Crystallization behavior of poly(3,3-bisethoxymethyl oxetane) and poly(3,3-bisazidomethyl oxetane)

Two crystal modifications have been found for poly(3,3-bisethoxymethyl oxetane) [poly- (BEMO)] by wide-angle x-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, while only one modification has been found for poly(3,3-bisazidomethyl oxetane) [poly(BAMO)]. Melting temperatures for the two polymers were nearly the same, varying from about 70 to about 90°C depending on the thermal treatment; higher crystallization temperatures resulted in higher melting temperatures. The equilibrium melting temperature T was found to be 125 and 128°C for poly(BEMO) and poly(BAMO), respectively, by using the Hoffman-Weeks extrapolation procedure. Measurement of the melting-point depression of Poly(BEMO) and poly(BAMO) in dibutyl phthalate yielded enthalpy of fusion values of 2.25 and 12.8 kcal/mol, respectively. The percent crystallinity for poly(BEMO) and poly(BAMO), respectively, was calculated to be 55-60 and 13-30% based on DSC and x-ray analysis.     

Crystallization kinetics of the monoclinic modification of poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane)

Poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane) fractions ranging in number average molecular weights from 18500 to 130000 have been isothermally crystallized from the relaxed melt state in the temperature range from 12 to 44 °C, where only the monoclinic modification is formed. The influence of molecular weight and undercooling in crystallization kinetics has been analyzed. The level of crystallinity is very slightly dependent on molecular weight but the influence of this parameter on the time scale of the crystallization is relatively pronounced. The crystallization temperature coefficient was determined and it was found a constant value of the product of the interfacial energies in the range of molecular weights which has been analyzed. Growth rate measurements were carried out for fraction ¯M _n=130000 and it was found that the temperature coefficients for overall and growth rates are equal. Finally, the comparison of the experimental results for this polymer with those reported for poly(oxetane) shows two main differences: first, the crystallization rate is slower for poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane) and second, the temperature coefficient is smaller for this polymer.     

Crystallization behaviour of polyoxetanes: poly(oxetane), poly (3,3-dimethyloxetane) and poly(3,3-diethyloxetane)

The influence of the crystallization temperature on the melting behaviour and crystalline structure of polyoxetane (PTO), poly(3,3-dimethyloxetane) (PDMO) and poly(3,3-diethyloxetane) (PDEO) has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray techniques. When PTO is crystallized by cooling from the relaxed melt state, only the orthorhombic modification is obtained. However, PDMO and PDEO can be crystallized in two different modifications depending on crystallization temperature. The effect of the substituents in the stability of main chain conformations in crystalline state is discussed.     

Thermoelastic and dielectric studies of poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane) chains

Poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane) was synthesized by ring opening polymerization of 3,3-dimethyl oxetane. Elongation experiments were performed on unswollen elastomeric networks prepared from this polymer over the temperature range 30–90°C. The changes in the tensile stress while the networks crystallized were examined at various elongations. From thermoelastic data which were free from the effects of network crystallization, the temperature coefficient of the chain dimensions was found to be 1.1 × 10^?3 K^?1 in the vicinity of 60°C. The dipole moment ratio and its temperature coefficient were also measured; the average values of these parameters at 30°C were 0.20₆ and 2.5 × 10^?3 K^?1, respectively. All of these experimental-configuration-dependent properties were critically interpreted in terms of the rotational isomeric-state model. In comparing theory and experiment, conclusions were obtained which confirm earlier results according to which gauche states about C—C skeletal bonds in poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane) are strongly favored over the alternative trans states.     

Raman spectroscopy studies on structural modifications in poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane)

Monoclinic(II) and orthorhombic(III) modifications of poly(3,3-dimethyl oxetane) can be obtained from the relaxed melt state depending on crystallization temperature. However, if the crystallization of a given modification is not completed, the other modification can be obtained from the amorphous phase. Raman spectroscopy has been used to study the influence of the temperatures and times of crystallization on the structural modifications of this polymer. The influence of the annealing process on the crystalline amount is also examined.     

Crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

The isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). Enthalpy data of exotherm from isothermal crystallization were analyzed using the Avrami theory. The average value of the Avrami exponent, n, is about 2.8. From the melt, PTT crystallizes according to a spherulite morphology. The spherulite growth rate and the overall crystallization rate depend on crystallization temperature. The increase in the spherulitic radius was examined by polarized light microscopy. Using values of transport parameters common to many polymers (U* = 1500 cal/mol, T_∞= T_g − 30 °C) together with experimentally determined values of T (248 °C) and T_g (44 °C), the nucleation parameter, k_g, for PTT was determined. On the basis of secondary nucleation analyses, a transition between regimes III and II was found in the vicinity of 194 °C (ΔT ≅ 54 K). The ratio of k_g of these two regimes is 2.1, which is very close to 2.0 as predicted by the Lauritzen–Hoffman theory. The lateral surface‐free energy, σ = 10.89 erg/cm² and the fold surface‐free energy, σ_e = 56.64 erg/cm² were determined. The latter leads to a work of chain‐folding, q = 4.80 kcal/mol folds, which is comparable to PET and PBT previously reported. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 934–941, 2000     

Crystallization kinetics of poly(hexamethylene succinate)

Isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of polyester 64 have been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. The Avrami analysis has been performed to obtain the kinetic parameters of primary crystallization. These indicate a three-dimensional spherulitic growth on heterogeneous nuclei for the isothermal crystallization, whereas an sporadic nucleation becomes dominant in the nonisothermal crystallization. The maximum crystallization rate of polyester 64 was deduced to take place at a temperature close to −3 °C. Polarizing light microscopy showed that spherulites with a negative birefringence are formed during isothermal crystallization, whereas transmission electron microscopy indicates that the b crystallographic axis is aligned parallel to the spherulitic radius.     

Influence of the crystallinity on the Raman spectra of poly(3,3- dipropyl oxetane)

Raman spectra of semicrystalline Poly(3,3-dipropyl oxetane) is observed clearly influenced by the crystal/amorphous ratio, on the same way to the other elements of the branched polyoxetanes series. The compound is submitted to different annealing processes and the evolution of the amorphous and crystal band intensities is analysed and compared with the results obtained by calorimetric measurements.     

Effect of molecular weight on crystallization and rheological properties of poly(3,3-bis(azidomethyl)oxetane)

Various molecular weight of poly(3,3-bis(azidomethyl)oxetane) were prepared from 3,3-bis(chloromethyl) oxetane. The structure of those were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis and gel permeation chromatograph, meanwhile the properties were also compared by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and rheological analysis. The results indicated that increasing molecular weight weakened the crystallization ability of PBAMO and increased the glass transition temperature. Furthermore, the viscosity, shear stress, G′ and G″ of PBAMO increased gradually with increasing of the molecular weight.     

Crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide) confined in semicrystalline poly(vinylidene) fluoride

Polymer blends based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) have been prepared to analyze the crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide) confined in semicrystalline PVDF with different ratios of both polymers. Both blend components were dissolved in a common solvent, dimethyl formamide. Blend films were obtained by casting from the solution at 70 °C. Thus, PVDF crystals are formed by crystallization from the solution while PEO (which is in the liquid state during the whole process) is confined between PVDF crystallites. The kinetics of crystallization of the confined PEO phase was studied by isothermal and nonisothermal experiments. Fitting of Avrami model to the experimental DSC traces allows a quantitative comparison of the influence of the PVDF/PEO ratio in the blend on the crystallization behavior. The effect of melting and further recrystallization of the PVDF matrix on PEO confinement is also studied. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 588–597     

Crystallization kinetics of virgin and processed poly(lactic acid)

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is an emerging material mainly because it can be synthesized from renewable resources and is thus environmentally and ecologically safe. The mechanical properties, above all the thermal resistance of PLA are determined by the crystalline content: the heat deflection temperature of crystalline PLA can reach 100 °C, whereas amorphous PLA loses mechanical properties at temperatures slightly higher than 60 °C. However, PLA has a low crystallization rate, so that after processing it remains mostly amorphous. This characteristic heavily limits the use of PLA for commercial applications. Many studies have been recently published on the crystallization kinetics of PLA. The effect of processing on this feature is however often neglected. In this work, the significance of processing on the crystallization kinetics of a commercial PLA was investigated. Two processing methods were explored: extrusion and injection moulding. The obtained materials, and the starting pellets of virgin polymer, were analyzed by calorimetry in order to obtain the crystallization kinetics. Two protocols were adopted to determine the crystallization rates during cooling from the melt or heating from the solid. The parameters of a kinetic equation were determined for all the materials and protocols adopted and it was thus possible to describe the evolution of crystallinity during heating and during cooling.     

Crystallization kinetics and morphology of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(ethylene adipate) blends

The miscibility, isothermal crystallization kinetics and morphology of the poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)/poly(ethylene adipate)(PEA) blends have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), optical microscopy(OM) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). A depression of the equilibrium melting point of PVDF was observed. From the melting point data of PVDF, a negative but quite small value of the interaction parameter ?PVDF-PEA is derived using the Flory-Huggins equation, implying that PVDF shows miscibility with PEA to some extent. Nonisothermal and isothermal crystallization kinetics suggest that the crystallization rate of PVDF decreases with increasing the amount of PEA, and a contrary trend was found when PEA crystallizes with the increase of the amount of PVDF. It was further disclosed that the blend ratio and crystallization temperature affect the texture of PVDF spherulites greatly, which determines the subsequent crystallization of PEA. At high temperatures, e.g. 150 ℃, the band spacing of PVDF spherulites increases with the addition of PEA content and the spherulitic structure becomes more open. In this case, spherulitic crystallization of PEA is not observed for all blend compositions. At low temperatures, e.g. 130 ℃, for the PEA-rich blends, the interpenetrated structures are eventually formed by the penetration of the spherulites of PEA growing within the pre-existing PVDF spherulites.     

Surface characterization of biocidal polyurethane modifiers having poly(3,3-substituted)oxetane soft blocks with alkylammonium side chains

This paper focuses on surface characterization of P[ AB] copolyoxetane soft block polyurethanes having either fluorous (3FOx, -CH2OCH 2CF3) or PEG-like (ME2Ox, -CH2(OCH2CH2) 2OCH3), A side chains and alkylammonium, B side chains. Physical surface characterization data were analyzed in light of the previously observed order of antimicrobial effectiveness for a set of four surface modifiers. Ample physical evidence for surface concentration of fluorous 2 wt % P[ AB]-polyurethane modifiers was obtained from XPS, contact angles, ATR-IR spectroscopy, and TM-AFM. In TM-AFM phase imaging, the most effective biocidal surface modifier, 2 wt % HMDI-BD(30)/P[(3FOx)(C12)-0.89:0.11]-PU, showed a nanoscale phase-separated structure consisting of 200 nm domains with background features about 10 times smaller. Despite similar surface characterization data, the 2 wt % fluorous C6 analog ranked third in contact biocidal effectiveness. Physical evidence for surface concentration of 2 wt % P[(ME2Ox)(C12)-0.86:0.14]-PU was modest, considering that antimicrobial effectiveness was second only to 2 wt % HMDI-BD(30)/P[(3FOx)(C12)-0.89:0.11]-PU. In this set of surface modifiers, nanoscale morphology is largely driven by the fluorous component, whereas antimicrobial effectiveness is more strongly influenced by alkylammonium chain length. The effect of alkylammonium side chain length on surface concentration and antimicrobial behavior is more pronounced for ME2Ox polyurethanes compared to the 3FOx analogs.     

Cationic copolymerization of 3,3-bis(chloromethyl) oxetane with vinyl compounds

Copolymerizations of 3,3-bis(chloromethyl)oxetane (BCMO) with some vinyl compounds were carried out with cationic catalysts in various solvents to determine what kind of vinyl compound is able to copolymerize with BCMO. p-Methylstyrene (pMS), 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether (CEVE), α-methylstyrene (αMS), and isobutene (IB) were used as comonomers. The rate of consumption of each monomer was measured by gas chromatrography. Plots of copolymer composition in the copolymerization of BCMO with pMS were characterized by S-shaped curves in several solvents. As poly-BCMO is insoluble and the vinyl polymers are soluble in benzene, the polymers obtained were separated into benzene-soluble and benzene-insoluble fractions, and the composition of each fraction was determined by elemental analysis. It was found that pMS, CEVE and IB formed a copolymer with BCMO, but αMS produced no copolymer with BCMO. Thus the formation of copolymer between a cyclic ether and some vinyl monomers was observed by a cationic mechanism. The cross-propagation mechanism is discussed on the basis of these results.     

Crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene adipate) investigated by differential scanning calorimetry

Crystallization of poly(ethylene adipate) from the amorphous state under non-isothermal conditions with several heating rates has been investigated. The activation energy values, evaluated for different degrees of conversion, using the Ozawa plot, show a slightly decreasing tendency for the higher degrees of conversion.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde die Kristallisation von Polyethylenadipat aus dem amorphen Zustand unter nichtisothermen Bedingungen und mit verschiedenen Aufheizgeschwindigkeiten untersucht. Die unter Anwendung der Darstellung von Ozawa für verschiedene Konversionsraten erhaltenen Werte für die Aktivierungsenergie zeigen für höhere Konversionsraten eine leicht sinkende Tendenz.

     

Crystallization kinetics of polymer brushes with poly(ethylene oxide) side chains

Isothermal crystallization rates of semicrystalline poly(methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) brushes on gold‐coated substrates were measured by polarized optical microscopy. Growth rates for crystal radii, which were essentially constant for each film, initially increased with film thickness and then leveled off for film thicknesses >300 nm. Avrami–Evans theory suggests that the spherulites exhibit one‐dimensional growth with heterogeneous nucleation. Compared with physisorbed analogs, polymer brushes crystallized slower due to the restriction of chain mobility. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1955–1959, 2010     

Crystallization kinetics of poly(glycolic acid-alt-6-aminohexanoic acid)

The crystallization behavior of a new regular poly(ester amide) constituted by glycolic acid and 6-aminohexanoic acid units under both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions is studied. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to monitor bulk crystallization, and subsequently Avrami and Ozawa analyses are applied. A three-dimensional spherulitic growth from heterogeneous nuclei is deduced for isothermal crystallization, whereas higher exponents are obtained for non-isothermal crystallization when an Avrami equation is applied. However, modifications of the Ozawa methodology indicate a crystallization mechanism similar to that of the isothermal process.The maximum crystallization rate is deduced to take place at a temperature close to 91 °C by considering experimental data and theoretical equations with adjusted parameters. The equilibrium melting temperature is determined to be 168 °C by the characteristic Hoffman-Weeks plot. One crystallization regime is detected by using the Lauritzen-Hoffman kinetic theory for isothermal crystallization and also with an isoconversional method applied for non-isothermal crystallization. Activation energy of molecular transport and nucleation constant are close to 1500 cal/mol and 1.81 × 10⁵ K², respectively. Crystal morphology, nucleation, and spherulitic growth rates are also investigated with hot-stage optical microscopy (HSOM).     

Structural changes in poyl(3,3 dimethyl oxetane) studied by Raman spectroscopy

The influence of the applied stress and stretch on Poly(3,3 dimethyl oxetane), thermically crystallized, has been studied using Raman spectroscopy. The effect of these mechanical deformations produces a transformation from the orthorhombic to monoclinic structure which is the thermodynamically most stable form.