Transient effects in the crystallization of polyethylene

A specimen of linear polyethylene was subjected to isothermal secondary crystallization at a series of temperatures below the primary isothermal crystallization temperature, the melting and primary crystallization stages being held constant throughout the investigation. Dilatometric measurements exhibit an S-character at low values of undercooling T_p – T_s, where T_p and T_s are, respectively, the primary and secondary crystallization temperatures, whereas at larger undercooling, an initial very rapid crystallization is followed by a very slow stage. When corrected for thermal contraction of the polymer, the net degree of secondary transformation is seen to peak at a temperature about 5°C below T_p. The S-character of the isotherms and the peaked temperature variation of degree of transformation lead to the conclusion that a large portion of the secondary crystallization consists of the nucleation and growth of the new crystallites. Johnson-Mehl-Avrami analysis leads to a model of heterogeneous nucleation within the remaining amorphous zones, followed by one-dimensional, diffusion-controlled growth.