Long periods in slow-cooled linear and branched polyethylene: Part II

It is shown that the long periods L in slow-cooled polyethylene materials obey the general law L = L⁰ + αr_w, where r_w is the weight average dimension of the coil before crystallization, and L⁰ is a parameter of the order of l_c, the crystalline core thickness, which increases as the cooling rate V decreases. α is a parameter independent of M and V but decreasing with the number of long-chain branches per molecule. The two terms in the above relation are, respectively, the contributions of crystalline and amorphous layers. For cooling rates from 800°C/min to 0.2°C/min, it is shown that the temperature T_c of crystallization is constant; hence the change of morphology (long period, crystalline core thickness, crystallinity) cannot be explained by supercooling. The increase in long period and crystallite thickness in slow-cooled materials with decreasing cooling rate is interpreted in terms of annealing of the crystallized materials between the crystallization temperature T_c and the secondary transition temperature T_αc. Crystallization proceeds by a two-step process of solidification and annealing. During the annealing stage, the mobility of the chains in the crystalline phase is due to defects; the kinetics of thickening is then governed by the mobility (or nucleation) of the defects appearing above T_αc. In the proposed model of crystallization, the assumption that the energy of activation is proportional to T_αc explains the observed laws L ≡ l_c ≡ log t_a, where the annealing time t_a is equal to (T_c ? T_αc)/V. The model applies also to polymers crystallized from the melt and subsequently annealed.     

Microwave‐improved polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone initiated by carboxylic acids

The ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL), initiated by carboxylic acids such as benzoic acid and chlorinated acetic acids under microwave irradiation, was investigated; with this method, no metal catalyst was necessary. The product was characterized as poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The polymerization was significantly improved under microwave irradiation. The weight‐average molecular weight (M_w) of PCL reached 44,800 g/mol, with a polydispersity index [weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight (M_w/M_n)] of 1.6, when a mixture of ε‐CL and benzoic acid (25/1 molar ratio) was irradiated at 680 W for 240 min, whereas PCL with M_w = 12,100 and M_w/M_n = 4.2 was obtained from the same mixture by a conventional heating method at 210 °C for 240 min. A degradation of the resultant PCL was observed during microwave polymerization with chlorinated acetic acids as initiators, and this induced a decrease in M_w of PCL. However, the degradation was hindered by benzoic acid at low concentrations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 13–21, 2003     

Structure and morphology development in syndiotactic polypropylene during isothermal crystallization and subsequent melting

Structure and morphology development during the isothermal crystallization and subsequent melting of syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), time‐resolved simultaneous small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) methods with synchrotron radiation. The morphology of sPP isothermally crystallized at 100 °C for 3 h was also characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Time‐ and temperature‐dependent parameters such as the long period (L), crystal lamellar thickness (l_c), amorphous layer thickness (l_a), scattering invariant (Q), crystallinity (X_c), lateral crystal sizes (L₂₀₀ and L₀₁₀), and unit cell dimensions (a and b) were extracted from the SAXS and WAXD data. Results indicate that the decreases in L and l_c with time are probably due to the formation of thinner crystal lamellae, and the decreases in a and b are due to crystal perfection. The changes in the morphological parameters (Q, X_c, L, and l_c) during subsequent melting exhibited a two‐stage process that was consistent with the multiple melting peaks observed in DSC. The two high‐temperature peaks can be attributed to the melting of primary lamellae (at lower temperatures) and recrystallized lamellae (at higher temperatures). An additional minor peak, located at the lowest temperature, was also visible and was related to the melting of thin and defective secondary lamellae. TEM results are consistent with the SAXS data, which supports the assignment of the larger value (l₁) from the correlation function analysis as l_c. WAXD showed that the thermal expansion was greater along the b axis than the a axis during melting. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2982–2995, 2001     

Effect of microstructure on hydrolytic degradation studies of poly (l-lactic acid) by FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry

Structural changes during thermally induced crystallization and alkaline hydrolysis of Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) films were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FTIR spectroscopy, weight loss, HPLC and optical microscopy. It was shown that crystallinity (χ_c), glass transition temperature (T_g) and melting temperature (T_m) were found to be strongly annealing temperature (T_a) dependent. The FTIR study of PLLA films suggested that the bands at 921 and 956 cm⁻¹ could be used to monitor the structural changes of PLLA. An independent infrared spectroscopic method was developed for the first time to determine crystallinity of PLLA before degradation and it showed good qualitative correlation with DSC crystallinity. The higher crystallinity values determined by FTIR were attributed to the intermediate phase included in the IR crystallinity. Both the weight loss data and the percentage of lactic acid obtained by HPLC showed that the alkaline hydrolysis of PLLA films increased with increasing crystallinity. The DSC observation showed an increase in T_g and no significant change in T_m and heat of fusion, while IR showed an increase in IR crystallinity with increasing hydrolysis time. The increase in IR crystallinity and T_g with hydrolysis time suggested that degradation progressed from the edges of the crystalline lamellas without decreasing lamellar thickness, but increased the intermediate phase and the short-range order.     

Essential work of fracture and j-integral measurements for ductile polymers

In the ductile tearing of polymers that neck before failure it is shown that the specific essential fracture work (w_e), consisting of the energies dissipated in forming and tearing the neck, is a material property for a given sheet thickness and is independent of specimen geometry. Work of fracture experiments using both double deep-edge notched (DENT) and deep-center notched tension (DCNT) geometries with different ligament lengths yielded almost identical w_e values for a grade of high-density polyethylene. These measurements for w_e are in fairly good agreement with the theoretical values based on the J integral evaluated along a contour surrounding the neck region near the crack tip. Under J-controlled crack growth conditions, it is shown that J_c obtained by extrapolation of the J_R curve to zero crack growth and the slope dJ/da are identical, respectively, to w_e and 4βw_p obtained from the straight line relationship between the specific total work of fracture (w_f) and ligament length (l).     

Crystal thickness distributions from melting homopolymers or random copolymers

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) can be used to infer the distribution of lamellar crystal thickness l. For homopolymers, the relation between melting temperature T and thickness is described by the Gibbs relation. In this case the weight distribution function of thickness g(l) ∝ P(T)(T − T)², where P(T) is DSC power and T is the melting temperature of an infinitely thick crystal. Copolymer melting is affected by the concentration of noncrystallizable comonomer in the melt as well as lamellar thickness. Unknown melt composition in copolymers with nonequilibrium crystallinity makes determination of the correct distribution g(l) from DSC impossible. An approximate distribution g₂(l) ∝ P(T)(T − T)² is proposed, where T is based on Flory's equilibrium crystallization theory. This approximate distribution is most accurate when crystallinity is small, that is, near the upper end of the melting range. Results are reported for polyethylene homopolymer and model ethylene–butene random copolymers. Corrections were not made for distortion of the DSC endotherms by thermal lag or by melting and recrystallization; these experiments are primarily to illustrate the effect of analysis in terms of an incorrect g₃(l) ∝ P(T). Average crystal thicknesses are about 20 nm for polyethylene and 5 nm for the copolymers. Distributions are characterized by l_w /l_n ≤ 1.1 in all cases. Width of the melting range is not a reliable indicator of the breadth of the thickness distribution. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3131–3140, 1999     

Vibrational spectroscopic study on the phase transition of water in nanospaces and at interfaces

Phase transition of water confined in nanospaces with charged inner-surfaces was investigated by vibrational spectroscopy. Aerosol sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles give a series of spherical nanospaces with controlled inner-radius (R_w) with nanometer-scale precision. Successive spectroscopic measurements of the confined water with decreasing temperature revealed that the water freezes to metastable cubic ice (I_c) coexisting with super-cooled water or unstable amorphous ice at the R_w ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 nm. When R_w exceeded 2.0 nm, stable hexagonal ice (I_h) dominated. The drastic change of the dominant ice structure with the increase of 1 nm in R_w shows that the thickness of water layers affected by the inner surface can be estimated to be ~1 nm, where three or four layers of water hydrated to the surface. It is worth noting that the clear phase transition behavior of the confined water vanishes at R_w = 1.2 nm and that the gradual formation of I_c and coexistence of super-cooled water or glassy state of water are detected. The range of the effective interaction between interfacial water and the charged inner surfaces and the mechanism of the extremely slow phase transition were also discussed.     

Abiotic and biotic degradation of aliphatic polyesters from “petro” versus “green” resources

Aliphatic polyesters are degradable by abiotic and/or biotic hydrolysis. The accessibility of a polymer to degradative attack by living organisms is not dependent on its origin, but on its molecular composition and architecture. Synthetic polymers with intermittent ester linkage (e.g. polyesters, polyurethanes etc.) are accessible to biodegradative attack of esterase. On the other hand aliphatic polyesters are also quickly degraded by a pure abiotic hydrolysis. The results from abiotic and biotic hydrolyses of polycaprolactone (PCL) (from “petro” resource), poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) (from “green” resources) are presented and discussed with the respect to rate of degradation, molecular weight changes and degradation product pattern. For the environmental consequences, the type of formed degradation products are of importance and not the origin of the polymer.     

Eight-arm star polystyrene in methylcyclohexane: Cloud-point curves,critical lines,and coexisting densities and viscosities

We measured the cloud-point curves of eight-arm star polystyrene (sPS) in methylcyclohexane (MCH) for polymer samples of three total molecular masses [weight-average molecular weight (M_w) × 10⁻³ = 77, 215, or 268]. We found a downward shift of 5–15 K in the critical temperature (T_c) of the star polymer solutions with respect to linear polystyrene (PS) solutions of the same M_w. The shift in T_c became smaller as M_w increased. The critical volume fraction for eight-arm sPS in MCH was equal within experimental uncertainty (10–40%) to that of linear PS in MCH. For sPS of M_w = 77,000 in MCH, we studied the mass density (ρ) as a function of temperature (T). As for linear polymers in solution, the difference in ρ between coexisting phases (Δρ) could be described over t = (T_c − T)/T_c for 1.1 × 10⁻⁴ < t < 4.7 × 10⁻³ with the Ising value of the exponent β in the expression Δρ = B t^β. Both ρ(T) above T_c and the average value of ρ below T_c were linear functions of temperature; no singular corrections were observed. The measurements of the shear viscosity (η) near T_c for sPS (M_w = 74,000) in MCH indicated a strong critical anomaly in η, but the data were not precise enough for a quantitative analysis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 129–145, 2004     

Variation of crystallite orientation with degree of crystallinity: Isotactic polystyrene

The orientation of the crystallographic c axis (chain axis) was followed by x-ray diffraction during the crystallization of four samples of isotactic polystyrene differing in elongation ratio. The crystallite orientation can be expressed by 〈cos² χ_c〉, where χ_c is the angle between the c axis and the stretching direction. The degrees of crystallinity w were estimated from the diffraction data by using density for calibration. It was found that 〈cos² χ_c〉 decreases in a linear manner with crystallinity, the rate of decrease being very small when the elongation ratio α is 5, but becoming progressively larger as α is decreased toward unity. A qualitative measure suggests that amorphous orientation decreases during crystallization at a rate which is nearly independent of α. The variation of 〈cos² χ_c〉 with w is therefore governed by the orientation of the statistical chain segments prior to crystallization. If the elongation ratio is small, the supply of well oriented statistical segments is limited, and 〈cos² χ_c〉 will decrease at a rapid rate during crystallization. A treatment due to Krigbaum and Roe permits evaluation of the ratio, ν/N, where ν and N are the average numbers of statistical segments in the crystallization nucleus of critical size, and in a network chain, respectively. Our polystyrene samples were not crosslinked, so chain entanglements must serve as junction points. Values of ν could not be obtained, since N was unknown. However, the (ν/N) ratio for isotactic polystyrene decreases slowly with α, and the values agree reasonably well with those obtained in a previous study of oriented polychloroprene networks. After nearly complete crystallization (ω ca. 0.30), the long period spacing measured by low angle diffraction was approximately 135 Å, and varied only slightly with elongation ratio in the range α = 1 to 5. It therefore appears that chain folded lamellae are present in both drawn and undrawn samples of isotactic polystyrene.     

Conformal Mixtures with Concentration-dependent Interactions; Application to Liquid Li—Mg

Abstract

The conformal model for binary liquids is extended to the case when the interaction energies are linear in the concentration, c. It is found that a suitably defined c-dependent ordering energy w is the single most important indication of the general character of the alloy, in particular of the behaviour of the excess free energy ΔF^XS and of the concentration fluctuation function S_cc . There are three cases:

• w is of fixed sign and varies by less than a factor of 2. Then ΔF^XS and S_cc —c(1 - c) both have opposite sign from w. The latter functions are largest (absolutely) in roughly the same region of c.

  w changes sign. Then ΔF^XS and S_cc —c(1 - c) are of opposite sign from w at each end of the diagram (much as one would expect on the basis of I).
  w is of fixed sign but varies by more than a factor of 2. Then ΔF^XS is of opposite sign from w and S_cc —c(1 - c) is mainly so. The latter function is, however, (marginally) of the same sign as w in a limited range of c at the end where w (and ΔF^XS ) is absolutely smallest. The alloy system Li-Mg appears to be of this type.

     

Oxidation and biodegradation of polyethylene films containing pro-oxidant additives: Synergistic effects of sunlight exposure, thermal aging and fungal biodegradation

Synergistic effects of sunlight exposure, thermal aging and fungal biodegradation on the oxidation and biodegradation of linear low density poly(ethylene) PE-LLD films containing pro-oxidant were examined. To achieve oxidation and degradation, films were first exposed to the sunlight for 93 days during the summer months followed by their incubation with fungal strains previously isolated from the soil based on the ability to grow on the oxidized PE-LLD as a sole carbon source. Some films were also thermally aged at temperatures ranging between 45°C and 65 °C, either before or after fungal degradation. Films with pro-oxidant additives exhibited a higher level of oxidation as revealed by increase in their carbonyl index (COi). In addition to increase in the COi, films showed a slight increase in crystallinity and melting temperature (T_m), considerably lower onset degradation temperatures, and a concomitant increase in the % weight of the residues. The level of oxidation observed in thermally aged films was directly proportional to the aging temperature. The PE-LLD films with pro-oxidant exposed to sunlight followed by thermal aging showed even higher rate and extent of oxidation when subsequently subjected to fungal biodegradation. The higher oxidation rate also correlated well with the CO₂ production in the fungal biodegradation tests. Similar films oxidized and aged but not exposed to fungal biodegradation showed much less degradation. Microscopic examination showed a profuse growth and colonization of fungal mycelia on the oxidized films by one strain, while another spore-producing strain grew around the film edges. Data presented here suggest that abiotic oxidation of polymer's carbon backbone produced metabolites which supported metabolic activities in fungal cells leading to further biotically-mediated polymer degradation. Thus, a combined impact of abiotic and biotic factors promoted the oxidation/biodegradation of PE-LLD films containing pro-oxidants.     

Conformation of comb‐like liquid crystal polymers in isotropic solution probed by small‐angle neutron scattering

The conformational characteristics of a comb‐like side‐chain liquid crystal polysiloxane (SCLCP), dissolved in deuterated chloroform, were evaluated by small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements over a wide q range. SANS studies were carried out on specimens with constant backbone length (DP = 198) and variable spacer length (n = 3, 5, and 11), and with constant spacer length (n = 5) and variable DP (45, 72, 127, and 198). The form factor P(q) at high q was analyzed using the wormlike chain model with finite cross‐sectional thickness (R_c) and taking into account the molecular weight polydispersity. The analysis generated values of persistence length in the range l_p = 28–32 Å, considerably larger than that of the unsubstituted polysiloxane chain (l_p = 5.8 Å), with contour lengths per monomer comparable to the fully‐extended polysiloxane backbone (l_m = 2.9 Å). This indicates a relatively rigid SCLCP chain due to the influence of the densely attached mesogenic groups. The SCLCP with n = 11 is more flexible (l_p = 28 Å) than those with n = 3 and n = 5 (l_p = 32 Å). The cross‐sectional thickness increases with spacer length, R_c ～ n^0.21±0.02 (3 ≤ n ≤ 11), and the contour length per monomer decreases with increasing spacer length, l_m ～ n^?0.35±0.01. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2412–2424, 2006     

Effects of composition drift on the effectiveness of random copolymer reinforcement at polymer–polymer interfaces

Random copolymer layers are surprisingly effective at reinforcing polymer–polymer interfaces. One hypothesis is that composition drift during synthesis can account for the higher than expected toughening. To test this hypothesis, we polymerized a series of poly(d‐styrene‐r‐2‐vinylpyridine) (dPS_f‐r‐PVP_1?f) copolymers with various fractions (f) of deuterated styrene to only 10% completion to avoid composition drift. The fracture energies (G_c) of polystyrene/dPS‐r‐PVP/poly(2‐vinylpyridine) interfaces with relatively thick layers of dPS‐r‐PVP were measured. G_c decreased relative to interfaces reinforced with composition‐drifted dPS‐r‐PVP. Conversely, G_c increased when two or more copolymers were blended together. In such samples, the copolymers form distinct layers with multiple interfaces characterized by the difference in f (Δf) between adjacent layers. We find that G_c is governed by Δf_max, the largest difference in adjacent compositions, and, therefore, by the width of the narrowest interface (w_min). G_c increases strongly as w_min increases from 3 to 5 nm. Remarkably, these w_min values are about half the entanglement spacing in bulk polystyrene. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2363–2377, 2001     

Relationship between morphology and glass transition temperature in solvent-crystallized poly(aryl ether ketones)

The relationship between semicrystalline morphology and glass transition temperature has been investigated for solvent-crystallized poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK). Solvent-crystallized specimens of both PEEK and PEKK displayed a sizeable positive offset in T_g compared to quenched amorphous specimens as well as thermally crystallized specimens of comparable bulk crystallinity; the offset in T_g for the crystallized samples reflected the degree of constraint imposed on the amorphous segments by the crystallites. Small-angle X-ray scattering studies revealed markedly smaller crystal long periods (d) for the solvent-crystallized specimens compared to samples prepared by direct cold crystallization. The strong inverse correlation observed between T_g and interlamellar amorphous thickness (l_A) based on a simple two-phase model was in excellent agreement with data reported previously for PEEK, and indicated the existence of a unique relationship between glass transition temperature and morphology in these poly(aryl ether ketones) over a wider range of sample preparation history and lamellar structure than was previously reported. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36 : 65–73, 1998     

The effect of chain extension on the thermal behaviour and crystallinity of reactive extruded recycled PET

Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R-PET) was chain extended with pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) in a commercial size twin-screw reactive extrusion system. Temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) was used to evaluate the effect of the chain extension process on the thermal transitions and crystallinity of R-PET. Reactive extruded recycled PET (RER-PET) samples were tested based on different PMDA concentration and reactive extrusion residence times. The glass transition temperature (T _g) did not show a significant change as a function of PMDA addition or the extrusion residence time. Melting temperature (T _m) and crystallisation temperature (T _c) decreased with increasing PMDA concentration and with increasing extrusion residence time. RER-PET samples showed double melting peaks, it is believed that different melting mechanism is the reason behind this phenomenon. The crystallinity of RER-PET samples is lower than that of R-PET. RER-PET samples at constant PMDA concentration showed a decrease in crystallinity with increasing extrusion residence time. Results suggest that the reactive extrusion process is more dependent on PMDA concentration rather than reactive extrusion process residence time.The first author would like to acknowledge Advanced Engineering Center for Manufacturing (AECM) and Visy Industries for their financial support to this study.     

Preparation of polypseudorotaxane composed of linear and cyclic polyethylene oxides and its application to solid polymer electrolyte

The mixture of linear polyethylene glycol with molecular weight of 20,000 (l-PEG_20K) and cyclic polyethylene glycol with molecular weight of 1,000 (c-PEG_1K) was ultrasonicated in acetonitrile. After evaporating the solvent, the residue was analyzed by DSC to show a remarkable decrease of crystallization temperature. Such a large crystallization suppression was not observed when linear polyethylene glycol with molecular weight of 1,000 (l-PEG_1K) was added instead of c-PEG_1K. Further, the mixture of cyclic polyethylene glycols (c-PEG_6K and c-PEG_1K) did not exhibit a significant crystallization suppression. These experimental results indicated that formation of polypseudorotaxane through ultrasonication-assisted ring penetration played an important role in the crystallization suppression. Ionic conductivities of the polypseudorotaxane-based polymer electrolytes prepared from polyethylene oxide with molecular weight of 600,000 (PEO_600K) and c-PEG_1K showed conductivity enhancement especially at low Li salt concentration.     

Crystalline structure of polyamide 12 as revealed by solid‐state 13C NMR and synchrotron WAXS and SAXS

The crystalline structure of polyamide‐12 (PA12) was studied by solid‐state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as well as by synchrotron wide‐ and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS). Isotropic and oriented PA12 showed different NMR spectra ascribed to γ‐ and γ′‐crystalline modifications, respectively. On the basis of the position of the first diffraction peak, the isotropic γ‐form and the oriented γ′‐form were shown to be with hexagonal crystalline lattice at room temperature. When heated, the two PA12 polymorphs demonstrated different behaviors. Above 140 °C, the isotropic γ‐PA12 partially transformed into α‐modification. No such transition was observed with the oriented γ′‐PA12 phase even after annealing at temperatures close to melting. A γ′–γ transition was observed here only after isotropization by melting point. Various structural parameters were extracted from the WAXS and SAXS patterns and analyzed as a function of temperature and orientation: the degree of crystallinity, the d‐spacings, the Bragg's long spacings, the average thicknesses of the crystalline (l_c) and amorphous (l_a) phases, and the linear crystallinity x_cl within the lamellar stacks. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3720–3733, 2005     

Effect of water on the glass transition temperature of poly(hydroxy methylene)

The effect of moisture on the glass transition temperature of poly(hydroxy methylene) was investigated by thermal analysis which entailed combinations of DTA and DSC with TGA techniques. As the moisture content increased, the glass transition temperature (T_g) decreased monotonically from a value (T_go) of 134°C for the dry polymer toward a finite value (T_gt) of about 39°C. This response of T_g to an increase in the moisture content (w) was adequately represented by the general relationship T_g = (ΔT_g)0 exp{–[ln(ΔT_g)₀]w/τw_l} + T_gl, recently developed for correlating T_g and moisture content of nylon 6 and and found generally applicable to hydrophilic polymers. With (ΔT_g)0 = 95, τ = 0.555, and w_l = 0.375, good agreement was found between experimental and calculated values for poly(hydroxy methylene).     

Influence of molecular weight on the microhardness of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

 Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was annealed in vacuum at different temperatures (190–260 °C) for different times (10 min–24 h) in order to examine the mechanical properties (microhardness) of PET samples with a wide range of molecular weights (10 000–120 000). Short annealing times result in a twofold decrease in mol. wt. due to hydrolytic decomposition. However, long annealing times give rise to a substantial molecular weight increase. It is found that microhardness (H) rises linearly with the degree of crystallinity obtained during up-grading of mol. wt. and its extrapolation leads to H-values of completely crystalline PET, H ^PET _c=405 MPa for samples with conventional mol. wt. and of 426 MPa for samples with mol. wt. higher than 30 000. It is shown that the increase of mol. wt. for each set of samples with a given range of degree of crystallinity also causes a slight increase of H. The influence of mol. wt. upon hardness is discussed in the light of the changes in the physical structure (crystallinity, crystal thickness) which is formed at given heat treatment conditions. Received: 29 April 1997 Accepted: 23 September 1997