Fold surface of polyethylene single crystals as assessed by selective degradation studies. III. Application of the improved techniques to single crystals

Previous studies on selective degradation of polyethylene single crystals with fuming nitric acid have been extended, both by using acid of lower concentration which gave better control over the degradation, and by resorting to ozone as an oxidizing agent which among others enabled the degradation temperature to be conveniently lowered. The molecular weight distribution was followed by gel-permeation chromatography in the course of degradation. Complete consistency between these different methods has been established, modifying some of the previous conclusions reached by this method. The principal feature which emerges is that we have a distribution of fold lengths. The largest straight fold stems can stretch across nearly the entire layer defined by the low-angle x-ray period, while there is a continuous distribution of shorter folds terminating deeper down in the crystals. The limiting depth at which the number of terminating folds becomes negligible can be identified and quantitatively assessed. The method of analysis is described, and individual data are discussed in detail. This picture of a fold surface layer containing essentially adjacently reentrant folds of uneven length agrees with quite recent results on other related chain-folded systems (annealed crystals, short chains, bulk structures) obtained in these laboratories and thus appears to be of general validity. The consequences of the model for our picture on polymer crystals in particular on the nature of the “amorphous” component, are discussed.     

Investigation of the fold-surface problem in polyethylene single crystals with the nitric acid oxidation technique

Single-crystal preparations of polyethylene were treated with the selective oxidizing agent, fuming nitric acid. The degraded products were examined as regards layer thickness (by low-angle x-ray studies), chemical and weight changes, recrystallization and annealing treatments, and by broadline NMR, as part of a systematic investigation aimed at clarifying the nature of disordered material in single crystals. It emerges that there is a disordered-mobile region along the fold surface of the crystals in agreement with other parallel works along similar lines. In a more detailed analysis we can now decompose the nitric acid attack into components affecting the basal and side surfaces, respectively. Taking into account the recrystallization–annealing observations, we infer that the fold surface is heterogeneous with folds of more than one kind. These results were combined with a preliminary molecular weight distribution study by gel permeation chromatography. Taking into account all the available evidence, we are led to suggest a composite structure where surface looseness, coresponding to long loops and hairs, is superimposed on the more regular folded surface. This model is in the process of being tested. The problems concerning the assignment of a value to the amount of surface looseness are being discussed. In addition, a discontinuity in the thermal behavior of the crystals between 75 and 80°C. has been detected.     

Gel permeation chromatographic studies of the degradation of polyethylene with fuming nitric acid. I. Single crystals

This paper describes the application of gel permeation chromatography to the morphology of polymer single crystals. Various types of single crystals of polyethylene were etched with fuming nitric acid, and the molecular weight distributions of the degraded fragments determined. The crystal preparations studied were monolayer crystals grown from xylene solution at 85°C and multilayer crystals grown at 84°C and 70°C. In all cases peaks in the molecular weight distribution were observed corresponding to single and double transverses of the molecular chains through the lamellae. By using the chromatograph calibration described in a previous paper, the position of these peaks were compared and correlated with previous estimates of lamellar thickness from low-angle x-ray measurements. The relative positions of the peaks provide information regarding the nature of the fold surface. The results are found to be consistent with a model in which the majority of the molecules are tightly folded.     

Determination of the molecular weight spread of narrow peaks in the gel-permeation chromatograms of nitric acid-degraded polyethylene

A method for the determination of the molecular weight spread in the narrow peaks in the GPC chromatograms of nitric acid-degraded polyethylene is presented. It is found that polar endgroups added to the polymer chains during scission cause the peaks to be broader than those of paraffins with the same molecular weight spread. After allowing for this extra instrumental broadening, estimates are made of the molecular weight spread for unannealed and annealed single crystals of polyethylene and bulk polyethylene as a function of degradation time. It is proposed that after long degradation times the molecular weight spread is a measure of fluctuations in the original crystalline lamellar thickness.     

Chain-folding measurements in annealed poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Chain folding in unoriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films has been investigated as a function of annealing time and temperature. To meet this objective dynamic mechanical, infrared, and molecular weight measurements were used, together with selective chemical degradation to remove chain folds and amorphous regions. The β dispersion in the dynamic mechanical spectrum of PET is here tentatively associated with motions of methylene and/or carboxyl groups in irregular chain folds; the β dispersion is not found in quenched amorphous polymer, in polymer where amorphous regions and chain folds have been removed, or in highly annealed PET where the irregular folds have regularized. Upon mild crystallization and annealing (30 min at 110°C) of initially amorphous film a large β dispersion appears and then diminishes upon further annealing at 220°C. As the β dispersion diminishes, the infrared regular fold band increases more than the crystallinity band, indicating regularization of folds. The molecular weight of the degraded residue corresponds approximately to typical fold-period dimensions (～130 Å), and increases on annealing as expected from lamellar thickening. The degradation process has, by fold removal, reduced the chains in the crystals to a very short, uniform length.     

Morphological effects on formation and behavior of radicals in γ-irradiated polyethylene single crystals

Polyethylene single crystals differing in lamellar thickness, both as-grown and annealed with different lamellar thickness, were irradiated by γ-rays to a dose of about 10⁷ rad at liquid nitrogen temperature in vacuo, and then ESR measurements were made. It was found for the as-grown crystals that alkyl radicals were concentrated at the crystal surface. For the annealed crystals it was found that the radical concentration was greater than in the original crystals because of an increase in disorder with annealing. By assuming that the crystals form blocks upon annealing and that the surface and the interior of the blocks have the same trapping capacities for radicals as in the original crystals, the dependence of the size of the blocks upon variation in annealing temperature and the original lamellar thickness was estimated. This estimate is supported by the theory of the thickening process of single crystals. Two types of radical reactions with different reaction rates were found to occur simultaneously at room temperature. The rapid process was independent of lamellar thickness and was related to the reaction of radicals mainly in the surface region and the defects within the crystals. The slow process was strongly dependent on the lamellar thickness (i.e., the reaction rate was much depressed as the lamellar thickness was increased) and was inferred to be closely related to molecular motions manifested in viscoelastic measurements by the crystalline dispersion α_c.     

原子力显微镜研究高分子超薄膜结晶机理及功能化调控

近十年来,随着功能高分子单晶(含单层或寡层片晶)工程及应用研究的不断深入,除了纳米尺度结晶形貌的表征以外,多功能原子力显微镜还被用于研究分子结构、结晶条件和后处理条件对功能高分子晶体性能(电、热、光、磁等)的影响,进一步还可采用扫描探针加工技术(机械刻蚀、电致刻蚀和热致刻蚀等)对其性能进行调控以构筑功能化聚集态结构和微图案.另一方面,超薄膜中单层或寡层片晶可为研究高分子结晶提供合适的模型体系,与原子力显微镜相结合,不但可以原位、实空间、高分辨地研究高分子的成核与生长过程(生长形态演变和生长动力学),还可以用于研究亚稳态折叠链片晶厚度和形态随热处理温度与时间的演化,从而加深对片晶内有序差异、片晶增厚与熔融行为和自诱导成核的认识.     

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     

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．     

Novel diffraction effects in the combined wide-angle and low-angle X-ray diffraction patterns of solution-grown nylon crystals

It was shown previously that in sedimented mats of solution-grown nylon crystals the 001 wide-angle reflection due to the unit-cell period along the chain and the low-angle reflection due to the lamellar periodicity are both along the same azimuth (meridian) in the x-ray diffraction pattern.¹ Presently in photographs which contain both the wide-angle and low-angle regions a series of new meridional reflections have been observed between the low-angle and 001 reflections and between 001 and 002 reflections. This finding implies that, with the large chemical repeat distances in question, diffraction effects at low and wide angles cannot be considered in isolation as is usual in most polymer crystal studies. In particular, the new reflections promise to provide a direct diffraction approach to the structure of the chain-folded lamellae.     

Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation of Poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate] Lamellar Single Crystals: Relationship between Molecular Weight and Enzymatic Degradation Behavior

Enzymatic degradation behavior of a lamella of single crystals of poly(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate (P(3HB)) with an extracellular polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) depolymerase purified from Alcaligenes faecalis T1 has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to obtain further information for the chain packing state of P(3HB) in a lamellar single crystal. Two kinds of P(3HB) single crystals with different molecular weights, denoted respectively as H‐ and L‐P(3HB) for high and low molecular weights, respectively, were prepared. The enzymatic treatment was conducted for P(3HB) single crystals adsorbed on a surface of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. The enzymatic degradation of both P(3HB) single crystals generates several crevices crosswise across the crystal at an early stage. Subsequently, the enzymatic degradation yields numbers of cracks lengthwise along the crystal. In addition to these common features, the interval between cracks crosswise across a lamella in H‐P(3HB) single crystal is longer than that in L‐P(3HB) single crystal, and each crack has V‐shaped and rectangular shaped morphology for H‐ and L‐P(3HB) single crystals, respectively. Based on these results, it is concluded that a lamella of P(3HB) single crystal has straight degradation pathways, that may correspond to a switchboard region, along the long axis of the crystal, independent of molecular weight of P(3HB) samples, and that a H‐P(3HB) single crystal has broader degradation pathways with longer intervals crosswise across the crystal than a L‐P(3HB) single crystal.     

Studies of low molecular weight polyethylene single crystals by differential scanning calorimetry

Fusion behaviour of solution-grown low molecular weight polyethylene single crystals was studied by differential scanning calorimetry at different heating rates. The results were correlated to the polymer chain conformation in the crystal. It was found that in the molecular weight range studied, crystals of shorter chain length and fewer foldings per chain are less stable and more susceptible to heat annealing. Melting endotherms of the crystals of the lowest molecular weight fraction grown at various temperatures indicate that during crystallization, a fractional stem at the end of a folding chain will be rejected outside the lamellae of the crystal.     

Microhardness-structure correlation of iPP/EPR blends: influence of molecular weight and EPR particle content

The influence of molecular weight on the mechanical properties of isotactic poly(propylene) (iPP) and iPP blended with ethylene-propylene copolymers has been investigated by means of the microhardness technique. The hardness (H) of iPP is shown to slightly decrease with increasing molecular mass, within the range of molecular weights investigated. The H-decrease is correlated to a loss of crystallinity as the average molecular weight increases. On annealing, the mechanical properties are enhanced as a consequence of an increase in both, the degree of crystallinity and the crystalline lamellar thickness. A value of H ^∞ _c for iPP crystals of infinite thickness in the α-form is proposed for the first time. The inclusion of EPR particles in the iPP matrix softens the material. This result could be explained in terms of an increase in the basal surface free energy of the iPP crystals with increasing amount of rubber content. Received: 2 February 1998 Accepted: 11 May 1998     

Synthesis and characterization of single-layer silver-decanethiolate lamellar crystals

We report the synthesis of silver-decanethiolate (AgSC10) lamellar crystals. Nanometer-sized Ag clusters grown on inert substrates react with decanethiol vapor to form multilayer AgSC10 lamellar crystals with both layer-by-layer and in-plane ordering. The crystals have strong (010) texture with the layers parallel to the substrates. The synthesis method allows for a precise control of the number of layers. The thickness of the lamellae can be manipulated and systematically reduced to a single layer by decreasing the amount of Ag and lowering the annealing temperature. The single-layer AgSC10 lamellae are two-dimensional crystals and have uniform thickness and in-plane ordering. These samples were characterized with nanocalorimetry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS).     

Light scattering studies of linear polyethylene

Summary The molecular weight distribution of polyethylene single crystals at different annealing temperatures has been studied at two wavelengths of 436 and 546 nm A gradual increase in the molecular weight distribution with annealing temperatures has been observed. Also root mean-square radii of gyration increase with molecular weight while second virial coefficient decreases with increasing molecular weight.

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Zusammenfassung Von Polyäthylen-Einkristallen wurde die Molekulargewichts-Verteilung bei verschiedenen Temper-Temperaturen bei den Wellenlängen 436 und 546 nm untersucht. Es wurde ein stufenweiser Anstieg der Molekulargewichtsverteilung mit wachsender Temper-Temperatur beobachtet. Auch die Quadratwurzel der mittleren Trägheitsradien steigen mit dem Molekulargewicht an, während der 2. Virialkoeffizient abfällt.

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With 2 figures and 2 tables     

Structural studies of ultrahigh-modulus polyethylene using nitric acid etching and gel permeation chromatography. II. Influence of polymer molecular weight,draw temperature,and annealing

The technique of nitric acid etching followed by gel permeation chromatography has been used to determine the crystal length distribution in ultrahigh-modulus polyethylenes. The crystal length distribution has been studied as a function of draw ratio, polymer molecular weight, processing conditions, and annealing. The results confirm that although there is a considerable broadening of the crystal length distribution on drawing, the majority of crystals have lengths less that 500 Å. There are detailed changes in the length distribution due to changes in draw temperature, molecular weight, and annealing which are not always reflected in corresponding changes in the long period determined from small-angle x-ray scattering. Possible reasons for these discrepancies are discussed.     

Fine structure of polyethylene prepared by γ-ray-induced polymerization in various solvents. III. Selective degradation with ozone

Ozone-degradation products of polyethylenes prepared by γ-ray-Induced polymerization in ethyl alcohol, t-butyl alcohol, and 2,2,5-trimethylhexane were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The ozonized polymers show two discrete peaks in the GPC traces, and the ratio of molecular weights corresponding to the peaks is close to 1:2, suggesting that these polymers are composed of folded-chain crystals similar to solution-grown single crystals. The peak profiles, however, are broad and the peaks in the chromatograms shift concertedly toward lower molecular weight in the course of degradation. These findings suggest that the fold surfaces of the polymers are coarse and that there is no unique crystalline core containing a regularly folded layer. The long period estimated from small-angle x-ray measurements increases with increasing polymerization temperature, but scarcely varies with the solvent type. This implies that when crystallization occurs during polymerization, kinetic factors may have no great effect on crystallization.     

Single-chain single crystals

Single-chain single crystals of isotactic polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide) were studied by using transmission electron microscopy, high resolution electron microscopy, electron diffraction. Single-chain single crystals were prepared by spreading a dilute solution of polymers on a water surface and collecting the resulting single-chain particles on copper grids, followed by isothermal crystallization. A statistical analysis of the sizes of single-chain crystals was found to match with the known molecular weight distribution of original sample, indicating the particles to be composed of single chain. Observation of the morphology and electron diffraction gave evidence of the single crystal nature. Regular-shaped single-chain crystals were obtained after isothermal crystallization for a longer time. By close observation, several types of morphologies were found for single-chain crystals of isotactic polystyrene and poly(ethylene oxide); in addition to the conventional morphologies observed for multi-chain crystals, new morphologies were observed in both cases. The morphologies of poly(ethylene oxide) were explained according to the crystal structure and twin modes. Tent-like single-chain crystals were often observed. Because of the small size of the crystals, they can avoid collapse on the substrate. The crystalline c-axis of single-chain crystals were found to orient preferably in the direction normal to the substrate. The investigation of electron diffraction and high resolution electron microscopy revealed that the structure of the single-chain crystals of isotactic polystyrene is the same as for multi-chain crystals. A reasonable explanation is given for the unusual resistance to electron irradiation and the missing of lower-index reflections. Regular periodic stripes were found on the top surface of single-chain crystal of isotactic polystyrene with an average periodic length in accordance with (220) spacing. In addition, a statistical thermodynamics theory was developed for single-chain crystal. It is found that the equilibrium dimensions are related to molecular weight and annealing temperature, while the equilibrium melting temperature depends on molecular weight.     

Crystallization of short aliphatic polymer chains. I. General chain-folding behavior

Short aliphatic polymer chains of different lengths were prepared by degrading polyethylene samples of appropriately chosen initial fold lengths to the chain lengths which correspond to a single chain traverse through the lamella. The resulting dicarboxylic acids were either used as such for further crystallization experiments or were first converted into diiodides to remove polar endgroups. The resulting short polymers all crystallized by chain folding even if the chains (peak of distribution) were only 1.5–4 times the length of a traverse through the lamella. In the diiodides the fold length varied continuously with crystallization temperature, as is usual in high molecular weight material, but with the dicarboxylic acids such variation, while observable, was only small. The effect of the molecular weight on the fold length due to its influence on supercooling at a given crystallization temperature has become apparent. Renewed degradation with nitric acid and subsequent GPC analysis of the degradation products confirmed the folded nature of the chains in the above crystals. This analysis combined with experiments on the reactivity of chain ends has led to the picture that each chain folds completely, once, twice etc. so that both folds and ends are in the surface zone but are located at varying heights, as appropriate to the overall layer thickness for the molecular weight distribution in question. This picture is consistent with other concurrent work.     

Crystallinity and the effect of ionizing radiation in polyethylene. II. Crosslinking in chain-folded single crystals

In order to ascertain whether the crystal core of irradiated polyethylene single crystals is free from crosslinks—as would follow from the results of Part I—the fold surface of irradiated single crystals was shaved off with ozone and the resulting product examined by GPC for molecular weight. It was found that on ozone degradation the entire material, which had been insolubilized by radiation-induced crosslinking, has become soluble hence became available for the GPC analysis. The chromatograms displayed the same peaked development with degradation as the unirradiated crystals leading eventually to single traverse dicarboxylic acids. This proves the absence of crosslinks within the crystal interior of the material as examined by GPC. The appearance of some additional low molecular weight material, is attributed to scission at the radiation-induced double bonds due to ozone which eliminates the possibility of the existence of crosslinks within the lattice such as might provide scission sites for ozone. The conclusion could therefore be reached that, to the extent assessable by our GPC test, there are no radiation-induced crosslinks within the crystal lattice, hence the crosslinks produced must be entirely confined to the fold surface region of the crystals.