Crystallization and Melting of Model Polyethylenes with Different Chain Structures

The crystallization and melting of three model polyethylenes of different chain structures have been studied. The polymers studied were a linear copolymer, hydrogenated poly(butadiene); a hydrogenated poly(butadiene)-atactic poly(propylene) diblock copolymer; and a three-arm star hydrogenated poly(butadiene). An important feature of this work was that the crystallizing portions of the copolymers all have the same molecular lengths.It was found that the overall crystallization rate decreases steadily from a linear to a diblock to the star copolymer. The differences in crystallization rates are related primarily to the activation energy for segmental transport. The non-crystallizable structure affects the segmental mobility to different degrees. An estimation of this effect is presented from the analysis of the overall crystallization rates using classical nucleation theory. In spite of thedifferences in their molecular structure, there are no major differences in the supermolecular structure of samples crystallized rapidly or slowly cooled.The melting process followed by DSC of the isothermally crystallized linear and star copolymers shows two endothermic peaks at intermediate undercoolings. The double melting is associated with a partitioning of crystallizable ethylene sequences during crystallization. The longest sequences are preferentially selected in the early stages of the crystallization. Single melting peaks are obtained for high and very low undercoolings for the linear and the star copolymers as well as for the diblock in the whole range of temperatures. The lack of the second, lower melting endotherm in the diblock could be associated with the influence in the crystallization process of the amorphous block in the microphase segregated melt.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Tensile yield of polyethylene in relation to crystal thickness

Tensile yield stress measurements have been performed on a serie of four ethylene/1-butene copolymers covering the crystallinity range 0.33–0.74. Samples have been prepared from melt-crystallization and from solution-crystallization at various concentrations in decalin in order to span a wide range of crystal thickness. It is shown that tensile yield stress depends on crystal thickness rather than on crystallinity. This result is perfectly consistent with a plasticity model based on the nucleation of dislocations. Besides, it in-dicates that the main role of the amorphous phase is only to transmit the load upon the crystals, irrespective of its proportion. The yield stress dependence on crystallinity reported previously relies on the direct correlation of crystal thickness and crystallinity, in the case of melt-crystallized samples only. Discrepancies with the model are amply discussed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Multiple melting peak analysis with gel-spun ultra-high molar mass polyethylene

The multiple melting peaks observed on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of ultrahigh molar-mass polyethylene fibers (UHMMPE) are analyzed as a function of sample mass. Using modern DSC capable of recognizing single fibers of microgram size, it is shown that the multiple peaks are in part or completely due to sample packing. Loosely packed fibers fill the entire volume of the pan with rather large thermal resistance to heat flow. On melting, the fibers contract and flow to collect ultimately at the bottom of the pan. This process seems to be able to cause an artifact of multistage melting dependent on the properties of the fibers. A method is proposed to greatly reduce, or even eliminate, errors of this type. The crucial elements of the analysis of melting behavior and melting temperature are decreasing the sample size and packing the individual fibers in a proper geometry, or to introduce inert media to enhance heat transport.This work was supported by the Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation, Polymers Program, Grant # DMR 90-00520 and the Division of Materials Sciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp. for the US Department of Energy, under contract number DE-ACOS-96OR22464. Support for instrumentation came from TA Instruments, Inc. and Mettler-Toledo, research support was also given by ICI Paints.     

Melting of nascent and thermally treated super-high molecular weight polyethylene

The melting of nascent and thermally treated super-high molecular weight polyethylene (SHMWPE) is investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Higher melting temperatures and enthalpies of the nascent and annealed samples are observed. The melting temperatures and enthalpies of melt crystallized SHMWPE is lower and depends on the temperature of thermal treatment. All melting properties are explained by presuming that the lamellar structure contains a high concentration of entangled tie macromolecules in amorphous regions formed during polymerization. It was supposed that the concentration of the entanglements and the stressed tie molecules are changed with the temperature of the thermal pretreatment.     

Small-strain elastic moduli of quasi-isotropic semicrystalline eutectoid copolymers and aspects of universality

The small-strain elastic moduli of eutectoid random copolymers of ethylene are described in the total melting range. The approach is based upon the model of a cluster network constituted by the crystals which operate as active solid fillers. Number and average size of these fillers can be computed with the aid of a thermodynamic melting theory. Universal aspects of elastic small-strain behaviour in semicrystalline system will be discussed.     

Studies of non-isothermal crystallization and melting of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

The non-isothermal crystallization and melting of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were observed by means of differential scanning calorimetry and compared with those of ordinary high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The crystallization temperature (T _c ) and melting point (T _m ) of UHMWPE were found to be higher thanT _c andT _m of HDPE, and the latent heat of crystallization (δH _c ) and fusion (δH _m ) of UHMWPE are smaller thanδH _c andδH _m of HDPE. The results were explained in terms of the theory of polymer crystallization and the structure characteristics of UHMWPE. The relationships between the parameters (T _c ,T _T ,δH _c andδH _m ) and the molecular weight (M) of UHMWPE are discussed. Processing of the experimental data led to the establishment of four expressions describing the above relationships.     

Application of the light heating dynamic DSC to polymeric materials

Light heating dynamic DSC was used to study the melting transition of polyethylene. The results show that melting and crystallization are different phenomena from each other in terms of the complex heat capacity. Frequency dependence of the complex heat capacity was examined from 0.01 Hz to 0.2 Hz. It is found that at the lowest frequency the phase of the complex heat capacity exceeds /2 radians. Thermodynamic considerations were made for the large phase of the complex heat capacity.     

Memory effects in isothermal crystallization II. Isotactic polypropylene

The effects of temperature and duration of melting on the rate of isothermal crystallization of isotactic polypropylene were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Crystallization rates were found to decrease with increasing melt temperature and melting time. The results were discussed in the framework of the theoretical model of transient isothermal crystallization developed by the present authors [1]. The results suggest gradual destruction of predetermined nuclei with activation energyE _a=89±7 kJ/mole as a main mechanism of the observed effects.This work and Part I of this research [1] have been supported in part by Research Grant Number PB 1291/52/93/04 from State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN), Poland, and by 40% MURST founds, Italy.     

Reversible and irreversible crystallization in high-density polyethylene at low temperature

Reversible and irreversible crystallization and melting of high-density polyethylene at low temperature has been re-evaluated and is discussed in terms of the concept of the specific reversibility of a crystal. The concept of the specific reversibility links reversible and irreversible melting of a specific crystal such that reversible melting occurs only at slightly lower temperature than irreversible melting. In this study evidence for irreversible crystallization at low temperature in high-density polyethylene is provided, non-avoidable by primary crystallization and extended annealing at high temperature. The simultaneously observed reversible crystallization and melting at low temperature can be attributed to lateral-crystal-surface activity in addition to the well-established reversible fold-surface melting, dominant at high temperature, and evidenced by small-angle X-ray data available in the literature. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

差示扫描量热法测定聚乙烯结晶度的不确定度评定

采用差示扫描量热法(DSC)测定聚乙烯(PE)的结晶度,讨论了测定PE熔融焓过程中由测量重复性、称量过程及PE本身结构的不均匀性等因素所带来的不确定度分量,计算了测定PE熔融焓的合成标准不确定度及扩展不确定度和测定PE结晶度的扩展不确定度。采用Dsc法测定高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)和低密度聚乙烯(LDPE)结晶度的扩展不确定度均小于l％。     

On the determination of the melting point of semicrystalline polymer by DSC

This is a study for criteria to judge the melting point of semi-crystalline polymers from the DSC endotherm for polymer melting. Beyond standard indium DSC melting results an evaluation has been made on a series of polyethylenes for which crystal sizes were measured and predicted from Raman LAM analysis. The results confirm the conclusion of Prof. Wunderlich that the DSC content of melting is the proper basis of reporting melting points.Dedicated to Professor Bernhard Wunderlich on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Random copolymers of poly(butylene terephthalate): Effect of thiodiethylene terephthalate units on melting behaviour and crystallization kinetics

The melting behavior and the crystallization kinetics of poly(butylene terephthalate/thiodiethylene terephthalate) copolymers were investigated by DSC technique. The multiple endotherms were influenced both by T _c and composition. By applying the Hoffman—Weeks' method, T _m ⁰ the of the copolymers was derived. The isothermal crystallization kinetics was analyzed according to the Avrami's treatment. Values of the exponent n close to 3 were obtained, independently of T _c and composition. The introduction of thiodiethylene terephthalate units decreased the PBT crystallization rate. H _m was correlated to c _p for samples with different degree of crystallinity and the results were interpreted on the basis of the existence of an interphase.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

聚丙烯-聚乙烯嵌段共聚物和相应共混物的热分析

用DSC研究了预期为聚丙烯-聚乙烯两嵌段共聚物(PP-PE)和相应共混物(PP+PE)在热学性能上的差异。经用不同分子量的PP和PE及其共混物进行试验后发现,由于PP和PE在结晶时出现过冷的难易不同。在共混物降温热分析曲线上,当降温速率较快时仅出现一个放热峰,而降温速率较慢时出现PP和PE各自的结晶放热峰,从而解释了文献中的不同结果。并发现共混物的PP和PE熔融、结晶温度均较组分相同的嵌段共聚物的相应温度为高;嵌段共聚物中PP和PE的△H_f值均低于均聚物的△Hf值,而PE的值降低尤甚。我们认为这与嵌段间的共价键限制嵌段活动和结晶过程有关,从而确认DSC热分析可以作为识别是否为嵌段共聚物的一种方法. 本工作的结果表明,所研究的PP-PE试样具有嵌段结构。     

Morphology and melting behavior of nascent ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

The nascent morphology of UHMW PE exhibits high melting point, high crystallinity, and increased WAXS line breadth relative to samples formed by melt crystallization. Different empirical relationships between crystal size and melting point are observed for nascent and molded samples. This differentiation is removed following nitric acid treatment of the nascent flake. Solid-state annealing behavior is differentiated by several regimes. Regime I is characterized by increasing crystallite dimensions and crystallinity at low annealing temperatures. Regime II[a] and II[b] is identified by double melting in DSC scans of moldings and nascent flake, respectively. The double melting is due to partial melting with incomplete recrystallization. Regime II[a] of moldings is differentiated from Regime II[b] of flake by an increase in melting point of the higher melting endotherm. Within Regime II[b], the partial melting of the nascent structure is sensitive to the distribution of morphological stability. Regime III is initiated at annealing temperatures approaching the zero heating rate melting point, and shows melting kinetics by DSC or time-resolved WAXS using synchrotron x-ray radiation. The superheat, partially associated with Regime III behavior, is sensitive to morphological heterogeneity and annealing history. Morphological models are discussed which highlight the role of noncrystalline regions and melting kinetics on the melting behavior of nascent form crystallinity. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 495–517, 1998