New technique of processing highly oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride) films exclusively in the β phase

Oriented β‐phase films were obtained by utilizing two different techniques: conventional uniaxial drawing at 80 °C of predominantly α‐phase films, and by drawing almost exclusively β‐phase films obtained by crystallization at 60 °C from dimethylformamide (DMF) solution with subsequent pressing. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and pole figure plots showed that with the conventional drawing technique films oriented at a ratio (R) of 5 still contained about 20% of phase α, a crystallinity degree of 40% and β‐phase crystallographic c ‐axis orientation factor of 0.655. Drawing at 90 °C and with R = 4 of originally β‐phase films results in exclusively β‐phase films with crystallinity degree of 45% and orientation factor of 0.885. Crystalline phase, crystallinity degree, and crystallographic c‐axis orientation factor of both phases were also determined for α‐phase oriented films obtained by drawing α‐phase films at 140 °C. For films drawn at 140 °C the α to β phase transition drops to about 22%. Reduction in crystallinity degree with increasing R is more pronounced at draw temperature of 140 °C compared with 80 °C. Moreover, for both phases the c ‐axis orientation parallel to the draw direction is higher at draw temperature of 140 °C than at 80 °C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2793–2801, 2007     

Field-induced dipole reorientation and piezoelectricity in heavily plasticized nylon 11 films

Nylon 11 films with very low initial crystallinity were made by dissolving the nylon 11 in 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol at 150°C. Films were cast from the solution and excessive plasticizer was removed in a vacuum oven. Films were then melt pressed and quenched to yield heavily plasticized nylon 11 films containing ca. 30% by weight of the plasticizer. These films were poled under vacuum to allow the plasticizer to evaporate in the presence of an electric field. A high piezoelectric response (d₃₁ = 7.1 pC/N) was observed for the films subjected to the maximum electric field (E_p = 350 kV/cm) while the sample contained a large fraction of plasticizer. Significant development of crystallinity was observed without apparent indication of orientation of the crystallites. These studies suggest that the observed piezoelectric response originates primarily from oriented hydrogen bonds in the amorphous regions of nylon 11.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) for proton exchange membrane materials

As a novel class of proton exchange membrane materials for use in fuel cells, sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether ketone)s (SPPEKs) were prepared by the modification of poly(phthalazinone ether ketone). Sulfonation reactions were conducted at room temperature with mixtures of 95–98% concentrated sulfuric acid and 27–33% fuming sulfuric acid with different acid ratios, and SPPEK was obtained with a degree of sulfonation (DS) in the desired range of 0.6–1.2. The presence of sulfonic acid groups in SPPEK was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis, and the DS and structures were characterized by NMR. The introduction of sulfonic groups into the polymer chains increased the glass‐transition temperature above the decomposition temperature and also led to an overall decrease in the decomposition temperature. Membrane films were cast from SPPEK solutions in N,N‐dimethylacetamide. Water uptakes and swelling ratios of SPPEK membrane films increased with DS, and SPPEKs with DS > 1.23 were water‐soluble at 80 °C. Proton conductivity increased with DS and temperature up to 95 °C, reaching 10^?2S/cm. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 497–507, 2003     

Interval kinetic gravimetric sorption of acetone in random copolymers of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate)

Interval sorption kinetics of acetone in solvent cast films of random poly(ethylene terephthalate)-co-(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PET-co-PEN) are reported at 35°C and at acetone pressures ranging from 0 to 7.3 cm Hg. Polymer composition is varied systematically from 0% to 50% poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate). Equilibrium sorption is well described by the dual-mode sorption model. Interval sorption kinetics are described using a two-stage model that incorporates both Fickian diffusion and protracted polymer structural relaxation. The incorporation of low levels of PEN into PET significantly reduces the excess free volume associated with the glassy state and, for these interval acetone sorption experiments in ∼ 5 μm-thick films, decreases the fraction of acetone uptake controlled by penetrant-induced polymer structural relaxation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2973–2984, 1999     

The thermal expansion of the monoclinic unit cell of isotactic polypropylene

The lattice parameters of a highly stereoregular metallocene polypropylene crystallized at 145°C were obtained after cooling and heating cycles in a temperature interval between 25°C and 165°C. The b dimension undergoes a large thermal expansion with temperature (0.6 Å) while the change of the a axis is relatively small (0.1 Å). The unit cell dimension along the molecular (c) axis appears less sensitive to temperature than are the intermolecular distances. The difference in dimensions between the a and c axis at low and high crystallization temperatures is small, varying from 2.3 to 3.5%. This small difference allows the formation of daughter, crosshatched lamellae in the complete interval of crystallization temperatures. The thermal expansion coefficient of the unit cell specific volume is also reported. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 2945–2949, 1997     

One‐pot preparation of aromatic poly(azomethine ester) fibrillar crystals using reaction‐Induced crystallization

Polymerizations of 4‐(4‐acetoxybenzylideneamino)benzoic acid were performed in dibenzyltoluene (DBT) and a mixture of DBT and liquid paraffin at 350 °C for 6 h. Fibrillar crystals of poly[4‐(4‐oxybenzylideneamino)benzoyl] (POAB) having the width of 50–450 nm and the length of over 15 μm were obtained by the crystallization during the polymerization. The fibrillar crystals possessed high crystallinity and the molecular chains aligned perpendicular to the long axis of the fibrillar crystals. Plate‐like crystals were initially formed by the crystallization of oligomers, and then they changed to the fibrillar crystals via the formation of bundle‐like crystals after 1 h. Molecular weight increased by the further polymerization in the crystals. Based on these results, one‐pot preparation of the fibrillar POAB crystals was examined by the polymerization of 4‐acetoxybenzaldehyde and 4‐aminobenzoic acid. The polymerization at 180 °C for 2 h and then at 350 °C for 6 h afforded the fibrillar crystals with a small amount of the ribbon‐like crystals. Although the side‐reaction to generate the p‐benzamide sequences was not completely depressed, the sequence of heating in which 180 °C for the formation of the azomethine linkage and then 350 °C for the formation of the ester linkage was preferable to prepare the fibrillar POAB crystals. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Preparation and characterization of branched and linear sulfonated poly(ether ketone sulfone) proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications

Branched sulfonated poly(ether ketone sulfone)s (Br‐SPEKS) were prepared with bisphenol A, bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone, 3,3′‐disodiumsulfonyl‐4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone, and THPE (1,1,1‐tris‐p‐hydroxyphenylethane), respectively, at 180 °C using potassium carbonate in NMP (N‐methylpyrrolidinone). THPE, as a branching agent, was used with 0.4 mol % of bisphenol A to synthesize branched copolymers. Copolymers containing 10–50 mol % disulfonated units were cast from dimethylsulfoxide solutions to form films. Linear sulfonated poly(ether ketone sulfone)s (SPEKS) were also synthesized without THPE. The films were converted from the salt to acid forms with dilute hydrochloric acid. A series of copolymers were studied by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Sorption experiments were conducted to observe the interaction of sulfonated polymers with water and methanol. The ion‐exchange capacity (IEC), a measure of proton conductivity, was evaluated. The synthesized Br‐SPEKS and SPEKS membranes exhibit conductivities (25 °C) from 1.04 × 10^?3 to 4.32 × 10^?3 S/cm, water swell from 20.18 to 62.35%, IEC from 0.24 to 0.83 mequiv/g, and methanol diffusion coefficients from 3.2 × 10^?7 to 4.7 × 10^?7 cm²/S at 25 °C. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1792–1799, 2008     

Linear and four‐armed poly(l‐lactide)‐block‐poly(d‐lactide) copolymers and their stereocomplexation with poly(lactide)s

Linear and four‐armed poly(l ‐lactide)‐block‐poly(d ‐lactide) (PLLA‐b‐PDLA) block copolymers are synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of d ‐lactide on the end hydroxyl of linear and four‐armed PLLA prepolymers. DSC results indicate that the melting temperature and melting enthalpies of poly (lactide) stereocomplex in the copolymers are obviously lower than corresponding linear and four‐armed PLLA/PDLA blends. Compared with the four‐armed PLLA‐b‐PDLA copolymer, the similar linear PLLA‐b‐PDLA shows higher melting temperature (212.3 °C) and larger melting enthalpy (70.6 J g^?1). After these copolymers blend with additional neat PLAs, DSC, and WAXD results show that the stereocomplex formation between free PLA molecular chain and enantiomeric PLA block is the major stereocomplex formation. In the linear copolymer/linear PLA blends, the stereocomplex crystallites (sc) as well as homochiral crystallites (hc) form in the copolymer/PLA cast films. However, in the four‐armed copolymer/linear PLA blends, both sc and hc develop in the four‐armed PLLA‐b‐PDLA/PDLA specimen, which means that the stereocomplexation mainly forms between free PDLA molecule and the inside PLLA block, and the outside PDLA block could form some microcrystallites. Although the melting enthalpies of stereocomplexes in the blends are smaller than that of neat copolymers, only two‐thirds of the molecular chains participate in the stereocomplex formation, and the crystallization efficiency strengthens. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1560–1567     

New rigid-rod poly(benzoxazole-imide)s containing chloro-substituted p-phenylene units in the main chain

A series of new poly(o-hydroxy amide-imide)s with high molecular weights were synthesized by low-temperature solution polycondensation from a preformed imide ring and chloro- or dichloro-substituted p-phenylene-containing diacid chlorides of 2,5-bis(trimellitimido)chlorobenzene or 1,4-bis(trimellitimido)-2,5-dichlorobenzene and three bis(o-amino phenol)s. All the poly(o-hydroxy amide-imide)s were readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and N,N-dimethylacetamide. Transparent and flexible films of these polymers were cast from their solutions. The cast films had tensile strengths ranging from 88 to 102 MPa and elongations at break of 8–12%. Subsequent thermal cyclodehydration of the poly(o-hydroxy amide-imide)s afforded novel poly(benzoxazole-imide)s. The poly(benzoxazole-imide)s exhibited glass-transition temperatures in the range of 310–338 °C and were stable up to 500 °C in nitrogen, with 10% weight-loss temperatures recorded between 550 and 570 °C in nitrogen. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4151–4158, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of thianthrene-containing poly(benzoxazole)s

New thioether- and thianthrene-containing poly(benzoxazole)s (PBOs) were synthesized from 4,4′-thiobis[3-chlorobenzoic acid] and thianthrene-2,7- and -2,8-dicarbonyl chlorides with commercially available bis-o-aminophenols. Polymers were prepared via solution polycondensation in poly(phosphoric acid) at 90–200°C. Transparent PBO films were cast directly from polymerization mixtures or m-cresol. The films were flexible and tough. Non-fluorinated PBOs were soluble only in strong acids and AlCl₃/NO₂R systems by forming complexes with the benzoxazole heterocycle Glass transition temperatures ranged from 298–450°C, and thermogravimetric analysis showed good thermal stabilities in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Electrical transport through polystyrene films

The steady-state current density versus applied electric field characteristics have been measured for two types of polystyrene films. Measurements were made on 1-mil biaxially oriented film and on films produced by casting from solution. The cast films ranged from 5 to 0.5 μ in thickness. The measurements of the steady-state current flowing through the films were done by two different methods. The first was the direct observation of current flowing in a circuit connected to the film which was under a potential stress. The second involved the observation of the decay of a static charge placed on the surface of a film. Both methods are handicapped by the fact that large transient currents flow for extended periods after any change is made in the experimental set up. The results indicate that at 25°C the current increases as the 3.5 power of the applied electric field when the field is greater than 8 × 10⁴ V/cm. At fields less than 8 × 10⁴ V/cm the current decreases more rapidly and tends to become zero.     

poly(4,4′-oxybibenzoate): Polymerization,morphology, transitions,and crystal structures

4-Acetoxy 4′-carboxy biphenyl has been polymerized from solution, the bulk melt, and in constrained thin films, all below the melting point of the monomer as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). An isothermal sublimation–recrystallization–melting (and chemical change)–polymerization–crystallization process is proposed. From solution and in the thin films, single crystals consisting of ca. 100 Å thick lamellae are observed, with evidence for monomer addition–reaction on the end (top and bottom) surfaces. The bulk samples are fibrous, the “fibers” consisting of whisker-like single crystals. The polymer is highly heat and radiation (electron beam) resistant, with numerous successive electron diffraction (ED) patterns from the same crystal or sheared sample permitting comparison of the changes in ED patterns with transitions seen by DSC at ca. 350, 530, and 590°C. Phase I (a = 7.8, b = 5.5, c = 10.8 Å), a possible phase II (a = 15.6, b = 3.6 Å c = unknown), and a phase III (a = 9.0, b = 5.2 = √3a, c = 10.8 Å). Phases I and II are seen in samples polymerized at temperatures at and below 310°C; phase III is observed in samples polymerized at and above 350°C and in sheared samples. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Crystalline structure and morphology of biaxially oriented polyamide‐11 films

The effect of the uniaxial and biaxial stretching and subsequent solution annealing of extrusion‐cast polyamide‐11 films on the crystalline structure and morphology was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). The extrusion‐cast polyamide‐11 films exhibited elevations in the glass‐transition and cold‐crystallization temperatures with a constant crystallinity and a constant melting point during aging under room conditions (20–26 °C and 20–31% relative humidity). WAXD and SAXS suggested that chain‐folded lamellae of coexisting α‐ and β‐crystals existed in all the stretched polyamide‐11 films. WAXD pole figures indicated that hydrogen bonds in the hydrogen‐bonded sheets of these two crystalline forms apparently formed between antiparallel chain molecules. The unit cell parameters [a = 9.52 Å, b = 5.35 Å, c = 14.90 Å (chain axis), α = 48.5°, β = 90°, and γ = 74.7° for a triclinic α form and a = 9.52 Å, b = 14.90 Å (chain axis), c = 4.00 Å, α = 90°, β = 67.5°, and γ = 90° for a monoclinic β form] for polyamide‐11 crystals were proposed according to the results of this study and the results of previous investigators. The unit cell parameters of the stretched extrusion‐cast polyamide‐11 films varied, depending on the stretching conditions (the stretch temperature and stretch ratio). As the stretch temperature and stretch ratio were increased, the crystal became more similar to the form described previously and was accompanied by an increase in the long spacing of crystalline lamellae. Annealing the stretched films in a boiling 20% formic acid solution made slightly more perfected crystals. The hydrogen‐bonding α(010) + β(002) planes, which are nearly parallel to both amide group planes and zigzag methylene sequence planes of the biaxially stretched films were found to be parallel to the film surface. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2624–2640, 2002     

Synthesis and properties of new organo‐soluble and strictly alternating aromatic poly(ester‐imide)s from 3,3‐bis[4‐(trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide and bisphenols

A series of new strictly alternating aromatic poly(ester‐imide)s having inherent viscosities of 0.20–0.98 dL/g was synthesized by the diphenylchlorophosphate (DPCP) activated direct polycondensation of the preformed imide ring‐containing diacid, 3,3‐bis[4‐(trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide (I), with various bisphenols in a medium consisting of pyridine and lithium chloride. The diimide–diacid I was prepared from the condensation of 3,3‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide and trimellitic anhydride. Most of the resulting polymers showed an amorphous nature and were readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Transparent and flexible films of these polymers could be cast from their DMAc solutions. The cast films had tensile strengths ranging 66–105 MPa, elongations at break from 7–10%, and initial moduli from 1.9–2.4 GPa. The glass‐transition temperatures of these polymers were recorded between 208–275 °C. All polymers showed no significant weight loss below 400 °C in the air or in nitrogen, and the decomposition temperatures at 10% weight loss all occurred above 460 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1090–1099, 2000     

Polycarbazole Copolymers from 3-(4-Fluorobenzoyl)carbazole and 4,4′-Biphenol via Combined C-N and C-O Coupling Reactions with Activated Difluorides

3-(4-Fluorobenzoyl)carbazole was synthesized by a Friedel-Crafts reaction of carbazole with 4-fluorobenzoylchloride. ¹H-NMR and MALDI-TOF MS confirmed the structure and the purity. Copolymers of these NH/OH-containing monomers were prepared with 4, 4′-biphenol and bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfone as comonomers by combined C-O and C-N coupling reactions with activated difluorides. These copolymers were soluble in N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and dimethylformamide (DMF). The inherent viscosities of the copolymers in NMP solutions at 30°C were all around 0.8 dL/g. They could be easily cast into tough films from NMP solutions. The copolymers exhibited T_gs ranging from 238°C to 282°C. Thermal stabilities by TGA showed no weight loss below 400°C and the temperatures of 5% weight loss ranged from 535°C to 558°C. The homopolymer of 3-(4-fluorobenzoyl)carbazole was insoluble in common solvents and had a T_g of 332°C, and temperature of 5% weight loss of 560°C. UV-VIS absorption and fluorescence of the polymers are also presented.     

Synthesis and properties of novel poly(arylene ether)s and poly(arylene thioether)s based on a pyridazine biphenol or a phthalazine biphenol

Novel sulfur‐containing biphenol monomers were prepared in high yields by the reaction of 4‐mercaptophenol with chloropyridazine or chlorophthalazine compounds. High‐molecular‐weight poly(arylene ether)s were synthesized by a nucleophilic substitution reaction between these sulfur‐containing monomers and activated difluoro aromatic compounds. The inherent viscosities of these polymers ranged from 0.34 to 0.93 dL/g. The poly(pyridazine)s exhibited glass‐transition temperatures greater than 165 °C. The poly(phthalazine)s showed higher glass‐transition temperatures than the poly(pyridazine)s. A polymer synthesized from a bisphthalazinebiphenol and bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone had the highest glass‐transition temperature (240 °C). The thermal stabilities of the poly(pyridazine)s and poly(phthalazine)s showed similar patterns of decomposition, with no significant weight loss below 390 °C. The poly(phthalazine)s were soluble in chlorinated solvents such as chloroform, and the poly(pyridazine)s were soluble in dipolar aprotic solvents such as N,N′‐dimethylacetamide. The soluble poly(pyridazine)s and poly(phthalazine)s could be cast into flexible films from solution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 262–268, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of new cardo polyimides prepared from 5,5-Bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-4,7-methanohexahydroindane

A new cardo diamine monomer, 5,5-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-4,7-methanohexahydroindane (II), was prepared in two steps with high yield. The monomer was reacted with six different aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) to obtain the corresponding cardo polyimides via the poly(amic acid) precursors and thermal or chemical imidization. All the poly(amic acid)s could be cast from their DMAc solutions and thermally converted into transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films which were further characterized by x-ray and mechanical analysis. All of the polymers were amorphous and the polyimide films had a tensile strength range of 89–123 MPa, an elongation at break range of 6–10%, and a tensile modulus range of 1.9–2.5 GPa. Polymers V_c, V_e, and V_f exhibited good solubility in a variety of solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), DMAc, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), pyridine, γ-butyrolactone, and even in tetrahydrofuran and chloroform. These polyimides showed glass-transition temperatures between 274 and 299°C and decomposition temperatures at 10% mass loss temperatures ranging from 490 to 521°C and 499 to 532°C in nitrogen and air atmospheres, respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2815–2821, 1999     

Evaluation of poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) as a dielectric capacitor film for high‐temperature energy storage applications

Poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) (P4MP) was characterized to evaluate its viability as a high‐temperature dielectric film for capacitors. Detailed investigation of thermal, mechanical, rheological, and dielectric properties was carried out to assess its high‐temperature performance and processability. P4MP was melt‐processable below 270 °C without degradation and application temperatures as high as 160–190 °C can be achieved. The dielectric constant and loss of melt‐processed P4MP films was comparable to biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) capacitor films, although the dielectric strength was lower. Enhancements in dielectric strength up to 250–300% were achieved via solution‐processing P4MP films, which could be easily scaled up on a roll‐to‐roll platform to yield isotropic, free‐standing films as thin as 3–5 μm. The influence of crystal structure, crystallinity, and surface morphology of these films on the dielectric properties was examined. The dielectric strength was further increased by 450% through biaxial stretching of solution‐cast films, and a Weibull breakdown field of 514 V/μm was obtained. The dielectric constant was very stable as a function of frequency and temperature and the dielectric loss was restricted to <1–2%. Overall, these results suggest that BOP4MP is a promising candidate to obtain similar energy density as a BOPP capacitor film but at much higher operating temperatures. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1497–1515     

Novel method for the preparation of poly(urethane–imide)s and their properties

A polymer blend consisting of polyimide (PI) and polyurethane (PU) was prepared by means of a novel approach. PU prepolymer was prepared by the reaction of polyester polyol and 2,4-tolylenediisocyanate (2,4-TDI) and then end-capped with phenol. Poly(amide acid) was prepared from pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and oxydianiline (ODA). A series of oligo(amide acid)s were also prepared by controlling the molar ratio of PMDA and ODA. The PU prepolymer and poly(amide acid) or oligo(amide acid) solution were blended at room temperature in various weight ratios. The cast films were obtained from the blend solution and treated at various temperatures. With the increase of polyurethane component, the films changed from plastic to brittle and then to elastic. The poly(urethane–imide) elastomers showed excellent mechanical properties and moderate thermal stability. The elongation of films with elasticity was more than 300%. The elongation set after the breaking of films was small. From the dynamic mechanical analysis, all the samples showed a glass transition temperature (T_g) at ca. −15°C, corresponding to T_g of the urethane component, suggesting that phase separation occurred between the two polymer components, irrespective of polyimide content. TGA and DSC studies indicated that the thermal degradation of poly(urethane–imide) was in the temperature range 250–270°C. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3745–3753, 1997     

Detailed analysis of temperature dependences of spherulite morphology and crystallite orientation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) via a combinatorial method

Temperature dependences of spherulite morphology and crystal orientation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) were systematically investigated via a combinatorial method. The method created a temperature gradient ranging from 130 to 200 °C. Results show that the preferential orientation of the crystallites changes with the crystallization temperature. The crystallization at 169 °C gives the most highly developed crystalline state of PVDF crystalline form II (α form), in which the spherulite size is maximal, and the crystallite sizes are also the longest, about 200 nm along the b axes. Besides, the a‐axis is almost parallel to the film normal. It indicates that the crystallization rate is the highest in the b‐axis direction. The perferential orientation at higher temperatures may be attributed to the confined 2D growth of the PVDF spherulites in the thin film, whereas the spherulites grow in the 3D mode at lower temperatures. The crystallization behavior revealed in the method is consistent with the results of melt isothermal crystallization experiments. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 253–261