丙烯/1-丁烯和丙烯/乙烯无规共聚物的表征及性能研究

采用摩尔含量接近的两个单体乙烯和1-丁烯分别无规共聚聚丙烯样品,用三氯苯进行室温可溶物和不溶物的分离,采用凝胶渗透色谱、13C核磁共振波谱及热分析等方法对两种共聚聚合物及其分离物进行表征,探讨了乙烯和1-丁烯作为共聚单体对聚丙烯树脂结构和性能的影响.结果表明,与乙烯相比,1-丁烯更趋向于共聚在较长的聚丙烯分子链上,其结果导致丙烯/1-丁烯无规共聚聚丙烯的可溶物含量更低.同时,对两种无规共聚物结晶性能的差异以及对光学性能和动态力学性能的影响研究表明,如果共聚单体含量接近,丙烯/1-丁烯无规共聚物结晶度更高;透明制品雾度相同时,丙烯/1-丁烯无规共聚物的刚性更高.     

Flow-induced crystallization of propylene/ethylene random copolymers

The influence of the co-monomer content and processing conditions on the crystallization kinetics of propylene/ethylene (P/E) random copolymers is studied using DSC and rheometry. The presence of ethylene lowers the melting and crystallization temperature compared to pure polypropylene, and the quiescent crystallization rate, [(X)\dot], \dot{X}, increases at equal nominal undercooling, because both the crystal growth rate, G, and number of nuclei, N, increases. The effect of flow on the kinetics of crystallization decreases with the ethylene content. Still, different regimes of flow-induced crystallization are observed, but their size and the position of the transitions between them depend on the ethylene content, and can be expressed in terms of the level of molecular orientation, molecular stretch, and crystallization capacity of the system.     

Terpolymerization of ethylene,propylene, and butene-1 with highly active supported titanium catalyst

An investigation of ethylene-propylene-butene-1 terpolymerization in the presence of TiCl₄, Ti(OBu)₄/MgCl₂/ethylbenzoate (EB)/π₂SiCl₂/AlEt₃ catalyst is described. The catalytic efficiency is very high, i.e., 86000g/g Ti under ambient conditions. The decay rate of terpolymerization with time fulfills the equation: R_t = R_s + (R₀ - R_s)e^?βt. Characterizations with DSC, WAXD, ¹³C-NMR, and solvent extraction of the resulting terpolymers were studied. Terpolymers of certain composition are elastomers without detectable crystallinity, which demonstrates a rather random sequence distribution and makes them promising for quality rubber. The assignment of the chemical shifts in ¹³C-NMR spectra is made. The gas permeabilities of the terpolymer membrane is of PO₂ = 2.35 × 10^-9 cm³ (STP) cm/cm² s cm Hg and PO₂/PN₂ = 3.8 under optimum conditions.     

Coisotactic shift contributions in 13C NMR spectra of propylene/butene-1 copolymers

Coisotactic shift contributions caused by sterically crowded isotactic side-chain alkyl groups are proposed for peak assignments of isotactic propylene/butene-1 copolymers. Previously disputed analyses of methine triads and PB tetrads of backbone methylene carbons (α,α′-CH₂) have been verified using first-order Markovian distribution theory. Coisotactic shift contributions also account for the reverse order of the propylene-centered triads from that predicted by the Grant-Paul equation.     

Mechanism of polymorph selection during crystallization of random butene-1/ethylene copolymer

Starting from an initial sample of butene-1/ethylene copolymer with stable form I’, we examined the nucleation of different crystalline polymorphs (here metastable form II and stable form I’) at different isothermal crystallization temperatures after being melted at different melt temperature (T _melt). When T _melt was just above the melting temperature (T _m) of the crystallites, self-seeding took place. There, residue crystallites served as nuclei leading to the crystallization of the same crystalline phase. When T _melt was a few degrees above the T _m, self-seeding was disabled due to complete melting of the initial crystals. Upon crystallization, the selection of the different polymorphs in this random copolymer was found to depend on an interplay between the domain size of segregated long crystallizable sequences and the size and energy barrier of the critical nucleus of the respective crystalline forms. Our results provide a clear understanding of the polymorphs selection during crystallization of a random copolymer as well as homo-polymers under confinement.     

Spherulite growth rate and fold surface free energy of the form II mesophase in isotactic polybutene-1 and random butene-1/ethylene copolymers

The spherulite growth rate of isotactic polybutene-1 and random butene-1/ethylene copolymers has been measured in a wide range of temperatures between the glass transition and the melting temperature. The presence of ethylene co-units in the butene-1 chain leads to a distinct decrease of both the maximum spherulite growth rate and the temperature of fastest growth. The data were analyzed within the frame of the Hoffman–Lauritzen theory of crystallization to obtain form II mesophase surface free energies. The robust performed analysis revealed that the form II mesophase fold surface free energy in random copolymers of butene-1 with less than 5 mol% ethylene is 50–100 % higher than in the homopolymer. It is suggested that the increase of the fold surface free energy is related to the exclusion of ethylene chain defects from crystallization and their accumulation at the basal planes of the form II mesophase.     

Structure formation of random isotactic copolymers of propylene and 1-hexene or 1-octene at rapid cooling

The effect of variation the cooling rate in a wide range between 10^?2 and 10³ K s^?1 on solidification the relaxed melt of random isotactic copolymers of propylene with low amount of 1-hexene or 1-octene has been studied. Emphasis has been placed on the structure formation at rapid cooling and an evaluation of the conditions required to permit crystallization, mesophase formation, or suppression of any ordering. The presence of low amount of either 1-hexene or 1-octene co-units in the propylene chain decreases drastically the critical cooling rate required for suppression of crystallization from about 150–200 K s^?1 in the homopolymer to about only 10 K s^?1 in the copolymers; increasing the cooling rate beyond these limits allowed mesophase formation or even generation of fully amorphous samples. The study of the kinetics of formation of specific structures is completed by a complementary analysis of the X-ray structure, morphology and superstructure of the ordered phase. The hindrance of non-isothermal crystallization and mesophase formation of random copolymers of propylene with 1-hexene or 1-octene is compared with that in propylene–1-butene copolymers; addition of only 2–3 mol% 1-hexene or 1-octene into the propylene chain leads to even larger hindrance of the ordering process than the addition of more than 10 mol% 1-butene.     

Effect of co-unit type in random propylene copolymers on the kinetics of mesophase formation and crystallization

Fast scanning chip calorimetry has been employed to study the effect of the type and concentration of co-units on the rate of mesophase formation and crystallization in random isotactic copolymers of propylene and 1-alkenes, including ethylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene. The dependence of the rate of ordering on temperature of the propylene homopolymer shows two distinct maxima around 300 and 340–350 K which are related to mesophase formation and crystallization, respectively. Addition of 1-alkene co-units leads to a decrease of the maximum rate of both crystallization and mesophase formation. At comparable temperature and molar percentage of co-units in the propylene chain, ethylene, and 1-butene co-units cause less reduction of the maximum rate of ordering than 1-hexene or 1-octene co-units. The experimental observations are discussed in the context of possible incorporation of these chain defects into the ordered structures.     

Model copolymers of ethylene with butene-1 made by hydrogenation of polybutadiene: Chemical composition and selected physical properties

Hydrogenation of polybutadienes with from 8 to nearly 100% vinyl content was used to prepare a series of model copolymers of ethylene and butene-1 with uniform microstructures and narrow molecular weight distributions. They range from readily crystallizable to completely amorphous, depending on the frequency of ethyl side branches (2–50 per 100 skeletal carbons). Melting temperature, secondary transition temperature, density, plateau modulus for the melt, and elastic modulus for the solid were obtained as functions of branch content. The effect of crystallinity on the secondary transition and modulus of the solid is discussed.     

Thermoreversible covalent crosslinking of maleated ethylene/propylene copolymers with diols

The objective of this study is the thermoreversible crosslinking of maleated ethylene/propylene copolymer (MAn‐g‐EPM) using the equilibrium reaction with diols. Covalent hemi‐ester crosslinks are formed via the reaction of anhydrides with alcohols, while an equilibrium shift at elevated temperatures may result in their removal. High conversions to hemi‐ester are obtained at low temperatures in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid, whereas conversions are low at high temperatures. The presence of microphase‐separated aggregates acting as physical crosslinks was demonstrated for MAn‐g‐EPM and all crosslinked materials. The covalent crosslinks were only formed within the aggregates, resulting in stronger aggregates that persisted to higher temperatures. The tensile strength and elasticity were significantly improved upon increasing level of crosslinking, whereas the type of diol has less influence. The covalently crosslinked MAn‐g‐EPM was reprocessable via compression molding at temperatures above 175 °C. Irreversible diester formation occurred for the longer diols, but did not prevent reprocessing, while short diols evaporated. Both effects lowered the level of crosslinking, resulting in significantly changed mechanical properties. The reprocessability does not originate from an equilibrium shift, but from a dynamic exchange between crosslinked and non‐crosslinked functional groups, which allows crosslinks to disconnect and the corresponding chain segments to diffuse between aggregates. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1810–1825, 2008     

Comprehensive thermal analysis of random copolymers of ethylene and 1-olefins

Random copolymers of ethylene and propylene, butene-1 and hexene-1 were characterised by measurements of heat capacity in the temperature interval 140–480 K and specific volume of the melt in the temperature interval 330–490 K and in the range of pressures 27.8–100 MPa. Analysis of the composition dependences, of the degree of crystallinity, melting and glass transition temperatures, as well as of thermodynamic and thermophysical properties of the melt led to the conclusion about the microblock structure of macromolecules of all series at molar ethylene contentF ₁ > 0.8. In this range of compositions the properties of copolymers in the melt seem to be independent of the chemical nature of a comonomer, contrary to the solid state where at identical molar compositions, the degree of crystallinity diminishes and the melting temperature decreases, as the molecular structure of the comonomer becomes more complex. This effect becomes weaker asF ₁ decreases, so that in the composition rangeF ₁ < 0.8 the properties of copolymers of all series are additive.

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Zusammenfassung Durch Messungen der Wärmekapazität im Temperaturintervall 140–480 K und des spezifischen Volumens im Temperaturintervall 330–490 K und im Druckbereich 27.8–100 MPa wurden Random-Kopolymere von Ethylen und Propylen, Buten-1 und Hexen-1 charakterisiert. Die Analyse der Abhängigkeit des Kristallinitätsgrades, der Schmelz- und Glasumwandlungspunkte sowie der thermodynamischen und thermophysikalischen Eigenschaften der Schmelzen führte zu einem Schluß über die Mikroblock-Struktur von Makromolekülen aller Serien bei einem molaren Ethylengehalt vonF ₁>0.8. In diesem Zusammensetzungsintervall scheinen die Eigenschaften des Kopolymers unabhängig von der chemischen Natur des Komonomers zu sein, im Gegensatz zum festen Zustand, wo bei einer ähnlichen molaren Zusammensetzung sich der Kristallinitätsgrad verringert und die Schmelztemperatur sinkt, wenn die Molekülstruktur des Komonomers komplexer wird. Dieser Effekt wird kleiner, wennF ₁ abnimmt, so daß im Zusammensetzungsbereich mitF ₁<0.8 die Eigenschaften der Kopolymere aller Serien additiv sind.

     

Melting points of homogeneous random copolymers of ethylene and 1-alkenes

Melting points of copolymers of ethylene and 1-alkenes ranging from 1-butene to 1-octadecene have been determined. The copolymers were prepared by means of a homogeneous Et₃Al₂Cl₃/VOCl₃ initiating system so that in individual samples, comonomer contents do not vary with molecular weight. Evidence is presented for a random distribution of comonomer units in the copolymers. Melting points determined by differential scanning calorimetry are essentially independent of branch length at low comonomer contents. At higher comonomer contents (5–9 mol% 1-alkene), melting points decrease in the order 1-butene > 1-octene > 1-octadecene copolymers. The weight fraction of ethylene sequences drops to less than 60% in copolymers with 1-octadecene of high comonomer content and this results in a reduction in the crystallite thicknesses attained by these copolymers.     

An investigation into the fracture behaviour of ethylene propylene impact copolymers

Injection moulded copolymer specimens containing between 6 to 11% ethylene were impacted using the drop weight method at 23°C and −20°C. Their response to the impact event was analysed in terms of failure mechanisms by considering their initiation and propagation energies at the respective temperatures. At −20°C, the results indicated that the multiple shear yielding toughening mechanism is predominant whereas room temperature tests show evidence of multiple crazing behaviour. The peak force sustained by the specimens decreased with the testing temperature.     

Thermal and structural investigation of random ethylene/1-hexene copolymers with high 1-hexene content

Random ethylene/1-hexene copolymers with the 1-hexene content in the range from 2 to 28 mol% were produced with a novel post-metallocene catalyst and analyzed by three techniques, FTIR, ¹³C NMR, and DSC. The 1-hexene content and the sequence distribution in the copolymers were determined by means of FTIR-M and ¹³C NMR. The crystallization behavior of the copolymers was studied by DSC under dynamic and isothermal conditions; the Avrami model was used to analyze the crystallization kinetics. It was found that both the 1-hexene content and the crystallization temperature affect the relative crystallinity. The bulk crystallization rate decreases with the 1-hexene content and reduces exponentially with an increase of T _c. The melting behavior of isothermally crystallized samples was also investigated and it was found that the melting temperatures of the copolymers under equilibrium conditions were related to the composition.     

Tough crystalline blends of polylactide with block copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol

The effect of crystallinity of polylactide (PLA) on the structure and properties of tough PLA blends with PEG-b-PPG-b-PEG block copolymers was studied. PLA was melt blended with a set of the copolymers with varying ratio of the hydrophilic (PEG) and hydrophobic (PPG) blocks. Although the blend phase structure depended on the copolymer molar mass and PEG content, as well as on the copolymer concentration in the blend, crystallinity also played an important role, increasing the copolymer content in the amorphous phase and enhancing phase separation. The influence of crystallinity on the thermal and mechanical properties of the blends depended on the copolymer used and its content. The blends, with PLA crystallinity of 25 ÷ 34 wt%, exhibited relatively high glass transition temperature ranging from 45 to 52 °C, and melting beginning above 120 °C. Although with a few exceptions crystallinity worsened the drawability and toughness, these properties were improved with respect to neat crystalline PLA in the case of partially miscible blends, in which fine liquid inclusions of the modifier were dispersed in PLA rich matrix. About 20-fold increase of the elongation at break and about 4-fold increase of the tensile impact strength were reached at a small content (10 wt%) of the modifier. Moreover, crystallinity decreased oxygen and water vapor transmission rates through neat PLA and the blend, and the barrier property for oxygen of the latter was better than that of neat polymer.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of random ethylene/1-octene copolymers prepared by rapid cooling

The dynamic mechanical properties of a well-characterized series of homogeneous ethylene/1-octene copolymers with different random hexyl branch contents and prepared using different cooling conditions have been examined using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was confirmed that the relaxation behavior of copolymers varied continuously with the branch content: the magnitude of the β relaxation increased with branch content while the intensity of the α relaxation decreased with the branch content; both relaxation temperatures decreasing with increasing branch level in the copolymers. Copolymers prepared at different cooling conditions were further examined and strikingly continuous changes were found for the first time. The β relaxation was shown to correlate to the amorphous region, while the α₁ and α₂ relaxations can be clearly differentiated for some samples and are assumed to be associated with the interlamellar slip and intra-crystalline c-shear processes respectively. With increasing cooling rate, the relative intensity of α₁ relaxation to α₂ relaxation was found to decrease while the β relaxation did not change. The most informative data is determined from deconvolution of tan δ spectra. In higher crystallinity polymers the α₁ and α₂ relaxations are closely related in activation energy but have different temperature locations. For lower crystallinity systems, where the α₁ relaxation cannot be observed, the α₂ and β relaxations are closely linked, with activation energies approaching one another. These results show very clearly that, although the observed relaxation data can be separated through deconvolution into three separate peaks, the behaviors are closely linked. Presumably, this a clear reflection of the role of tie molecules in binding phases together and in influencing dynamic mechanical behavior. A clear change of behavior has also been observed in the β relaxation when a distinct amorphous phase exists outside of the spherulites, confirming the general belief that the crystalline phase influences the amorphous phase when it is confined within a spherulite. Again, this behavior is reflecting the role of tie molecules in binding together the nanocomposite structure of a spherulite.     

Tough and transparent blends of polylactide with block copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol

In order to modify its physical properties, particularly the drawability and toughness, polylactide (PLA) was melt blended with a set of PEG-b-PPG-b-PEG block copolymers with varying ratio of the hydrophilic (PEG) and hydrophobic (PPG) blocks. Miscibility of the copolymers with PLA depended on their molar mass and PEG content. Interestingly, the best drawability was achieved in the case of partially miscible blends, in which fine liquid inclusions of the modifier were dispersed in PLA rich matrix with glass transition temperature only moderately decreased, to about 50 °C. About 37 fold increase of the elongation at break and about 1.5 fold increase of the tensile impact strength with respect to neat PLA were reached at small content (10 wt.%) of the modifier. Despite the phase separation, the blends remained transparent. In addition, the barrier properties for oxygen were improved.     

Interaction of ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymers with ionic surfactants studied by calorimetry: random versus block copolymers

The present study used calorimetric techniques to follow the interaction of random and block ethylene oxide (EO)-propylene oxide (PO) copolymers with ionic surfactants. Features such as the intensity of the interaction (evaluated through their critical aggregation concentrations) and the profile of the isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) curves were comparatively analyzed for random and block copolymers with similar composition (number of EO and PO units). Random copolymers displayed an interaction similar to that observed with other hydrophilic homopolymers with the additional characteristic that the intensity of the interaction increased with the increase in the copolymer hydrophobicity (as determined by its PO content), revealing that these copolymers display an intermediate behavior between PEO and PPO. For nonaggregated block copolymers (unimers) with large enough EO blocks (molar mass above 2000 g mol-1), ITC curves revealed that the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) interacts with the PO and EO blocks almost independently, being more favorable with the PO block, which controls the critical aggregation concentration (cac) value. Effects of temperature and of the nature of the ionic surfactants on their interaction with these copolymers were found to agree with the previously reported trends.