Effect of morphology and degree of crystallinity on the infrared absorption spectra of linear polyethylene

The infrared absorption spectra of selected crystalline and noncrystalline bands were studied in bulk-crystallized specimens of linear polyethylene which encompassed the extremely wide density range of 0.92–0.99 g./cm.³. The analysis of the data obtained at room temperature yield degrees of crystallinity by infrared methods which are in very good accord with the values deduced from the density measurements. Studies of the infrared spectra as a function of temperature give fusion curves which are in agreement with those obtained by thermodynamic methods. However, in order to obtain these latter results cognizance must be taken of the large negative temperature coefficient of the specific extinction coefficients of the crystalline bands from room temperature to the melting point. The necessary data to account for this phenomena were obtained from studies of the spectra of the n-paraffin, C₉₄H₁₉₀, where molecular crystals are formed. Analysis of the two gauche bands, at 1352 and 1303 cm.^?1, which are assigned to the noncrystalline regions demonstrate that for bulk-crystallized samples of lowest densities the intensity ratio at room temperature is identical to that expected from the pure melt at this temperature. The conclusion is thus reached that the noncrystalline regions in these cases and the pure melt are structurally very similar. For samples of higher density, where the crystallite size is comparable to the extended chain length, the intensity ratio of the two gauche bands is altered. This change could reflect a change in the sequential distribution of gauche bonds. This intensity ratio for crystals formed from dilute solution is very similar to that for the high-density bulk-crystallized material and indicates a similarity in structure of the noncrystalline regions in the two cases.     

Melting behavior of linear polyethylene crystallized by solution stirring

Calorimetric and dilatometric studies have been made of the fusion process of linear polyethylene crystals precipitated by high speed stirring from solution. It is shown that long-time annealing at elevated temperatures alleviates the superheating observed when rapid heating rates are employed. By the annealing procedures that have been adopted, a small but demonstrable fraction of high melting material can be produced whose melting temperature depends on the crystallization temperature. For crystallization at 105°C, followed by annealing at 142°C, a melting temperature of 146.0 ± 0.5°C is observed. The dissolution temperature in xylene, determined for the same sample, is consistent with the high melting temperature observed for the pure polymer. It is recognized that a state of high axial orientation need not necessarily be identified with extended chain crystals. Consequently, the increased melting temperature can result from either an increase in the crystallite size or a reduced interfacial free energy relative to crystallites produced by the more conventional mode of crystallization.     

Sizes and interfacial free energies of crystallites formed from fractionated linear polyethylene

Replicas of fracture surfaces of fractions of linear polyethylene, which were crystallized at elevated temperatures for extended time periods, were examined by electron microscopy. Striated. lamella-type crystallites were observed for all molecular weights over the range 3.2 × 10³?5.7 × 10⁵. In agreement with Anderson's previous report, for molecular weights of 12,000 or less, the crystallite thicknesses were comparable to the extended chain length. As the molecular weight increased above this level, however, the crystallite sizes increased only slightly and hence at high molecular weights were very much smaller than the extended chain length. From the measured melting temperatures, crystallite interfacial free energies were calculated from the theory for the melting of finite size crystals comprised of chains of finite length. The crystallite interfacial free energy was found to increase with molecular weight. Based on these results, a crystallization process is outlined which allows for the formation of either extended chain crystallites, or crystallites whose size is much smaller than the extended chain length without any change in nucleation mechanism or arbitrary adjustment in growth mechanism with molecular weight.     

Mechanical spectrometry of alpha relaxations of high-density polyethylene

By using an automated low-frequency apparatus, dynamic mechanical experiments are performed on bulk-crystallized high-density polyethylene in the temperature range of the α relaxation. In order to characterize the key morphological features governing the presence of multiple α relaxations, we have developed a simple model from calorimetric data to assess the crystallite size distribution of samples with different thermal histories. The morphological characterizations are completed by wide-angle x-ray diffraction measurements. Isochronal spectrometry and frequency scans performed under isothermal conditions both exhibit two α relaxations designated α₁ and α₂, with increasing temperature (or increasing frequency). These two relaxations are frequency dependent but they are not thermorheologically simple processes. Some analogy is found between tan ? versus temperature or frequency and the biomodal lamellar size distribution curves determined from calorimetric data. Moreover, both the temperature of α₂ peak and the most probable lamellar thickness of the larger lamellae depend on the thermal history of the sample: with increasing thickness of the larger lamellae, the α₂ peak temperature is shifted toward higher temperature. In contrast, both the temperature of the a peak and the most probable lamellar thickness of the thinner lamellae seem to be independent of thermal history: the thinner lamellae should be formed on cooling from the remaining uncrystallized fraction. From thege findings, it is proposed that the α, and α₂ relaxations have the same origins and that they could arise from defect diffusion within the thinner and thicker crystallites, respectively, with some influence of the amorphous matter in the interfacial regions.     

HE－1型催化剂异相聚合乙烯结晶性能研究 Ⅱ．超高分子量PE结晶行为

用小角Ｘ－射线散射，广角Ｘ－射线衍射，差示扫描量热法，研究了ＨＥ－１型钛系催化剂异相聚合超高分子量聚乙烯的稀溶液的结晶和熔融结晶的熔点，熔化热，结晶度，长周期，晶区厚度和非晶区厚度随分子量与结晶温度的关系，并着重讨论了熔融结晶和初生态结晶的不同过程机理，结果表明：ＵＨＭＷＰＥ稀溶液结晶的结晶度（Ｘ％），长周期（Ｌ）和晶区厚度（Ｌｃ）与分子量Ｍｗ无关，随结晶温度升高而增加，非晶区厚度（Ｌａ）与分子量     

Small-angle x-ray scattering from poly(tetramethyl-p-silphenylene) siloxane (TMPS) fractions

Small-angle x-ray scattering studies were made on bulk-crystallized samples and annealed oriented films of TMPS. The temperature dependence of the small-angle scattering was determined over a range of annealing conditions. The effect of sample molecular weight on the small-angle peaks was also studied. The peak intensity, measured at room temperature after annealing, was strongly dependent on the annealing conditions. The position of the peak gradually moved to smaller angles (larger d spacings) as the annealing temperature was raised. Surface free energies were deduced from the melting point dependence of the crystallite size. This surface energy was found to increase with molecular weight in accord with values deduced for spherulite growth rate-temperature dependence.     

HE－1型催化剂异相聚合乙烯结晶性能研究 Ⅱ．超高分子量PE结晶行为

用小角Ｘ－射线散射，广角Ｘ－射线衍射，差示扫描量热法，研究了ＨＥ－１型钛系催化剂异相聚合超高分子量聚乙烯的稀溶液的结晶和熔融结晶的熔点，熔化热，结晶度，长周期，晶区厚度和非昌区厚度随分子量与结晶温度的关系．并着重讨论了熔融结晶和初生态结晶的不同过程机理．结果表明：ＵＨＭＷＰＥ稀溶液结晶的结晶度（Ｘｃ％），长周期（Ｌ）和晶区厚度（Ｌｃ）与分子量Ｍｗ无关，随结晶温度升高而增加，非晶区厚度（Ｌａ）与分子量和结晶温度均无关，熔点Ｔｍ随分子量增大稍有升高．熔融结晶样品长周期与分子量无关，却和结晶温度和时间有关．其结晶度和晶区厚度随分子量增大而下降，非昌区厚度和熔点均随分子量增大而增大，初生态粉末中没发现长周期，却发现有较高熔点．     

Structure of ethylene sulphide crystallites in block copolymers

Block copolymers, having the configuration ethylene sulphide-isoprene-styrene or ethylene sulphide-isoprene-ethylene sulphide, have been characterized to define the structure of the ethylene sulphide moiety. It is concluded that ethylene sulphide-isoprene-styrene block copolymers exist in solution and in bulk (above the styrene softening point) as radial aggregates held together by polyethylene sulphide crystallites. During polymerization, these crystallites are formed with a linear extended chain morphology which is retained in bulk in ethylene sulphide-isoprene-styrene copolymers: in the copolymers which require processing above the melting point of the ethylene sulphide crystallites, the linear morphology is destroyed during moulding.     

Determination of the distribution of straight-chain segment lengths in crystalline polyethylene from the Raman LAM-1 band

It is shown how the shape of the longitudinal acoustic vibration observed in the low-frequency region of the Raman spectra of crystalline polymers can be used to obtain a quantitative distribution of lengths of straight-chain segments associated with polymer lamellas. The procedure is demonstrated for a “solid-state” extrudate of polyethylene and for a bulk-crystallized specimen of the same polymer. Equations relating the shape of the LAM-1 band to the shape of the distribution curve are given. The low intensity observed for the LAM-3 mode relative to LAM-1 is explained quantitatively without recourse to end effects. LAM-5 has been observed for bulk-crystallized polyethylene. For the extrudate we find the distribution of lengths of straight-chain segments to have a tail on the long-length side which is not present for the bulk-crystallized sample. The Raman technique is shown to provide new morphological data unattainable at present by other methods.     

聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯的熔融双峰

未拉伸聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯(PET)、单轴拉伸PET、双轴拉伸PET在不同条件下热处理,并进行了DSC热分析、X-射线衍射分析、红外分析。结果表明:熔融双峰现象起因于DSC等速升温过程中PET的部分熔融和重结晶;低温峰是等温热处理过程中形成的不完善微晶的熔融峰,高温峰是重结晶后较完善的微晶的熔融峰;在等速升温过程中,PET晶胞参数不变、晶格完善、晶粒增大,并且规则折迭链增加,但晶粒随温度增大的过程中出现低谷。     

THE DOUBLE MELTING PEAKS OF POLY(ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)

Three sets of PET samples, comprising original (undrawn), uniaxially drawn and biaxially ones, after annealed at 230°, 240°and 250℃respectively, were subjected to DSC thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and IR analysis. The results indicate that the phenomenon of double melting peaks during DSC analysis is due to the partial melting and recrystallization of the crystallite at the moment of thermal scanning. The lower temperature peak, which varies slightly according to annealing condition, corresponds to the melting of imperfect crystallite, and the higher temperature peak corresponds to the melting of better organized crystallite. In the course of temperature scanning, the unit cell parameters of PET remains unchanged while the crystals turn to better crystal lattice, greater crystal size and more regular folding.We also found that there is a slight reduction in crystal size between the two melting peaks, and an explanation is suggested for this phenomenon.     

Small-angle x-ray scattering studies of melting

The course of melting of melt-crystallized polyethylene fractions and of a poly(ethylene oxide)-polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer has been followed by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). Changes in the intensity and shape of the SAXS curves indicated that both surface melting and melting over the full crystallite thickness (full-strand melting) take place. Full strand melting is the final, irreversible process. Comparison with an analytical model indicates that in the earlier stages of the irreversible, full-strand process the crystallites melt out randomly throughout the bulk. Later stages may occur by the simultaneous melting of a larger stack of crystallites.     

Unit-cell dimensions of bulk- and solution-crystallized linear polyethylene

The unit-cell dimensions and density, at room temperature, of bulk- and solution-crystallized linear polyethylene have been determined. The macroscopic measured densities for the bulk-crystallized samples ranged from 0.917 to 0.993 g/cc, and the lattice parameters were found to be independent of the sample density. In contrast, for solution-formed crystals, despite the limited range in macroscopic densities that can be attained, there is a systematic variation in the a and b dimensions with the measured density and the crystallite thickness. The implication of these results for the calculation of the degree of crystallinity and the interpretation of certain infrared bands are discussed.     

Crystallite orientation during melting of oriented ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene

The changes in crystallite orientation during melting of oriented ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW PE) were investigated by means of wide-angle X-ray scattering. The orientation distribution of crystallites in drawn UHMW PE is composed of two components differing in width. The narrow and broad components revealed in this study indicate the existence of two classes of crystallites with different orientability. Some of the crystallites are oriented almost perfectly even at low-draw ratios, while the others do not orient so effectively. The analysis of melting behaviour of such a texture composed of orthorhombic crystals indicates that highly oriented crystallites are formed by taut molecules and transform first to the hexagonal phase, while the molecules constituting low-oriented crystallites melt directly to the typical amorphous phase. The increase in orientation of highly oriented crystallites during their partial melting, observed in the samples kept at constant length and even those allowed to shrink under constant load, can be explained by the kinetic factor proposed by Ziabicki. Received: 11 September 1998 Accepted in revised form: 18 February 1999     

Some simulations on crystallinity in a typical linear low-density polyethylene

Crystallinity in ethylene/1-hexene copolymers, a type of linear low-density polyethylene, was investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The comonomer distributions generated in the simulated chains and the melting temperatures of real chains were used to estimate the minimum crystallite thickness, which is the critical quantity for simulating crystallization in any type of polymer. Simulated values of this thickness were in good agreement with values calculated from Raman longitudinal acoustic mode (LAM) spectroscopy, except for very low 1-hexene mole fractions, where there were presumably complications from high melt viscosities and chain entanglements. The use of this information in estimating properties of these copolymers is illustrated by some preliminary results on the effects of varying amounts of this comonomer on the sizes and numbers of the polyethylene crystallites.     

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.     

On the use of Raman-active longitudinal acoustic modes in the study of polyethylene lamellar structures

The first-, third-, and fifth-order low-frequency, Raman-active, longitudinal acoustical modes of the n-alkane C₉₄H₁₉₀ and different morphological forms of semicrystalline polyethylene have been obtained. An analysis of the results shows that the correction needed to obtain the extended planar-zigzag ordered sequence length is maximum for the n-alkane and very small for the polymer systems. These represent solution crystals as well as bulk-crystallized material. For the latter, samples were prepared so that the crystallite thickness is either comparable to or very much smaller than the extended chain length. An approximate method is also developed which enables the natural linewidth to be determined.     

Melting behavior of polyethylene crystallized in a pressure capillary viscometer

The Melting of various polyethylene structures is compared by using data obtained on the Perkin-Elmer differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Transparent, high-density samples crystallized under both orientation and pressure in the Instron capillary rheometer are compared with samples crystallized from dilute solution by stirring and with samples crystallized under high pressure. The latter two structures are assumed to contain extended-chain crystallites. By comparison, the melting points and the superheatability of the Instron samples are consistent with the presence of an extended-chain crystal component. The melting of irradiated samples crystallized in the rheometer is also observed to be consistent with this conclusion. In addition, DSC data are compared with the melting points defined with a polarized light microscope equipped with a hot stage.     

Melting behavior and morphology of drawn nylon 6

Thermal analysis has been carried out on drawn nylon 6 filaments annealed at various temperatures between 150 and 210°C and then methoxymethylated to various degrees. It is shown that the melting point inherent to the morphology of drawn nylon 6 can be obtained from samples in which the reorganization of defect crystallites in the course of thermal analysis is prevented by a proper degree of methoxymethylation of amorphous regions. The melting point thus obtained is in linear relation with the reciprocal crystallite size in the direction of fiber axis which has been obtained from small-angle x-ray data and crystallinity. The extrapolation and the slope of this linear relation give the equilibrium melting point of nylon 6 as 245°C and an end-surface free energy of 42 erg/cm². The results seem to provide strong support for the presence of chain-fold surfaces in the drawn and annealed polymers.     

Melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate) during heating scan by DSC

The melting behavior of isothermally crystallized poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) has been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide‐angle X‐ray analysis. The samples crystallized between 80°C to 100°C show middle endotherm at the position just before the high exotherm, while the others under 80°C show two endotherms (low and high). From the results of the melting peak vs. crystallization temperature plot, it was suggested that the middle endotherm corresponds to the melting process of the original crystallites and the high endotherms to the melting process of the recrystallized ones. As the DSC heating rate was increased, the peak temperature of the low and middle endotherms increased and that of the high endotherm decreased, indicating that the low endotherm was due to the original crystallites as well as the middle endotherm. Consequently, in the heating scan of PBS, the existence of two kinds of morphologically different crystallites as well as the process of melting and recrystallization becomes evident. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1357–1366, 1999