NMR observations of drawn polymers. IX. Chain mobilization and water mobility in nylon 66

Wide-line NMR spectra of nylon 66 fibers have been obtained at different alignment angles between the fiber axis and the magnetic field, at varying water contents (H₂O and D₂O), and at different temperatures. At 28°C the spectrum of the dry fibers consists of a nearly structureless broad line. At water regains of 1.4% by weight (dry basis) and higher a sharp line appears which originates from highly mobile water molecules. The width of this line decreases with increasing water content, implying an increase of water mobility. Moreover, the width is a function of the alignment angle; this shows that the water is not reorienting isotropically owing to specific water-polymer interaction. The amount of mobile water is always smaller than the amount of water absorbed. At water contents close to saturation, a mobile polymer line appears with a width intermediate between the broad line (immobile polymer) and the sharp water line. This line, most clearly observed at an alignment angle of 0°, is due to a shift of the α_a process to lower temperatures in the presence of water. A similar line is observed in the dry fibers at 120°C. It is shown that the α_a process decreases the NMR second moment only slightly. The shift of the high temperature drop in second moment to lower temperatures in the presence of water is therefore interpreted as due to a shift of the α_c process, and not of the α_a process, to lower temperatures.     

NMR observations of drawn polymers. VII. Nylon 66 fibers

Wide-line NMR spectra have been obtained on an oriented sample of drawn nylon 66 fibers at temperatures between ?196°C and 200°C and at alignment angles between the fiber axis and the magnetic field of 0°, 45°, and 90°. At ?196°C, 20°C, and 180°C, the complete angle dependence of the NMR spectrum has been measured. The second moments of these spectra have been compared to theoretical second moments calculated for various models of chain segmental motion in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the low-temperature segmental motion (γ process) and the high-temperature segmental motion (α_c process). In agreement with earlier suggestions, the present results indicate that the γ process consists of segmental motion in noncrystalline regions. The overall decrease in second moment caused by the γ process is consistent with a model in which all noncrystalline segments rotate around axes nearly fixed in space. Furthermore, this decrease shows a pronounced dependence on the alignment angle. It is believed that this is due to tie molecules which become highly oriented along the fiber axis during drawing; their axes of rotation will therefore be nearly parallel to the fiber axis. The segments in noncrystalline entities such as chain folds and chain ends are less well oriented along the fiber axis and make an essentially isotropic contribution to the second moment decrease. The second moment at 180°C indicates the presence of considerable motion in the crystalline regions, and this motion is denoted the α_c process. The second moment S_c of the crystalline regions is strongly dependent on the alignment angle, the predominant feature being a relatively high value of the second moment when the fiber axis is directed parallel to the magnetic field. This is in qualitative, but not quantitative, agreement with the motional model recently advanced by McMahon, which assumes full rotation of the chains around their axes. Excellent quantitative agreement with experiment has been obtained by superimposition of rotational oscillation around the chain axis of amplitude roughtly 50°, and torsion of the chains with neighboring CH₂ groups oscillating around the C? C bond with a relative amplitude of about 40°. A model in which the chains perform rotational jumps of 60° between two equilibrium sites has also been considered (60° flip-flop motion). A distinction between this model and rotational oscillation has not been possible.     

Wideline NMR studies of oriented nylon 66

Wideline NMR techniques have been applied to both singly and doubly oriented specimens of nylon 66. Variations in the spectra obtained are observed for different orientations of the specimens relative to the applied field. These variations demonstrate that the zigzag chain axis is essentially parallel to the draw direction and that motion occurs in all of the sample. The motion is of two types: random in the mobile regions and rotation of segments about the chain axis in the rigid regions.     

NMR observations of drawn polymers. V. Sorption into drawn and undrawn polyethylene

NMR measurements on undrawn polyethylene (PE) samples in contact with a solvent such as C₂Cl₄ indicate an increase in the mobility of the mobile chain segments as compared to dry samples. Highly drawn PE shows no such effect. This is because S_a, the sorption per unit mass of noncrystalline material present, decreases from 20.9 wt.-% (dry basis), found for undrawn quenched PE, to 0.63 wt.-% after drawing (S_a determined at 25°C. and 0.80 vapor activity). Drawing also reduces the segment mobility according to the NMR spectrum. It is shown that these effects are caused by considerable structural changes occurring in the noncrystalline regions of PE upon drawing. Annealing of drawn PE samples at successively higher temperatures leads to a gradual relaxation of the noncrystalline regions towards the state characteristic of undrawn PE. With increasing annealing temperature S_a as well as the mobility approach values found with undrawn PE.     

Wideline NMR studies of oriented nylon 66 under tensile stress

NMR linewidth studies of nylon 66 as a function of temperature and applied tensile stress have been conducted. The principal motional transition temperature was found to be shifted to higher temperatures with stress application by 9°C./g./den. At any given temperature, increased stress resulted in an increased linewidth. An attempt was made to correlate the shift in the motional transition temperature with the concept that a segment experiencing motion must do work against the applied tensile stress.     

High-temperature annealing of drawn nylon 66 fibers

The structure and morphology of highly oriented fibers were modified by thermal treatments at varying tensions. The structural changes were characterized by wide- and small-angle x-ray diffraction, broadline nuclear magnetic resonance, and electron microscopy of surface replicas. Increasing temperatures caused increases in local ordering, number of regular chain folds, mobile fraction or amount of fluidlike mobility, and surface recrystallization in localized areas. Each of these changes was also a function of the amount of tension on the fiber during the annealing; each change was maximized when the fiber was free to shrink but minimized when the fiber was stretched.     

Annealing experiments on drawn nylon 66 fibers

Drawn, nylon 66 yarns have been annealed in oil under relaxed conditions. Shrinkage and tensile modulus were measured and the yarns were examined by wide- and small- angle x-ray diffraction. The results are similar to those obtained by Dismore and Statton, but there are significant differences. The data indicate a model for a drawn nylon 66 fiber in which substantial amounts of folds remain.     

Microstructural rearrangement during heat treatment of drawn nylon 66 fiber

Melt-spun nylon 66 fibers were drawn and subsequently heat treated isothermally and quenched. The heat-treated fibers were then examined by wide-and small-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS), by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and by static mechanical testing. These measurements allow one to follow microstructural changes taking place during the course of the heat treatment. WAXS results show that as the treatment progresses, the crystallites become both more perfect and more disoriented with respect to the fiber axis. SAXS results show crystallite thickening. DSC results show that the melting point increases, goes through a maximum, and then decreases as the heat treatment progresses. The tensile modulus decreases with time to an asymptotic level. The changes in crystallite perfection and thickness occur more rapidly than do the changes in crystallite orientation, modulus, and melting point. A model is proposed whereby the two time frames are related to intracrystalline and intercrystalline processes, respectively.     

Mechanical relaxations and moduli of oriented nylon 66 and nylon 6

The mechanical relaxations of dry and wet nylon 66 and nylon 6 with draw ratios λ = 1–3 have been studied from ?180 to 160°C and in the frequency range of 1 Hz to 10 MHz. The five independent elastic moduli C_11, C_12, C_13, C_33, and C₄₄ have also been determined by an ultrasonic method at 10 MHz. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction and birefringence measurements reveal that the crystalline orientation rises sharply at low λ and becomes saturated near λ = 3; the amorphous orientation function increases continuously, reaching values of 0.3–0.5 at λ = 3. The alignment of molecular chains and the presence of taut tie molecules in the amorphous regions lead to a lowering of segmental mobility, thereby reducing the magnitude and increasing the peak temperature and activation energy of the α relaxation. Water absorption weakens the interchain bonding and so gives rise to effects opposite to those of drawing. At low temperature, the development of mechanical anisotropy is largely determined by the overall chain orientation, with the c-shear mechanism contributing a small additional effect. However, above the α relaxation, where the amorphous region is rubbery, the stiffening effect of taut tie molecules becomes dominant and leads to increases in all moduli.     

Effect of annealing conditions on the structure of drawn nylon 66 yarns

Differences in structural parameters, shrinkage, and retractive forces have been compared for nylon 66 tire yarns annealed at several temperatures in silicone oil and in air. It is found that significantly different structural changes occur for oil-annealing and air-annealing. Retractive forces measured in hot oil are characterized by a high initial force, followed by a rapid decay and a second, more gradual, increase which is also followed by a decay at sufficiently high temperatures. In heated air, the first, short-term, retractive force is absent. It is postulated that these differences are due to the different rates of heat transfer at gas–solid and at liquid–solid interfaces, and that rapid heat transfer (as in the case of oil-annealing) promotes two mechanisms of molecular change which are characterized by different degrees of structural parameter change, and by different amounts of shrinkage.     

Solid-state 13C NMR characterization of molecular orientation of hot drawn nylon 6

Two-dimensional cross polarization (CP), magic angle spinning (MAS) rotor synchronization NMR spectroscopy has been used to determine quantitatively the molecular orientational distribution function on hot-drawn Nylon 6. Both films and fibers are studied that had been thermally deformed at temperature above T_g, from 60 to 175°C at draw ratios in the range of 1-5.5. In the two-dimensional NMR spectrum, the sidebands that intrinsically originate from the chemical shift anisotropy reveal the degree of molecular orientational order. No preferential orientational order is detected for the sample without thermal deformation, and the highest degree of order is observed for samples which have been hot drawn above T_g at ratios ca. 5. Based on the aggregate model the maximum achievable order parameters are determined. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Melting of constrained drawn nylon 6 yarns

A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to study the melting behavior of drawn nylon 6 yarns which were prevented from shrinking during heating. The DSC curves exhibit a single melting peak at a higher temperature instead of the double peaks which, as reported previously, were observed in the unconstrained state. The curve is explained quantitatively in terms of the perfecting of the original crystals followed by monotonic melting of these crystals during heating. The single peak results from the absence of the partial melting–recrystallization process which plays an important role in the appearance of double peaks. The temperature of the melting peak for the constrained sample increases linearly with draw ratio, and is unaffected by drawing temperature and by annealing at constant length after drawing. The elevation of the melting temperature is discussed on the basis of the entropy effects predicted theoretically by Zachmann. Thermal analysis of constrained samples has proved to be useful for detecting oriented crystals which coexist with unoriented ones.     

NMR study of the tie-chain length distribution in oriented polymers

Wide-line NMR has been used in an investigation of noncrystalline (amorphous) regions in oriented semicrystalline polymers. Nylon 6 was chosen as a model material. The tie-chain length distribution function, the fraction of tie chains in the total number of chains in the crystallite cross section, and the relative number of taut tie chains have been determined. The data on the tie-chain length distribution are used in discussing specific features of vitrification of the amorphous regions in oriented polymers and in prediction macroscopic mechanical properties.     

NMR studies of molecular mobility in uniaxially stretched oriented polymers

The effect of elasticlike uniaxial tension on molecular mobility in polymers have been studied over a wide temperature range using the broad-line NMR technique. The studies were carried out on oriented semicrystalline samples of nylon 6, poly(ethylene terephthlate), polypropylene, polyethylene, polyoxymethylene, poly(vinyl alcohol), and polytetrafluorethylene. Above the low-temperature transition the NMR spectra are reversibly transformed under tension. Increases in the second moments of the spectra are attributed to weaker molecular motion in stressed polymers. The only exception is polypropylene, in which the reverse, i.e., enhancement of molecular mobility, can be observed in a certain temperature range. In the spectra of polymers stretched above the glass transition temperature the narrow component decreases, thus indicating inhibition of micro-Brownian motion, a phenomenon we call “mechanical vitrification.” Such mechanical vitrification is proved to result from reduction in the number of possible tie-chain conformations in the non-crystalline regions and not from closer packing of chains. In discussing the results we use the experimental data on the reduction of the number of gauche isomers under tension (on average, one transition of a gauche link to the trans state causes at least five methylene groups in the main chain to become immobile). The results of studies of molecular mobility in stretched polymers are used for more accurate definition of the mechanisms of molecular motion at different temperatures. A method for evaluation of the energy of intermolecular interactions which hinder small-scale motion at low temperature is suggested.     

Morphology of cold-drawn nylon 66

A nylon 66 composed of uniformly sized spherulites approximately 50 μ in diameter was examined before and after cold drawing by light and electron microscopy of thin sections and by low-angle x-ray diffraction. Spherulites retained their identity through drawing, but the spherulites elongated less than the bulk specimen indicating that relative motion of spherulities must have occurred. The observation of dilations (0.3 μ long) at interspherulitic boundaries support this contention. The thin-section electron micrographs indicated that the spherulites were composed of radiating lamellae approximately 95 A. thick. After drawing, the lamellae were preferentially oriented both parallel and perpendicular to the draw direction. Lamellae parallel to draw had thinned to approximately 70 A. While lamellae perpendicular to the draw had apparently thickened to 150 A. Three low-angle x-ray diffraction patterns yielded quantitative agreement with the electron-micrograph data. The pattern form the undrawn nylon was a diffuse ring corresponding to a 95 A. spacing. On the drawn specimen, with the beam parallel to draw, a ring corresponding to the 150 A. spacing was obtained, while with the beam perpendicular to draw two arcs were recorded at spacings of 70 and 150 A. The drawing was done at room temperature and proceeded by neck formation and propagation, yielding a 4:1 draw ratio.     

Thermal degradation of nylon 66

The rate of gel formation and color formation in poly(hexamethylene adipamide), nylon 66, is found to be dependent upon the rate of removal of the volatile products of degradation. If a sample of nylon is heated above its melting point in a sealed tube, the material will remain soluble for extended periods of time as the intrinsic viscosity first passes through a maximum, then a minimum, followed by the abrupt formation of insoluble material. The color remains reasonably white. On the other hand, if the volatile material is permitted to escape, rapid gelation and color formation will occur, even in the complete absence of oxygen. Intermediate rates of gelation and color formation can be obtained by control of the rate of volatile material distillation. The decrease in molecular weight evidenced in the sealed tubes is probably due to hydrolysis and ammonolysis of the amide groups which occur simultaneously with the formation of multifunctional crosslinking agents. The volatile material contains an intense absorption in the 290 mμ region. Analysis of the volatile material shows that it contains inter alia, water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, cyclic monomer, hexylamine, hexamethyl-eneimine, hexamethylenediamine, cyclopentanone, 2-cyclopentylcyclopentanone, 2-cyclopentylidinecyclopentanone, and 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydrodicyclopenta[b,e]pyridine, which has an intense absorption at 287 mμ, ε = 8.87 × 10⁴l./mole-cm, (methanol).     

NMR study of molecular motion in oriented long-chain alkanes. III. Oriented n-C32H66

The NMR second moment of a uniaxially oriented mat of single crystals of n-C₃₂H₆₆ (in the orthorhombic form) was measured at temperatures from ?170°C to 70°C and at various alignment angles γ between the orientation axis (preferential direction of the molecular chains) and the NMR magnetic field. Accurate expressions are given for the NMR second moment of an orthorhombic normal paraffin C_nH_2n+2 of arbitrary molecular chain length n for n ≥ 10, in the following states of molecular motion: no motion (a rigid lattice), rotation of CH₃ groups, and rotation of the chains around their axes with superimposed rotation of CH₃ groups. In addition to these well-known motions, n-C₃₂H₆₆ is found to exhibit an α process. The corresponding decrease of the NMR second moment shows the dependence on γ predicted for “flip-flop” motion, i.e., rotational jumps of the chain molecules around their axes through 180° and a simultaneous translation along these axes by one CH₂ group. The overall decrease in second moment occuring at the transition to the hexagonal rotator phase in n-C₃₂H₆₆ can be quantitatively accounted for. The dependence of this decrease on the alignment angle γ, however, is in disagreement with calculations based on a simple rotation of the chains around their axes. Considerable torsion of the chains superimposed on the rotation would improve agreement between theory and experiment.