Structures of X 34‐nylons in chain‐folded lamellae and gel‐spun fibers

Structural studies and morphological features of a new family of linear, aliphatic even–even, X 34‐nylons, with X = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, are investigated with X‐ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Solution‐grown crystals were obtained by isothermal crystallization from N,N‐dimethylformamide solutions. The thickness of lamellar‐like crystals was orders of magnitude less than the chain lengths of the polymer samples used, implying that the chains fold to form chain‐folded lamellae. The results bear a close resemblance, with the noticeable exception of 2 34‐nylon, to those reported for nylon 6 6 and other even–even nylon chain‐folded lamellar crystals. The basic structure of the straight‐stem lamellar core is similar to that of the classic nylon 6 6 triclinic α structure, and the chains tilt ≈42° relative to the lamellar normal. In the case of 2 34‐nylon, the structure resembles the 2 Y nylon series, and the chain tilt angle reduces to 36.6°. These combined results suggest that, even with a relatively low frequency of amide units along the backbone of these molecules, hydrogen bonding is still the dominant element in controlling the behavior, structure, and properties of these polymers. In addition, gels were prepared in concentrated sulfuric acid, and gel‐spun fibers were studied using X‐ray diffraction. The data are interpreted in terms of a modified nylon triclinic α structure that bears a resemblance to the structure of even–even nylons at elevated temperatures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2685–2692, 2002     

Lamellar single crystals of nylon‐10,10 grown from a dimethylformamide solution

A new solvent, dimethylformamide (DMF), and the traditional solvent, 1,4‐butanediol, were used to prepare single crystals of nylon‐10,10 from a dilute solution. The lamellae grown from DMF inhabited a more perfect structure and regular shape than those crystals crystallized from traditional solvents such as 1,4‐butanediol and glycerin. These thin and perfect lamellar crystals demonstrated patterns of variation in spacing different from those of melt‐crystallized spherulites on heating. Specifically, the two main spacings slightly separated rather than continuously approaching each other when the temperature was greater than 180 °C. This is a novel phenomenon observed in nylons. Nevertheless, the usual pattern of change in spacing was observed during the cooling process. These lamellar crystals showed more compact spacing of the (002) and (010/100) planes than spherulites at room temperature. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 729–735, 2001     

Polymorphism of nylon‐6 in multiwalled carbon nanotubes/nylon‐6 composites

The effects of pristine and amino‐functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the crystallization behaviors of nylon‐6 were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction. The results indicate the presence of polymorphism in nylon‐6 and its composites, which is dependent on the MWNTs concentration and the cooling rate. More MWNTs and slow cooling from the melt favors the formation of α crystalline form. With the increase in cooling rates, the crystallinity of neat nylon‐6 decreases, and that of the composites decreases initially but increases afterward. Moreover, the degree of crystallinity of the composites is higher than neat nylon‐6 under high cooling rates, counter to what is observed under low cooling rates. The heterogeneous nucleation induced by MWNTs and the restricted mobility of polymer chains are considered as the main factors. Furthermore, addition of MWNTs increases the crystallization rate of α crystalline form but amino‐functionalization of MWNTs weakens this effect. The influence of thermal treatment on the crystalline structure of MWNTs/nylon‐6 composites is also discussed. A γ–α phase transition takes place at lower temperature for MWNTs/nylon‐6 composites than for nylon‐6. The annealing peaks of the composites annealed at 160 °C are higher than that of neat nylon‐6, and the highest annealing peak is obtained for amino‐functionalized MWNTs/nylon‐6 composites. This phenomenon is closely related to the different nucleation and recrystallization behaviors produced by various MWNTs in confined space. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1499–1512, 2006     

Polymorphism and crystalline transitions of the novel even–odd nylons derived from undecanedioic acid

The crystal structures of nylons X 11 under different conditions (X = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) were investigated by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and electron diffraction (ED). Both the solution‐ and melt‐crystallized samples of nylon 2 11 possess the hexagonal lattice (named γ‐form). Nylons 4 11 and 6 11 exhibit the monoclinic unit cell (termed as α‐like form) for both samples characteristic of two strong diffractions at 0.44 and 0.38 nm. For nylons 8 11, 10 11, and 12 11, the α‐like form are obtained for the solution‐crystallized samples while the β‐like ones are obtained in the case of the melt‐crystallized ones, with typical strong diffractions at 0.42 and 0.40 nm. The quenched nylon 12 11 samples annealing at different temperatures were also studied in this work to illustrate the various crystal forms obtained under different conditions. During the heating process, the α‐like forms of the solution‐crystallized samples for nylons 8 11, 10 11, and 12 11 transform into the high‐temperature hexagonal phases prior to melting, while those of nylons 4 11 and 6 11 did not show such transformations before melting. Variable‐temperature Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was applied to investigate the crystalline transition phenomena and illustrate their essential features in the molecular level. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2048–2060, 2005     

Investigation of solution‐grown,chain‐folded lamellar crystals of the even‐even nylons: 6 6, 8 6, 8 8, 10 6, 10 8, 10 10, 12 6, 12 8, 12 10, and 12 12

Chain‐folded lamellar crystals of the ten even‐even nylons: 6 6, 8 6, 8 8, 10 6, 10 8, 10 10, 12 6, 12 8, 12 10, and 12 12 have been grown from solution and their morphologies and structures studied using transmission electron microscopy, both imaging and diffraction. Sedimented mats were examined using X‐ray diffraction. The solution‐grown crystals are lath‐shaped lamellae and diffraction from these crystals, at room temperature, reveals that three crystalline forms are present in differing ratios. The crystals are composed of chain‐folded, hydrogen‐bonded sheets, the linear hydrogen bonds within which generate a progressive shear of the chains (p‐sheets). The sheets are found to stack in two different ways. Some p‐sheets stack with a progressive shear, to form the “α_p structure”; others sheets stack with an alternate stagger, to form the “β_p structure”. Both the α_p and β_p structures give two strong diffraction signals at spacings of 0.44 nm and 0.37 nm; these signals represent a projected intrasheet interchain distance (actual value 0.48 nm) and the intersheet spacing, respectively. Preparations of nylons 6 6, 8 6, 8 8, 12 6, and 12 8 consisted almost entirely of α_p‐structure material, with only a trace of β_p‐structure material being present. In contrast, nylons 10 6, 10 8, 10 10, 12 10, and 12 12 contained substantial quantities of both α_p‐ and β_p‐structure material, with α_p‐structure material always being in the majority. Preparations of nylons 10 8, 12 10, and 12 12 also showed an additional diffraction signal at 0.42 nm; this signal is characteristic of the pseudohexagonal (high temperature) structure. The melting temperature of solution‐grown lamellae of these even‐even nylons decreases with decreasing linear amide density. On heating, the strong diffraction signals (0.44 nm and 0.37 nm) gradually moved together and merge at the Brill temperature to form a single diffraction signal (0.42 nm), characteristic of the pseudohexagonal structure. This single diffraction signal remained until melting. For nylons 6 6, 8 6, 8 8, 10 6, and 12 6, the Brill temperatures were substantially below the respective melting temperatures and the single 0.42 nm diffraction signal was stable over temperature ranges of 14 °C to 56 °C, depending on the nylon. Conversely, nylons 10 8, 10 10, 12 8, 12 10, and 12 12 had coincident melting and extrapolated Brill temperatures. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1209–1221, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of polyamides containing octadecanedioic acid: Nylon‐2,18, nylon‐3,18, nylon‐4,18, nylon‐6,18, nylon‐8,18, nylon‐9,18, and nylon‐12,18

High‐aliphatic‐content linear nylons were produced with an 18‐carbon diacid with diamines containing both odd and even methylene segments. The resulting polymers were characterized with viscosimetric, thermal, and spectroscopic techniques. Solid‐state ¹⁵N NMR was used to determine the nylon crystalline form present. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 936–945, 2005     

Temperature-induced changes in chain-folded lamellar crystals of aliphatic polyamides. Investigation of nylons 2 6, 2 8, 2 10, and 2 12

Four members of the even-even nylon 2 Y series, for Y = 6, 8, 10, and 12, have been crystallized in the form of chain-folded lamellar single crystals from 1,4-butanediol and studied by transmission electron microscopy (imaging and diffraction), x-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis. The structures of these 2 Y nylons are different from those of nylon 6 6 and many other even-even nylons. At room temperature, two strong diffraction signals are observed at spacings 0.42 and 0.39 nm, respectively; these values differ from the 0.44 and 0.37 nm diffraction signals observed for nylon 6 6 and most even-even nylons at ambient temperature. Detailed analyses of the diffraction patterns show that all these 2 Y nylons have triclinic unit cells. The diamine alkane segments of 2 Y nylons are too short to sustain chain folds; thus, the chain folds must be in the diacid alkane segments in all cases. On heating the crystals from room temperature to the melt, the triclinic structures transform into pseudohexagonal structures and the two diffraction signals meet at the Brill transition temperature which occurs significantly below the melting point. The room temperature structures of these 2 Y nylons are similar to the unit cell of nylon 6 6 at elevated temperature, but below its Brill temperature. The room temperature structures and behavior on heating of the nylon 2 Y family is noticeably different from that of the even-even nylon X 4 family, although the only difference between these families of polyamides is the relative disposition of the amide groups within the chains. The results show that in order to understand the structure, behavior and properties of crystalline nylons, especially as a function of temperature, the detailed stereochemistry needs to be taken into account. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys, 35: 675–688, 1997     

Crystalline structure and thermal behavior of nylon‐10,14

The structure and morphology of a novel polyamide, nylon‐10,14, and its lamellar crystals from dilute solution were examined by transmission electron microscopy and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). Both the electron‐diffraction pattern and WAXD data demonstrated that nylon‐10,14 adopts the structure of a triclinic lattice similar to that of the traditional nylon‐66 but with a corresponding increase of the c parameter to 3.23 nm. In addition, the thermal behavior of melt‐crystallized nylon‐10,14 was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The glass‐transition temperature of nylon‐10,14 determined by the DMA data was 46.6°C. DSC indicated that the multiple melting behavior of isothermally crystallized nylon‐10,14 probably results from the melt and recrystallization mechanism. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1422–1427, 2003     

Effect of silver nanoparticles on the dynamic crystallization behavior of nylon‐6

The effect of introducing silver nanoparticles on the rheological properties and dynamic crystallization behavior of nylon‐6 was investigated. The nanocomposites showed slightly higher viscosity than pure nylon‐6 in the low‐frequency range even at an extremely low loading level of the silver particles (0.5–1.0 wt %). The nanoparticles had a more noticeable effect on the storage modulus than on the loss modulus of a nylon‐6 melt and reduced its loss tangent. They increased the crystallization temperature of nylon‐6 by about 14 °C and produced a sharper crystalline peak. The silver nanoparticles promoted the crystallization of nylon‐6, and their effect on the dynamic crystallization of nylon‐6 at 200 °C was more notable at a lower shear rate and at 190 °C at a higher frequency. Nylon‐6 produced large spherulitic crystals, but the nanocomposites showed a grainy structure. In addition, the silver nanoparticles reduced the fraction of the α‐form crystal but increased that of the γ‐form crystal. The nanocomposites crystallized at 190 °C showed a lower melting temperature than nylon‐6 by about 3 °C, whereas the nanocomposites crystallized at 200 °C showed almost the same melting temperature. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 790–799, 2004     

Hydration in a new semiaromatic polyamide observed by humidity‐controlled dynamic viscoelastometry and X‐ray diffraction

Hydration in a new semiaromatic polyamide, named polyamide 9‐T (PA9‐T), a copolymer of terephthalic acid with n‐ and iso‐nonanediamines, is studied by dynamic viscoelastic analysis under controlled humidity conditions and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction analysis in comparison with common polyamide nylon 6. The storage modulus of PA9‐T is retained at up to 60 °C with increasing humidity, then dropped with further increases in temperature past 70 °C. The decrease in mechanical properties at 70 °C due to moisture uptake is found to be substantially improved by annealing to develop molecular packing and/or crystallization. In contrast, the storage modulus of very highly crystallized (50% crystallinity) nylon 6 decreases markedly with humidity at low temperatures such as 20 °C. Thus, PA9‐T retains its mechanical properties in humid atmospheres at much higher temperatures than nylon 6. The crystalline X‐ray diffraction peaks for nylon 6 corresponding to (002) + (202) of the α form shift upon absorption of moisture, speculated to be due to the weakening of hydrogen bonds and the subsequent conformational disordering of the chains. Unlike nylon 6, the crystalline peaks of PA9‐T do not shift due to moisture uptake. This is considered to be attributable to that the long aliphatic chain in PA9‐T forms the large hydrophobic domain, rendering PA9‐T less hygroscopic than nylon 6. Additionally, strong hydrogen bonds formed by terephthalamide residues together with a strong stacking force of phenylene groups may also repel water, preventing moisture bind with the amide groups of PA9‐T crystals. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1640–1648, 2005     

Multiple melting and crystallization of nylon‐66/montmorillonite nanocomposites

Nylon‐66 nanocomposites were prepared by melt‐compounding nylon‐66 with organically modified montmorillonite (MMT). The organic MMT layers were exfoliated in a nylon‐66 matrix as confirmed by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of MMT layers increased the crystallization temperature of nylon‐66 because of the heterogeneous nucleation of MMT. Multiple melting behavior was observed in the nylon‐66/MMT nanocomposites, and the MMT layers induced the formation of form II spherulites of nylon‐66. The crystallite sizes L₁₀₀ and L₀₁₀ of nylon‐66, determined by WAXD, decreased with an increasing MMT content. High‐temperature WAXD was performed to determine the Brill transition in the nylon‐66/MMT nanocomposites. Polarized optical microscopy demonstrated that the dimension of nylon‐66 spherulites decreased because of the effect of the MMT layers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2861–2869, 2003     

Morphology and structure of nylon‐2,14 single crystals from dilute solution

A perfect single crystal of nylon‐2,14 was prepared from 0.02% (w/v) 1,4‐butanediol solution by a “self‐seeding” technique and isothermal crystallization at 120 and 145 °C. The morphology and structure features were examined by transmission electron microscopy with both image and diffraction modes, atomic force microscopy, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). The nylon‐2,14 single crystal grown from 1,4‐butanediol at 145 °C inhabited a lathlike shape with a lamellar thickness of about 9 nm. Electron diffraction and WAXD data indicated that nylon‐2,14 crystallized in a triclinic system with lattice dimensions a = 0.49 nm, b = 0.51 nm, c = 2.23 nm, α = 60.4°, β = 77°, and γ = 59°. The crystal structure is different from that of nylon‐6,6 but similar to that of other members of nylon‐2Y. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1913–1918, 2002     

Cold crystallization behavior of polyamide 6 in PS‐g‐PA6 graft copolymers

TEM micrographs show that the PA grafts of PS‐g‐PA6 graft copolymers, which are obtained directly by extracting homo‐PA6 out from the homo‐PA6/PS‐g‐PA6 blends, are in the form of wormlike structure. The wormlike PA6 domains can shrink into droplets after annealing at 250 °C for 15 min. The diameter of the droplet determined by TEM and SAXS is in the range of 50–60 nm. This article reports on a unique crystallization behavior of the PA6 grafts in PS‐g‐PA6 graft copolymers. In a DSC cooling scan, PA6 grafts do not crystallize from the melt with a cooling rate of 10 °C/min. However, there is a cold crystallization peak around 65 °C in the subsequent heating scan. This cold crystallization phenomenon, which has not yet been reported in the literature till now, follows well the homogeneous nucleation mechanism and is depressed at relatively slow cooling rates (2 °C/min) or even completely eliminated after annealing within a specific temperature range. It may be caused by the slow diffusion or transport rate of the less flexible PA6 grafts to the crystal fronts when crystallization takes place around its glass transition temperature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 65–73, 2010     

Nylon–selected topics

Elements of the technology of nylon fibers and nylon plastics are reviewed. These include the development of equations to quantify the effects of end‐group imbalance and chain‐ending impurities, the kinetics of the polymerization of caprolactam, the solid‐state polymerization of nylon‐66, and the dependence of fiber tensile strength on molecular weight. This is followed by remarks that include comments on the significance of the amidation equilibrium for melt behavior and estimates of the activation energy of viscous flow, the pyrolysis of nylon, the use of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) to predict the effect of moisture on properties, and the prospect for new nylons. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2565–2570, 2001     

Nylon 6 9 can crystallize with hydrogen bonding in two and in three interchain directions

Nylon 6 9 has been shown to have structures with interchain hydrogen bonds in both two and in three directions. Chain-folded lamellar crystals were studied using transmission electron microscopy and sedimented crystal mats and uniaxially oriented fibers studied by X-ray diffraction. The principal room-temperature structure shows the two characteristic (interchain) diffraction signals at spacings of 0.43 and 0.38 nm, typical of α-phase nylons; however, nylon 6 9 is unable to form the α-phase hydrogen-bonded sheets without serious distortion of the all-trans polymeric backbone. Our structure has c and c^* noncoincident and two directions of hydrogen bonding. Optimum hydrogen bonding can only occur if consecutive pairs of amide units alternate between two crystallographic planes. The salient features of our model offer a possible universal solution for the crystalline state of all odd–even nylons. The nylon 6 9 room-temperature structure has a C-centered monoclinic unit cell (β = 108°) with the hydrogen bonds along the C-face diagonals; this structure bears a similarity to that recently proposed for nylons 6 5 and X3. On heating nylon 6 9 lamellar crystals and fibers, the two characteristic diffraction signals converge and meet at 0.42 nm at the Brill temperature, T_B · T_B for nylon 6 9 lamellar crystals is slightly below the melting point (T_m), whereas T_B for nylon 6 9 fibers is ≅ 100°C below T_m. Above T_B, nylon 6 9 has a hexagonal unit cell; the alkane segments exist in a mobile phase and equivalent hydrogen bonds populate the three principal (hexagonal) directions. A structure with perturbed hexagonal symmetry, which bears a resemblance to the reported γ-phase for nylons, can be obtained by quenching from the crystalline growth phase (above T_B) to room temperature. We propose that this structure is a “quenched-in” perturbed form of the nylon 6 9 high-temperature hexagonal phase and has interchain hydrogen bonds in all three principal crystallographic directions. In this respect it differs importantly from the γ-phase models. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1153–1165, 1998     

Effect of thermal history on the free volume properties of semi‐crystalline poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) membranes by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Free volume properties of a series of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) membranes, which were produced by various nonisothermal crystallization processes (rapid‐, step‐, and slow‐cooling processes), were investigated using positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy over a temperature range of 25–90 °C. From the annihilation lifetime parameters, the temperature dependence of free volume size, amount, size distribution, and fractional free volume and thermal expansion properties of free volume were discussed. A model which assumed that amorphous phase was subdivided into mobile and rigid amorphous fractions (MAF and RAF) in the semicrystalline polymer was considered to interpret the temperature dependence of those free volume properties. Morphological observation of the semicrystalline polymer by small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) indicated that the rapid‐cooled (cold‐crystallized) membranes showed a much thinner thickness of the repeating lamellar/amorphous layers and most likely higher amount of RAF, which restrained the chain motion, than the step‐ and slow‐cooled (melt‐crystallized) membranes. The difference of free volume properties among various PHBV membranes was created according to the crystalline structure of the polymer from different thermal history. The polymer crystallized with slower cooling rate induced higher crystallinity and resulted in less free volume amount and lower fractional free volume. In addition, the thermal expansion coefficients of free volume size were affected by the crystallization rate of PHBV polymer. Larger distribution of the free volume size of melt‐crystallized membranes was observed as a result of the bimodal distribution of the lamellar periodicity and less amount of RAF than that of the cold‐crystallized membranes. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 855–865, 2009     

Reversibility of the low‐temperature transitions of polytetrafluoroethylene as revealed by temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry

Temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry reveals distinct differences in the kinetics of the low‐temperature phase transitions of polytetrafluoroethylene. The triclinic to trigonal transition at 292 K is partially reversible as long it is not complete. As soon as the total sample is converted, supercooling is required to nucleate the reversal of the helical untwisting involved in the transition. The trigonal phase can be annealed in the early stages after transformation with a relaxtion time of about 5 minutes. The dependence of the reversing heat capacity on the modulation amplitude, after a metastable equilibrium has been reached, is explained by a non‐linear, time‐independent increase of the heat‐flow rate, perhaps caused by an increased true heat capacity. The order‐disorder‐transition at 303 K from the trigonal to a hexagonal condis phase is completely reversible and time‐independent. It extends to temperatures as low as the transition at 292 K or even lower. Qualitatively, the thermal history and crystallization conditions of polytetrafluoroethylene do not affect the transition kinetics, that is, melt‐crystallized film and as‐polymerized powders show similar transition behaviors, despite largely different crystallinities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 750–756, 2001     

Side‐chain crystallization behavior of graft copolymers consisting of amorphous main chain and crystalline side chains: Poly(methyl methacrylate)‐graft‐poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(methyl acrylate)‐graft‐poly(ethylene glycol)

Graft copolymers consisting of amorphous main chain, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), or poly(methyl acrylate) (PMAc), and crystalline side chains, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), have been prepared by copolymerization of PEG macromonomers with methyl methacrylate or methyl acrylate (MMAx or MACx, respectively). Because of the compatibility of PMMA/PEG and PMAc/PEG, from small‐angle X‐ray scattering results, the main and side chains in graft copolymers were suggested to be homogeneous in the molten state. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) cooling scans revealed that PEG side chains for graft copolymers with large PEG fractions were crystallized when the sample was cooled, with a cooling rate of 10 °C/min. The spherulite pattern observed by a polarized optical microscope suggested the growth of PEG crystalline lamellae. Crystallization of PEG in MMAx was more restrained than in MACx. From these results, we have concluded that the crystallization behavior of the grafted side chains is strongly influenced by the glass transition of a homogeneously molten sample as well as dilution of the crystallizable chains. Domain spacings for isothermally crystallized graft copolymers were described by interdigitating chain packing in crystalline–amorphous lamellar structure. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 79–86, 2005     

Two‐step cavitation in semi‐crystalline polymer during stretching at temperature below glass transition

Cavitation behavior in poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) upon stretching below glass transition temperature was investigated by in situ ultra‐small angle X‐ray scattering technique. Strong stress‐whitening was observed indicating an extensive occurrence of cavitation in the material during tensile deformation below Tg. The X‐ray scattering patterns suggest oriented disc‐shaped cavities with normal mostly parallel to the stretching direction occurred. Structural parameters of such cavities such as thickness, radius, and tilting angle of the normal of the disc with respect to the stretching direction have been successfully calculated using a model fitting procedure. The results exhibited a two‐step process of cavitation that small amount of large cavities appeared first and then small cavities were triggered extensively in the samples at larger strains. This two‐step cavitation phenomenon can be weakened after the quenched sample was annealed or the sample was prepared by slow cooling. This peculiar two‐step cavitation process can be understood as a result of high frozen in internal stress in quenched sample that led to local failure of the materials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2007–2014     

Dynamics of Monolayer–Island Transitions in 2,7‐Dioctyl‐benzothienobenzthiophene Thin Films

The order in molecular monolayers is a crucial aspect for their technological application. However, the preparation of defined monolayers by spin‐coating is a challenge, since the involved processes are far from thermodynamic equilibrium. In the work reported herein, the dynamic formation of dioctyl‐benzothienobenzothiophene monolayers is explored as a function of temperature by using X‐ray scattering techniques and atomic force microscopy. Starting with a disordered monolayer after the spin‐coating process, post‐deposition self‐reassembly at room temperature transforms the initially amorphous layer into a well‐ordered bilayer structure with a molecular herringbone packing, whereas at elevated temperature the formation of crystalline islands occurs. At the temperature of the liquid‐crystalline crystal–smectic transition, rewetting of the surface follows resulting in a complete homogeneous monolayer. By subsequent controlled cooling to room temperature, cooling‐rate‐dependent kinetics is observed; at rapid cooling, a stable monolayer is preserved at room temperature, whereas slow cooling causes bilayer structures. Increasing the understanding and control of monolayer formation is of high relevance for achieving ordered functional monolayers with defined two‐dimensional packing, for future applications in the field of organic electronics.