Thickening of crystals during rapid heating. II. Crosslinked polyethylene and methoxymethylated nylon 6

The effect of modification of polymer chains on crystal thickening during heating was investigated with an apparatus devised for rapid measurement of small-angle x-ray diffraction. Thickening of crystals still occurred even at a heating rate of 18°C/min in polyethylene irradiated with gamma ray doses of 30–300 Mrad, and the melting point was depressed. These results showed that the melting point depression due to irradiation is not due to a restriction on crystal thickening but rather to crystal lattice distortion. On the other hand, although methoxymethylation of nylon 6 completely inhibits crystal thickening, the melting point increases or decreases depending on the temperature of annealing preceding methoxymethylation. From these results we are led to conclude that irradiation and methoxymethylation are not effective means of obtaining the relation between melting point and crystal thickness.     

Brill transition of nylon-6 in electrospun nanofibers

Electrospun nylon-6 fibers were prepared from its polyelectrolyte solution in formic acid with different concentrtaions. In situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were performed on the nylon-6 fibers heated to various temperatures until melting. For comparison, stepwise annealing of the solution-cast film having exclusively the α-form was also carried out to elucidate the structural evolution. Our results showed that Brill transition in the electrospun fibers occurs at a lower temperature than that in the solution-cast film due to the crystal size difference. Differential scanning calorimetry heating traces on the as-spun fibers exhibited a unique crystalline phase with a melting temperature of ～235?°C, higher than the equilibrium melting temperature of nylon-6. The content of high melting temperature (HMT) phase increased with increasing nylon-6 concentration; a maximum of 30?% of the fiber crystallinity was reached for fibers obtained from the 22?wt.% solution regardless of the heating rates used. Based on the SAXS and FTIR results, we speculated that the HMT phase is associated with thick α-form crystals developed from the highly oriented nylon-6 chains that are preserved in the skin layer of the as-spun fibers. A plausible mechanism for the formation of the skin/core fiber morphology during electrospinning was proposed.     

Thermal behavior of α nylon-12

The thermal behavior of α nylon-12 film cast from a phenol-ethanol mixture has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Polymorphism has been analyzed by x-ray diffraction. The γ form exhibits a single endothermic melting peak in the thermogram, whereas the α form exhibits double peaks. Samples with mixed α and γ forms show double peaks at the same positions and the area ratio changes in accordance with the amounts of the two forms. The appearance of the γ peak, even for the α sample, is explained by recrystallization to the γ form after melting of the α form. The melting point of α nylon-12 is ca. 173°C, which is lower by 6–7° than that of the γ form. Once the α or γ sample has been melted and then cooled, its heating thermogram shows a small peak before the appearance of the main peak. The small peak seems to be due to incomplete and/or smaller crystallites formed during cooling. Heat treatment below the melting point of α nylon-12 is effective in transforming the α form to the γ form, probably via a melt-recrystallization process.     

Solution grown isotactic polystyrene crystals. II. Kinetics of thermal changes by x-ray diffraction

The present paper is a study of the annealing, melting, and recrystallization behavior of solution grown isotactic polystyrene crystals in order to elucidate changes both in total lamellar thickness and in the thickness of the crystalline “core” as a function of temperature. The lamellar thickness was obtained from x-ray long spacings and the core thickness from the broadening of appropriate reflections, both assessed by a high sensitivity x-ray detector system able to produce records within a few minutes during time dependent processes. The x-ray results were correlated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. On heating, first the usual annealing effects with little net melting were observed, but on increasing the temperature large changes in long spacing, which were reversible with temperature, were seen accompanied by only small changes in crystal core thickness. The second effect was found to be associated with a substantial degree of melting. Even after heating above the temperature where complete melting was indicated by DSC, the recrystallization rate was found to decrease as the melt temperature was increased and to be much faster than on cooling from the usual melts. Strikingly, this recrystallization was accompanied by a decrease in long period with time even under isothermal conditions. It is inferred that the memory of the preceding crystalline stack is preserved throughout the melting range and even beyond this, far into the molten state. This “seeding” effect is intrinsic to the polymer even if its nature cannot be specified. The principal effects in question can then be explained by envisaging that randomly placed lamellas gradually disappear within the stack on melting and successively reappear on crystallization during cooling. These ideas agree well with previous work on reversible long spacing changes in polyethylene (see ref. 9) and are likely to be of wider generality for melting and recrystallization phenomena in systems having stacked lamellar morphologies.     

Differential thermal analysis of polyethylene under high pressure

The design of a differential thermal analysis apparatus for use at elevated pressure is described. Experiments on melting and crystallization of folded-chain crystals of polyethylene and poly(ethylene–butene-1) copolymer, and melting of extended-chain polyethylene crystals have been conducted at pressures up to 4200 bars. The precision in transition temperature measurement was ±1°C. The Clausius-Clapeyron equation predicts the melting point increase with pressure at atmospheric pressure to be 32.0°C/kb. The melting point depression due to copolymerization remained constant over the complete pressure range analyzed on the poly(ethylene–butene-1) used in this study. Crystallization of polyethylene is retarded at elevated pressures, and a 50% larger degree of supercooling is necessary at 5000 bars to give a crystallization rate equal to that observed at atmospheric pressure. The difference in melting point between folded-chain and extended-chain polyethylene increases from 8.4°C at 1 bar to 25.6°C at 3000 bars.     

Thermal behavior and structure of clay/nylon-6 nanocomposite synthesized by in situ solution polymerization

This article discusses the effect of increasing mass percentage of nanoclay on the thermal, structural and morphological properties of nanoclay/nylon-6 nanocomposite. Polymerization of ε-caprolactam conducted in the presence of clay resulted in increased d-spacing and expansion of the clay galleries. A combination of differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy was used to study the structure–property relationship. The effect of clay on the melting behavior of nylon-6 was studied by using quenched and normally cooled samples. The clay particles acted as external nucleating agents, and a dramatic effect on the crystallization behavior of nylon-6 was observed. The nylon-6 crystals formed are predominantly of the γ-type in the presence of clay. The presence of up to 1 % of clay lead to an increase in the heat of fusion. For nylon-6 samples containing greater than 1 % clay, the heat of fusion decreased significantly.     

Deformation and structure of doubly oriented polyethylene

Doubly oriented low-density polyethylene with parallel lamellae was compressed along the initial draw direction (i.e., at right angles to the lamellar surfaces) at 20°C. Wide- and low-angle x-ray diffraction were used to determine the changes in the molecular orientation and in the texture. During the compression, specimens previously annealed at or near 102°C were found to undergo changes in length, in long spacing, and in molecular orientation which were consistent with an (001) chain slip mechanism. In specimens annealed at higher temperatures x-ray diffraction indicated that during compression some series component of the long spacing was compressed by a much smaller amount than the remainder of the long spacing, which deformed by chain slip; in these cases it was found that the macroscopic strain along the compression axis (ε_y) was greater than the strain in the long spacing along that axis (ε_d). It is suggested that the missing strain which makes ε_y greater than ε_d is due to partial melting and the consequent development of amorphous regions between the stacks of lamellae.     

Real time small-angle x-ray scattering during annealing of polymer single crystals

Experiments at the Cornell high energy synchrotron source (CHESS) have shown that it is possible to obtain 2-D small-angle x-ray scattering patterns from single crystal mats of high density polyethylene with a time resolution of 0.3 s. However, it took up to 5 s to heat the 0.1-mm-thick specimen to the annealing temperature. A logarithmic increase of long spacing was quickly established, after an induction time of <2 s at the higher annealing temperatures. At lower temperatures the original reflection remains, weakening, while a continuous scatter to smaller angles builds up. At 10–20 s annealing time a new maximum becomes clear, and then the logarithmic increase of long spacing begins. The intensity of this reflection is intially low and increases with annealing time. On cooling it decreases again. It seems that here we can directly observe two mechanisms of lamellar thickening, melting then recrystallization at short times and diffusional thickening at long times.     

Properties and structures of films drawn from polyethylene single-crystal mats

The properties and structures of polyethylene films drawn from mats of single crystals were investigated in comparison with films drawn from bulk polymer. The most important result obtained is that the structural reorganization stimulated by mechanical stress and annealing occurs with much greater difficulty in the mat-drawn film. The chief mechanical characteristics of the film are a very low extensibility and a very high modulus. Structural characteristics, such as the double-orientation of the crystalline region and the morphology of the crystals, do suffer no substantial changes during annealing at high temperatures. This stability of the structure can be related to the characteristic fine structure of the mat-drawn film in which there are a much larger number of tie chains, connecting neighboring crystals, than in the bulk-drawn specimen. Relaxation of the amorphous region and a notable increase in long spacing take place in the mat-drawn sample as in ordinary bulk-drawn samples. However, the morphological changes of the crystals accompanied by the folding back of chains seem to take place with great difficulty during annealing even in the vicinity of the melting point.     

Direct observation of phase transitions of polyethylene under high pressure by a PSPC x-ray system

A position-sensitive proportional counter (PSPC) x-ray measuring system is employed to observe directly phase transition processes of polyethylene at high temperature and high pressure. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal important new experimental data. First, an irreversible crystal transition from the hexagonal to the orthorhombic structures occurs in the critical region where the hexagonal structure begins to appear at a pressure of 350 MPa. That is, the (100) hexagonal reflection is observed only on cooling at 350 MPa. At pressures above about 400 MPa, however, the hexagonal phase is stable and the phase transitions melt ? hexagonal ? orthorhombic occur reversibly. Second, during cooling at pressures above 400 MPa, the (100) hexagonal reflection can be observed at temperatures below the hexagonal ? orthorhombic transition temperature. This behavior suggests that all the crystal morphologies of polyethylene, from “highly-extended-chain” crystals to crystals with a low melting point, are formed by the transitions melt → hexagonal → orthorhombic. Third, in heating at elevated pressures above 500 MPa, a shoulder in the peak intensity versus temperature plot for the (100) hexagonal reflection is observed at a higher temperature than the large maximum which occurs immediately after the crystal transition. This behavior indicates melting in two stages of hexagonal structures with different thermal stabilities, and the shoulder at higher temperature may be due to the fusion of the hexagonal phase annealed either below or above the transition point.     

尼龙1010盐固态缩聚反应的研究

采用测定转化率和分子量、红外光谱、X-射线衍射分析、元素分析、偏光显微镜和扫描电镜等方法研究了结晶尼龙1010盐的特性、尼龙1010盐固态缩聚反应的动力学及其相应的晶体结构形态,用DSC法探讨了其反应机理。     

无活化剂存在时己内酰胺碱催化聚合及高延伸铸型尼龙的制备

研究了在无活化剂存在时己内酰胺的碱性催化聚合反应。实验结果表明当聚合温度在190—220℃范围时制备的铸型尼龙其断裂伸长率在200％以上,最高达363％。并具有高耐冲击性能。与一般铸型尼龙相比较,该高延伸铸型尼龙具有较低的抗张强度、弹性模量、熔点、玻璃化转变温度、密度和结晶度。     

Analysis of the complex thermal behavior of poly(L‐lactic acid) film. I. Samples crystallized from the glassy state

The melting behavior of poly(L ‐lactic acid) film crystallized from the glassy state, either isothermally or nonisothermally, was studied by wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). Up to three crystallization and two melting peaks were observed. It was concluded that these effects could largely be accounted for on the basis of a “melt‐recrystallization” mechanism. When molecular weight is low, two melting endotherms are readily observed. But, without TMDSC, the double melting phenomena of high molecular weight PLLA is often masked by an exotherm just prior to the final melting, as metastable crystals undergo melt‐recrystallization during heating in the DSC. The appearance of a double cold‐crystallization peak during the DSC heating scan of amorphous PLLA film is the net effect of cold crystallization and melt‐recrystallization of metastable crystals formed during the initial cold crystallization. Samples cold‐crystallized at 80 and 90 °C did not exhibit a long period, although substantial crystallinity developed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3200–3214, 2006     

Synthesis and eutectic behavior of liquid crystalline copolyesters

A series of liquid crystalline copolyesters, derived from 1,4‐hydroxy‐benzoic acid (HBA), 6‐hydroxy‐2‐naphthoic acid (HNA), terephthalic acid (TA), and hydroquinone (HQ), were prepared; crystallization, melting and solid‐state structure of the copolyesters were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide‐angle x‐ray diffraction (WAXD). It was found that the variation of melting point of the copolyesters with increasing HBA mol % exhibits eutectic melting behavior at a constant mole ratio of HNA, and the extrapolated eutectic temperature decreases linearly with increasing HNA mol %. WAXD analysis of the copolyesters indicates that the d‐spacing related to three‐dimensional order increases first and then decreases with increasing HBA mol %. The increase of the d‐spacing, consistent with looser packing of chains, leads to the reduction of melting point and most likely accounts for the eutectic behavior observed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2171–2177, 2009     

Morphology and melting behavior of semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate). II. Annealed PET

Annealing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) samples crystallized under isothermal conditions above the crystallization temperature has a marked influence on their morphology and results in increased thermal stability of the crystalline structure as indicated by the melting point increase of the samples. The morphological transformation processes induced by annealing are very complex and depend on the thermal history of the samples, i.e., crystallization temperature and heating procedure. Depending on the nature of the processes occurring during annealing, various parameters characterizing the semicrystalline state of the samples can be affected such as the degree of crystallinity, the long spacing, the thickness of amorphous and crystalline layers, the crystal perfection, the fold-surface structure, and the mosaic structure of the crystalline lamellae. Annealing involves a solid-state transformation of the original crystalline structure including crystal perfection without thickening or a melting followed by recrystallization with crystal perfection and crystal thickening. The combination of differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) measurements and small-angle x-ray scattering is a powerful analytical tool to detect morphological changes and helps in deciding on the processes which are involved in the transformation of the microstructure upon annealing.     

Isomorphic interactions of ethylenic polymers and paraffin wax

The high degree of flexibility of blends containing minor amounts of partly crystalline copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate in paraffin wax seems to be a manifestation of some type of interaction. Low-angle x-ray diffraction of such blends showed a new long spacing intermediate in length between the polymer long spacing and the c axis length of the wax unit cell. This new long spacing appears to be a consequence of isomorphism involving cocrystallization of polymeric ethylene sequences and wax molecules. A lesser type of isomorphic interaction, epitaxy, occurs in polyethylene–wax blends: wax overgrows crystals of already crystallized polyethylene in the same orientation without a change in its c axial dimension.     

Melting of polyoxymethylene

Summary The melting of polyoxymethylene has been analyzed by differential thermal analysis at varying heating rates. Extended chain crystals (F) and folded chain single crystals (SC), hedrites (H), dentrites (D), and spherulites (S) were made and characterized by interference microscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and density and refractive index measurement. Each morphology showed a different time dependent melting behavior. F superheat before melting. SC, H, and D reorganize or recrystallize on heating. S may show cold crystallization of ill crystallized portions on heating. Crystallinities decrease in order F, SC, H. D, S, while zero entropy production melting points decrease in order F, S, SC, H. D. The equilibrium melting point of extended chain crystals is 182.5 °C. The free energy of fold surfaces is estimated to be 49 ergs/cm². A scheme of characterizing polymer samples by the change in melting temperature with heating rate is developed. A comparison with earlier measurements on polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene is attempted. Literature data are discussed. To Prof. Dr. F. H. Müller on his Sixtieth Birthday.     

Die ermittlung des schmelzpunktes von kristallinen polymeren mittels wärmeflusskalorimetrie (DSC)

Small and imperfect crystals in polymers reorganize during slow heating. This leads to an increase of their melting point T_m. In order to measure the melting point of the original crystals, high heating rates are needed. This is possible with the modern heat-flow-calorimeters, which work with very small samples. The thermal lag of a DSC cell causes a shift of the melting peak by ΔT to higher temperature. From the theory of a heat-flow-calorimeter, it follows that the error ΔT is proportional to the square root of heating rate. heat of fusion and sample mass. Measurements with sharp melting low molecular weight compounds confirm that this square root relation is quantitatively followed. In order to measure the true melting point of the crystals present in a polymer sample, one has to use different high heating rates and constant sample mass. By plotting the melting peak temperatures as a function of the square root of heating rate and linear extrapolation to zero heating rate, the true melting point is found. This method is applied to HDPE, LDPE and some polyamides.     

Thermal diffusivity measurement of polyethylene melt by a new temperature wave method

Thermal diffusivity of high density polyethylene (PE) has been measured by a new a. c. Joule-heating method. The diffusivity was determined at various temperatures between room temperature and above melting point in heating and cooling processes. This method is based on the phase shift of temperature waves across film sample, so that it offers several advantages, e.g., easy measuring in polymer melts.     

Shish-kebab structures of nylon-6 obtained from quiescent solutions by application of self-seeding

A study has been made of the morphology and structure of nylon-6 crystals grown from diluted 1,4-butanediol solution. Isothermal crystallization from homogeneous solution resulted in smooth ribbons or lath-shaped crystals aggregated into sheaves. Shish-kebab structures of nylon-6 could be grown from the quiescent solution by self-seeding techniques. Electron microscopic investigations and small-angle x-ray measurements showed that the molecules in the lath-shaped backbones of the shish kebab are folded and oriented perpendicular to the long axis of the crystals. The polyamide laths have the α-monoclinic crystal structure with the hydrogen bonds parallel to the long axis. It is suggested that due to the anisotropic type of bonding in the crystal lattice the crystals fragment laterally during the heating stage in the self-seeding technique. Structural defects, e.g., twinning sites introduced during the dissolution and subsequent crystallization may cause the growth of shish-kebab structures from quiescent solution.