‐stat‐acrylic acid)

The effect of X‐ray irradiation on crystallization of the blend of poly(N‐methyldodecano‐12‐lactam) (PMDL) with 29.5% of statistical copolymer poly(styrene‐stat‐acrylic acid) (PSAA) was studied using DSC, WAXD, and solid‐state ¹³C NMR methods. Significant acceleration of crystallization was found in the as‐prepared X‐ray irradiated (XI), that is, WAXD‐measured, samples compared with the nonirradiated (NI) ones. In the XI blend, the incubation period was shortened and crystallization proceeded at significantly higher rate. In the asymptote, after 100–120 days, both NI and XI samples reached the same final crystallinity of about 18%. The second DSC runs indicated that the stimulating effect of X‐ray irradiation was eliminated by heating the sample during the first run. The ¹³C NMR studies have shown that PMDL chains crystallize exclusively in cis conformation on the C? N bond. Both in neat PMDL and in the blend with PSAA, the XI samples contained a significantly higher proportion of cis conformers in amorphous phase than the NI samples. It is suggested that energy absorbed by the sample during the standard WAXD measurement helps overcome the barrier of the trans/cis transition in the PMDL molecules. This opens the way to the formation of a higher number of critical equilibrium nuclei and, finally, results in accelerated crystallization of the XI samples. No irreversible changes were found in the XI samples. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 311–321, 2008     

Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) blends

The glass-transition temperature and non-isothermal crystallization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PTT/PEN) blends were investigated by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results suggested that the binary blends showed different crystallization and melting behaviors due to their different component of PTT and PEN. All of the samples exhibited a single glass-transition temperature, indicating that the component PTT and PEN were miscible in amorphous phase. The value of T_g predicted well by Gordon-Taylor equation decreased gradually with increasing of PTT content. The commonly used Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny, Ozawa theory and the method developed by Mo were used, respectively, to fit the primary stage of non-isothermal crystallization. The kinetic parameters suggested that the PTT content improved the crystallization of PEN in the binary blend. The crystallization growth dimension, crystallization rate and the degree of crystallinity of the blends were increased with the increasing content of PTT. The effective activation energy calculated by the advanced iso-conversional method developed by Vyazovkin also concluded that the value of E_a depended not only on the system but also on temperature, that is, the binary blend with more PTT component had higher crystallization ability and the crystallization ability is increased with increasing temperature. The kinetic parameters U^* and K_g were also determined, respectively, by the Hoffman-Lauritzen theory.     

Impact of plasticizers and tackifiers on the crystallization of isotactic poly(1-butene)

Crystallization of a semi-crystalline polyolefin in the presence of low molecular weight modifiers was quantified by differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. The polyolefin was a commercial grade of isotactic poly(1-butene) (iPB). Two modifiers were used: an oligomeric plasticizer, designated HOAO, which decreased the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the system, and an oligomeric tackifier, designated HOCP, which increased T_g. Binary iPB/modifier blends containing 10% or 20% by weight of HOAO or HOCP were examined to determine how their addition affects T_g, while ternary iPB/HOAO/HOCP blends containing 10% or 20% by weight of total modifier were examined to determine the effects of dilution by using a ratio of HOAO to HOCP that matched the T_g of iPB. The addition of modifier decreased the nucleation rate, spherulitic crystal growth rate, and final crystallinity of each blend. However, only the nucleation rate showed a dependence on the type of modifier, with nucleation retarded more by HOCP than by HOAO. A Hoffman-Weeks analysis of the melting point as a function of crystallization temperature confirmed that the driving force for nucleation was reduced, and that the effect was larger for HOCP. An Avrami analysis of the bulk crystallization kinetics was consistent with these observations, as the Avrami exponents were in the range of 3-4.     

Segmental and secondary dynamics in hydrogen‐bonded poly(4‐vinylphenol)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy was used to study the segmental (α) and secondary (β) relaxations in hydrogen‐bonded poly(4‐vinylphenol)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PVPh/PMMA) blends with PVPh concentrations of 20–80% and at temperatures from ?30 to approximately glass‐transition temperature (T_g) + 80 °C. Miscible blends were obtained by solution casting from methyl ethyl ketone solution, as confirmed by single differential scanning calorimetry T_g and single segmental relaxation process for each blend. The β relaxation of PMMA maintains similar characteristics in blends with PVPh, compared with neat PMMA. Its relaxation time and activation energy are nearly the same in all blends. Furthermore, the dielectric relaxation strength of PMMA β process in the blends is proportional to the concentration of PMMA, suggesting that blending and intermolecular hydrogen bonding do not modify the local intramolecular motion. The α process, however, represents the segmental motions of both components and becomes slower with increasing PVPh concentration because of the higher T_g. This leads to well‐defined α and β relaxations in the blends above the corresponding T_g, which cannot be reliably resolved in neat PMMA without ambiguous curve deconvolution. The PMMA β process still follows an Arrhenius temperature dependence above T_g, but with an activation energy larger than that observed below T_g because of increased relaxation amplitude. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3405–3415, 2004     

Miscibility and transesterification in ternary blends of poly(ethylene naphthalate)/poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ether imide)

Miscibility and morphology of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate)/poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ether imide) (PEN/PTT/PEI) blends were investigated by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), optical microscopy (OM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR). In the ternary blends, OM and DSC results indicated immiscible properties for polyester-rich compositions of PEN/PTT/PEI blends, but all compositions of the ternary blends were phase homogeneous after heat treatment at 300 °C for more than 30 min. An amorphous blend with a single T _g was obtained in the final state, when samples were annealed at 300 °C. Experimental results from ¹H-NMR identified the production of PEN/PTT copolymers by so-called “transesterification”. The influence of transesterification on the behaviors of glass transition and crystallization was discussed in detail. Study results identified that a random copolymer promoted the miscibility of the ternary blends. The critical block lengths for both PEN and PTT hindered the formation of crystals in the ternary blends. Finally, the transesterification product of PEN/PTT blends, ENTT, was blended with PEI. The results for DSC and OM demonstrated the miscibility of the ENTT/PEI blends.     

Linear and four‐armed poly(l‐lactide)‐block‐poly(d‐lactide) copolymers and their stereocomplexation with poly(lactide)s

Linear and four‐armed poly(l ‐lactide)‐block‐poly(d ‐lactide) (PLLA‐b‐PDLA) block copolymers are synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of d ‐lactide on the end hydroxyl of linear and four‐armed PLLA prepolymers. DSC results indicate that the melting temperature and melting enthalpies of poly (lactide) stereocomplex in the copolymers are obviously lower than corresponding linear and four‐armed PLLA/PDLA blends. Compared with the four‐armed PLLA‐b‐PDLA copolymer, the similar linear PLLA‐b‐PDLA shows higher melting temperature (212.3 °C) and larger melting enthalpy (70.6 J g^?1). After these copolymers blend with additional neat PLAs, DSC, and WAXD results show that the stereocomplex formation between free PLA molecular chain and enantiomeric PLA block is the major stereocomplex formation. In the linear copolymer/linear PLA blends, the stereocomplex crystallites (sc) as well as homochiral crystallites (hc) form in the copolymer/PLA cast films. However, in the four‐armed copolymer/linear PLA blends, both sc and hc develop in the four‐armed PLLA‐b‐PDLA/PDLA specimen, which means that the stereocomplexation mainly forms between free PDLA molecule and the inside PLLA block, and the outside PDLA block could form some microcrystallites. Although the melting enthalpies of stereocomplexes in the blends are smaller than that of neat copolymers, only two‐thirds of the molecular chains participate in the stereocomplex formation, and the crystallization efficiency strengthens. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1560–1567     

Enhanced crystallization of poly(d-lactide) by xylan esters

The crystallization behavior of poly(d-lactide) loaded with xylan propionate (XylPr) and xylan butyrate (XylBu) was investigated. Non-isothermal crystallization study revealed that the crystallization temperature (T_c) of PDLA decreased by almost 30 °C when loaded with 1% XylPr or XylBu. PDLA blends containing 0.1% xylan ester produced similar results. Isothermal crystallization study suggests faster rate of crystallization of the PDLA blends as indicated by their t_1/2 values. The X_c values of the PDLA blends were also higher as compared to neat PDLA. However, the PDLA blends still possessed lower degrees of haze due to the presence of smaller spherulites. Based on TMA, PDLA blends exhibited better thermal stability than neat PDLA.     

Thermal and crystallization characteristics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene naphthalate) blends

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) blends were miscible in the amorphous state in all of the blend compositions studied, as evidenced by a single, composition-dependent glass transition temperature (T_g) observed for each blend composition. The variation in the T_g value with the blend composition was well predicted by the Gordon-Taylor equation, with the fitting parameter being 0.57. The cold-crystallization peak temperature decreased with increasing PTT content, while the melt-crystallization peak temperature decreased with increasing amount of the minor component. The subsequent melting behavior after both cold- and melt-crystallization exhibited melting point depression, in which the observed melting temperatures decreased with increasing amount of the minor component. During melt-crystallization, both components in the blends crystallized concurrently just to form their own crystals. The blend with 60% w/w of PTT exhibited the lowest total apparent degree of crystallinity.     

Miscibility and orientation behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) / poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends

The miscibility of poly(viny1 alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVA/PVP) blends is investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD). The molecular orientation induced by uniaxial stretching of the blends is also examined by WAXD and birefringence measurements. It is shown by the DSC thermal analysis that the polymer pair is miscible, since a single glass transition temperature (T_g) is situated between the T_gs of the two homopolymers at every composition. The T_g versus composition curve does not follow a monotonic function but exhibits a cusp point at a PVP volume fraction of a little under 0.7, as in a case predicted by Kovacs' theory. The presence of a specific intermolecular interaction between the two polymers is suggested by an observed systematic depression in the melting point of the PVA component. A negative value of the polymer-polymer interaction parameter, χ₁₂ = 0.35 (at 513 K), is estimated from a thermodynamic approach via a control experiment using samples crystallized isothermally at various temperatures. The extent of optical birefringence (Δn) of the drawn blends decreases drastically with increasing PVP content up to 80 wt %, when compared at a given draw ratio, and ultimately Δn is found to change from positive to negative at a critical PVP concentration of a little over 80 wt %. Discussion of the molecular orientation behavior takes into consideration a birefringence compensation effect in the miscible amorphous phase due to positive and negative contributions of oriented PVA and PVP, respectively.     

Isomorphic behavior of poly(aryl ether ketone) blends

Blends of various poly(aryl ether ketones) have been found to exhibit a range of miscibility and isomorphic behavior. This range is dependent on molecular weight; however, for poly(aryl ether ketones) with number-average molecular weight of 20,000, this range is about ±25% difference in ketone content. All miscible blends exhibit isomorphism, and all immiscible blends exhibit no evidence of isomorphism. The dependence of the glass transition temperature T_g versus composition exhibits a minimum deviation from linearity whereas the melting temperature T_m versus composition exhibits a pronounced maximum deviation from linear behavior. The crystalline melting point versus composition for isomorphic blends is considerably different than for random copolymers with isomorphic units. Homopolymers and random copolymers exhibit a melting point that is a linear function of ketone content (increasing ketone content increases T_m). For blends, the melting point is essentially the same as that of the higher melting constituent until high levels of the lower melting constituent are present. The observed melting point versus composition behavior will be interpreted using classical theory to calculate the components of the liquid and crystalline phase compositions. As a miscible blend is cooled from the melt, essentially pure component of the highest melting point crystallizes out of solution, as predicted by calculated solid-liquid phase diagrams. This occurs until the crystallization is complete owing to spherulitic impingement. At high concentrations of the lower melting constituent, lower melting points will be observed because the highest melting constituent will be depleted before the crystallization is complete. In many miscible blends involving addition of an amorphous polymer to a crystalline polymer, the degree of crystallinity of the crystalline polymer has been shown to increase. On the basis of evidence presented here, it is hypothesized that dilution by a miscible, amorphous polymer allows for a higher level of crystallinity.     

New approach on the development of plasticized polylactide (PLA): Grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) via reactive extrusion

In this work, new ways of plasticizing polylactide (PLA) with low molecular poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were developed to improve the ductility of PLA while maintaining the plasticizer content at maximum 20 wt.% PLA. To this end, a reactive blending of anhydride-grafted PLA (MAG-PLA) copolymer with PEG, with chains terminated with hydroxyl groups, was performed. During the melt-processing, a fraction of PEG was grafted into the anhydride-functionalized PLA chains. The role of the grafted fraction was to improve the compatibility between PLA and PEG. Reactive extrusion and melt-blending of neat and modified PLA with PEG did not induce any dramatic drop of PLA molecular weight. The in situ reactive grafting of PEG into the modified PLA in PLA/PEG blends showed a clear effect on the thermal properties of PLA. It was demonstrated by DSC that the mobility gained by PLA chains in the plasticized blends yielded crystallization. The grafting of a fraction of PEG into PLA did not affect this process. However, DSC results obtained after the second heating showed an interesting effect on the T_g when 20 wt.% PEG were melt blended with neat PLA or 10 wt.% MAG-PLA. In the latter case, the T_g displayed by the reactive blend was shifted to even lower temperatures at around 14 °C, while the T_g of neat PLA and PLA blended with 20 wt.% PEG was around 60 and 23 °C, respectively. Regarding viscoelastic and viscoplastic properties, the presence of MAG-PLA does not significantly influence the behavior of plasticized PLA. Indeed, with or without MAG-PLA, elastic modulus and yield stress decrease, while ultimate strain increases with the addition of PEG into PLA.     

Study of the Crystallization of an Aromatic Poly-ether-ketone (PK99) by Calorimetric and X-ray Analysis

An analysis of the crystallization behaviour of a new poly(aryl-ether-ether-ketone-ketone), PK99, by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) is presented. Isothermal crystallization TG were obtained in the whole range between the glass transition temperature (T _g) and the melting temperature (T _m) as a consequence of the slow crystallization kinetics stemming from the closeness of these transitions. The calorimetric results, compared with WAXD data, were applied to determine the theoretical melting temperature and crystallization enthalpy. The DSC and WAXD data were combined in order to calculate the total amount of the crystallizable fraction of the polymer, and a model was proposed to explain the difference between the fractions of crystallinity observed with these techniques. The thermal and X-ray data were also correlated with different lamellar morphologies arising from the crystallization conditions. Finally, DSC experiments on the crystallized sample were used to detect the presence of a rigid amorphous phase which does not relax at T _g. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of PEG on the crystallization of PPDO/PEG blends

A new biodegradable polymer system, poly(p-dioxanone) (PPDO)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blend was prepared by a solvent casting method using chloroform as a co-solvent. The PPDO/PEG blends have different weight ratios of 95/5, 90/10, 80/20 and 70/30. Crystallization of homopolymers and blends were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). When 5% of PEG was blended, the crystallization exothermal peaks (T_c) of PPDO increased sharply and the crystallization exothermal peaks (T_c) of PEG decreased slightly compared with the homopolymers. The crystallization rates of both components increased, and caused greater relative crystallization degree (X_t%). But when the content of PEG was more than 5%, the crystalline behaviors of blends had no more significant changes accordingly. The melting points of each sample varied little over the entire composition range in this study. The nonisothermal crystallization of PPDO homopolymer and blend (PPDO/PEG = 70/30) were also studied by DSC. The crystallization began at a higher temperature when the cooling rates were slower. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of blends was analyzed by Ozawa equation. The results showed that the Ozawa equation failed to describe the whole crystallization of the blend, but Mo equation could depict the nonisothermal crystallization perfectly.     

Interpolymer complexation in hydrolysed poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)/poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine)

Complexation between hydrolysed poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (HSMA) copolymers containing 28% and 50% maleic anhydride and a poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine), St4VP32 copolymer with 32% of 4-vinylpyridine content has been investigated. Formation of interpolymer complexes from 1,4-dioxane solutions is observed, over the entire composition range and the stoichiometry of these complexes has been determined from elemental analysis.Quantitative FTIR study of the system HSMA50/StV4Py32 shows that the ideal complex composition leads to 2:1 unit mole ratio of interacting component. FTIR results are in good agreement with DSC and TGA ones, since this complex composition gives the maximum value of the glass transition temperature and the best thermic stability.For the systems investigated, the T_g versus composition curve do not follow any of the commonly accepted models proposed for polymer blends. A new model proposed by Cowie [Cowie JMG, Garay MT, Lath D, McEwen IJ. Br Poly J 1989;21:81] is used to fit the T_g data and found to reproduce the experimental results more closely.     

Miscibility and hydrolytic degradation in alkaline solution of poly(l-lactide) and poly(p-vinyl phenol) blends

Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) was melt-blended with poly(p-vinyl phenol) (PVPh) using a two-roll mill, and the miscibility between PLLA and PVPh and degradation of the blend films were investigated. It was found that PLLA/PVPh blend has miscibility in the amorphous state because only single T_g was observed in the DSC and DMA measurements. The T_g of the PLLA/PVPh blend could be controlled in the temperature range from 55 °C to 117 °C by changing the PVPh weight fraction. In alkaline solution, degradation rate of PLLA/PVPh blends was faster than that of neat PLLA because PVPh could dissolve in alkaline solution. The surface morphology of degraded PLLA and PLLA/PVPh blend were observed by SEM. The surface morphology of degraded PLLA/PVPh blend was finer than that of PLLA. Young's modulus of PLLA/PVPh blend increased with increasing PVPh content. Yield stress of PLLA/PVPh blends whose PVPh content was less than 30 wt% kept the level of about 55 MPa and that of PLLA/PVPh blend whose PVPh content was 40 wt% is much lower than that of neat PLLA.     

Crystallization and melting behavior of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(n-butyl methacrylate) blends

The phase diagram, crystallization and melting behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA) blends have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. The results show that the blends are miscible up to 85 °C and show an lower critical solution temperature-type demixing at a higher temperature. The isothermal crystallization studies of the blends indicate a reduction in the overall rate of crystallization. Analysis of isothermal crystallization data by means of Avrami equation leads to average values of the Avrami index of 2.5 for pure PEO and 3.0 for the different blend compositions. The melting behavior of the blends reveals double endotherms, which is ascribed to both secondary crystallization and recrystallization. The melting point depression study yielded χ₁₂=0, indicating a relatively low interaction strength.     

Melting behavior of a poly(ether‐block‐amide) copolymer melt‐crystallized under quiescent,isothermal conditions

Segmented poly(ether‐block‐amide) copolymers are typically known as polyamide‐based thermoplastic elastomers consisting of hard, crystallizable polyamide block and flexible, amorphous polyether block. The melting characteristics of a poly(ether‐block‐amide) copolymer melt‐crystallized under various quiescent, isothermal conditions were calorimetrically investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For such crystallized copolymer samples, their crystalline structures under ambient condition and the structural evolutions upon heating from ambient to complete melting were characterized using ambient and variable‐temperature wide‐angle X‐ray diffractometry (WAXD), respectively. It was observed that dependent of specific crystallization conditions, the copolymer samples exhibited one, two, or three melting endotherms. The ambient WAXD results indicated that all melt‐crystallized copolymer samples only exhibited γ‐form crystals associated with the hexagonal habits of the polyamide homopolymer, whereas variable‐temperature WAXD data suggested that upon heating from ambient, a melt‐crystallized copolymer might exhibit so‐called Brill transition before complete melting. Based on various DSC and variable‐temperature WAXD experimental results obtained in this study, the applicability of different melting mechanisms that might be responsible for multiple melting characteristics of various crystallized PEBA copolymer samples were discussed. It was postulated that the low (T _m1) endotherm was primarily because of the disruption of less thermally stable, short‐range ordered structure of amorphous polyamide segments of the copolymer, which was only formed after the completion of primary crystallization via so‐called annealing effects. The intermediate (T_m2) and high (T_m3) endotherms were attributed to the melting of primary crystals within polyamide crystalline microdomains of the copolymer. The appearance of these two melting endotherms might be somehow complicated by thermally induced Brill transition. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2035–2046, 2008     

Crystallization and melting of the system isotactic polystyrene + poly(2,6-dimethyl phenylene oxide)

From glass transition T_g measurements on isotactic polystyrene (IPS)–poly(2,6-dimethyl phenylene oxide) (PPO) blends, it was concluded that thoroughly annealed, freeze-dried samples, or samples evaporated from solution at high temperature, are homogeneous. Without annealing, the freeze-dried blends show two to three T_g's characteristic of the presence of different phases. The overall crystallization rate of these samples is much higher than that observed with annealed samples. The presence of dissolved PPO in annealed samples reduces the overall crystallization rate and the spherulitic growth rate, compared to IPS. The melting behavior of the blends is influenced by the extent of mixing of both polymers. Without annealing, isothermally crystallized, freeze-dried blends show the same melting behavior as IPS (i.e., multiple melting). In homogeneous annealed samples the rate of reorganization is strongly reduced and multiple melting only occurs at low scanning rate (e.g., 1°C/min). This behavior is influenced by the crystallization temperature and by the composition of the blends. The addition of PPO has no influence on the relation between melting point and crystallization temperature and the same equilibrium melting point is found by extrapolation.     

Effect of miscible polymer diluents on the development of lamellar morphology in poly(oxymethylene) blends

The development of lamellar morphology in poly(oxymethylene) (POM) and its miscible blends was studied by synchrotron time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), during primary and secondary crystallization at temperatures near 150°C. The blends contained two different diluents: poly(vinyl 4-hydroxy styrene) [common name poly(vinyl phenol), (PVP)], which had a high glass temperature (T_g = 150°C), and styrene-co-hydroxy styrene oligomer (PhSO), which had a low glass temperature (T_g = −37°C). The SAXS data were analyzed by correlation function analysis to extract several lamellar parameters: long period (L), lamellar crystalline thickness (lc), amorphous layer thickness (la), and invariant (Q). The variation in Q defined the region where spherulites quickly grew and filled the entire space, and was referred to as the primary crystallization dominant regime. A rapid drop in L and lc was observed at early times, and this can be explained by defective lamellar stacks filling in space between primary stacks, as secondary crystals form during the nominal primary crystallization dominant regime. Lamellar thickening with time in the long-time secondary crystallization region was observed in neat POM and the blend with 10 % low T_g diluent, while this process was inhibited with the high T_g diluent due to the higher T_g of the interlamellar species. A decrease in la at long times confirmed the lamellar thickening. We refer to the lamellar thickening process as a type of secondary crystallization. Interlamellar inclusion or trapping was detected to different degrees with the high T_g diluent, while exclusion was found for the low T_g diluent. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3115–3122, 1999