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     

Structural Development During Thermal Fractionation of Polyethylenes

In this study, the stepwise isothermal crystallization or thermal fractionation of Ziegler—Natta and metallocene based polyethylenes (ZN-PE and m-PE) with two kinds of branch lengths (ethyl and hexyl) and branch compositions were studied using simultaneous synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)/wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The crystal long period and the invariant were determined by SAXS, and the variations of crystal unit cell parameters and the degree of crystallinity were determined by WAXD. The arithmetic mean length (Ln), the weightedmean length (Lw) and the broadness index (Lw/Ln) of the studied polyethylenes were previously determined by DSC. Results from these studies were interpreted using the model of branch exclusion, which affects the ability of the chain-reentry into the crystal phase. Multiple SAXS peaks and step-change in crystallinity change (WAXD) were seen during heating, which corresponded well with the crystal thickness distribution induced by stepwise crystallization. The effects of the heterogeneity of the 1-olefin branch length and the distribution on the crystal long period and the invariant as well as the degree of crystallinity were discussed.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Origin of the double melting peaks of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) with a high HV content as revealed by in situ synchrotron WAXD/SAXS analyses

We here reported the dual melting behaviors with a large temperature difference more than 50 °C without discernible recrystallization endothermic peak in isomorphous poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (P(HB‐co‐HV)) with a high HV content of 36.2 mol %, and the structure evolution upon heating was monitored by in situ synchrotron wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction/small‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXD/SAXS) to unveil the essence of such double endothermic phenomena. It illustrated that the thinner lamellae with the larger unit cell and the thicker crystals having the smaller unit cell were melted around the first low and second high melting ranges, respectively. By analyzing in situ WAXD/SAXS data, and then coupling the features of melting behavior, the evolution of the parameters of both crystal unit cell and lamellar crystals, we proposed that the thinner unstable lamellae possess a uniform structure with HV units total inclusion, and the thicker stable lamellae reflect the sandwich structure with HV units partial inclusion. It further affirmed that the thicker sandwich and thinner uniform lamellae formed during the cooling and subsequent isothermal crystallization processes, respectively. These findings fully verify that it is the change of structure of lamellae rather than the melting/recrystallization that is responsible for double melting peaks of isomorphous P(HB‐co‐36.2%HV), and enhance our understanding upon multiple endothermic behaviors of polymers. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1453–1461     

Relationship between melting behavior and morphological changes of semicrystalline polymers

The present study on the case of poly(hexamethylene succinate) is to provide a basis for a better understanding of the subtle relationship between melting behavior and morphological changes of semicrystalline polymers. The melting behavior and morphological changes of poly(hexamethylene succinate) during both isothermal secondary crystallization and annealing processes were investigated by DSC and SAXS. DSC results showed that, with increasing crystallization time or annealing time, the melting endotherm continuously shifted to higher temperature, which suggested that some minor structural or morphological changes must occur. However, almost no changes at all on the crystal thickness were observed from SAXS measurements. The observed evidence confirmed that the increase in the melting temperature is not attributed to crystal thickening but crystal perfection. More exactly, the rearrangement and smoothing of tie molecules at the folding surface result in the reduction of the fold surface free energy, which dominantly contributes to the increase in the melting peak temperature. The origin of the new endothermic peak observed after annealing at elevated temperature was also discussed. TMDSC results indicated that the annealing peak resulted from the enthalpy relaxation and devitrification transition of rigid amorphous fraction formed by the driving force of thermodynamic nonequilibrium, rather than usually regarded as the melting of thin lamellae or imperfect crystals formed by annealing secondary crystallization.     

含间位取代苯基聚醚酮酮的结晶与晶体结构研究

通过差示扫描法（ＤＳＣ）及广角Ｘ 射线衍射（ＷＡＸＤ）技术研究了含间位取代苯基聚醚酮酮（ＰＥＫｍＫ）的结晶行为与晶体结构．Ｘ 射线结果表明，从熔融态及玻璃态结晶时，ＰＥＫｍＫ只有一种晶型，其晶胞参数为：ａ＝０７６７２ｎｍ，ｂ＝０６１４９ｎｍ，ｃ＝１５９９ｎｍ．ＤＳＣ结果表明，ＰＥＫｍＫ热分析曲线都出现了熔融双峰，低熔融峰（ＤＯＷｎ）热焓占总热焓４～７％，它源于初始结晶形成的同一晶型不同厚度片晶．低熔融峰在２５０℃以上结晶转化成高熔融峰（Ｉ），ＰＥＫｍＫ平衡熔点为２９５℃     

Relationship between Localization of PBSU in Interlamellar/Interfibrillar Regimes and Double Peaks in DSC/SAXS in its Blend with PVDF

In this work, phase segregation and localization of PBSU have been investigated with the combination of SAXS and DSC in its blend with PVDF. After stepwise crystallization of PVDF and PBSU, there are double melting peaks of PBSU in DSC and double scattering peaks in SAXS. It has been demonstrated that double peaks can be attributed to the localization of PBSU in interlamellar/interfibrillar region in pre-formed PVDF crystal framework. In the case of low content of PBSU in blend, PBSU is trapped into the interlamellar region of PVDF crystals, resulting in the alternating lamellae crystal of them and the first peak (with low-q) in SAXS. The enhanced confinement effect produces thinner PBSU lamellae, corresponding to the lower melting temperature in DSC. Upon increasing its content in blend, some PBSU segregates in interfibrillar regions in addition to the enrichment in interlamellar regions of PVDF crystal framework. The larger space and higher concentration of PBSU in interfibrillar-regions contribute to periodic lamellae structure of PBSU with higher thickness, which is the reason for the second peak (with high-q) in SAXS and DSC. Our results not only clarify the relationship between localization of PBSU in interlamellar/interfibrillar regions and double peaks in DSC/SAXS, but also provide a novel strategy to detect the interlamellar and interfibrillar segregation of low-T_m component in miscible crystalline/crystalline blend.

     

Step-scan TMDSC and high rate DSC study of the multiple melting behavior of poly(1,3-propylene terephthalate)

The multiple melting behavior of poly(1,3-propylene terephthalate) (PPT) samples after isothermal crystallization from the melt was studied. The step-scan temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) and high rate DSC were used to investigate this behavior in conjunction with standard DSC, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and polarizing light microscopy (PLM). The effect of PPT average molecular weight on the melting was also examined. In general multiple endotherms after isothermal crystallization of PPT were attributed to a continuous crystal perfection process during the subsequent heating scan via melting-recrystallization-remelting. Multiple melting behavior was more pronounced for the low molecular weight PPT. Step-scan TMDSC showed that extensive recrystallization occurs in PPT samples, especially after rapid isothermal crystallization. In fact two recrystallization exothermic peaks were observed. High rate DSC revealed the initial morphology generated during the isothermal step and showed that the low and middle peaks are associated with melting of primary crystals while the high temperature peak should be attributed to melting of recrystallized material.     

New insight into melting and crystallization behavior in semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate)

After isothermal crystallization, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) showed double endothermic behavior in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) heating scan. During the heating scans of semicrystalline PET, a metastable melt which comes from melting thinner lamellar crystal populations formed between the low and the upper endothermic temperatures. The metastable melt can recrystallize immediately just above the low melting temperature and form thicker lamellae than the original ones. The thickness and perfection depends on the crystallization time and crystallization temperature. The crystallization kinetics of this metastable melt can be determined by means of DSC. The kinetics analysis showed that the isothermal crystallization of the metastable PET melt proceeds with an Avrami exponent of n = 1.0 ∼ 1.2, probably reflecting one‐dimensional or irregular line growth of the crystal occurring between the existing main lamellae with heterogeneous nucleation. This is in agreement with the hypothesis that the melting peaks are associated with two distinct crystal populations with different thicknesses. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 53–60, 2000     

Crystal structure and thermal behavior of cold-crystallized poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

The structure and thermal behavior of cold-crystallized poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) are revealed in detail by DSC, AFM, TEM, and WAXD as well as in situ FTIR and SAXS techniques. There is no effect of crystallization temperature and initial state on the crystal modification, yet the morphology is strongly affected by these two factors. First, the small rod-like lamellae for PTT are obtained during the cold crystallization instead of the spherulites formed in the melt crystallization. Second, the edge-on lamellar orientation in thin films is identified during the cold crystallization. The thickness and the lateral width of rod-like lamellae get larger and larger with increasing crystallization temperature. Thin lamellar crystals assemble randomly when the cold-crystallization temperature is lower, while lamellar stacks composed of thicker lamellae are observed when the PTT was annealed at elevated temperature. Moreover, for the cold-crystallized PTT, the final melting temperature does not vary with the crystallization temperature. This phenomenon is explained by the structural improvement during the heating process. For the cold-crystallized PTT sample at lower temperature, three transitions occur when it is heated again: the relaxation of the rigid amorphous phase, the reorganization of molecules in the intermediate phase, and then the melt–recrystallization behavior. Those transitions finally lead to thicker lamellae besides a higher crystallinity before the final fusion. Therefore, the final melting peak of these lamellae is at the same temperature.     

Crystallization and thermal properties of PLLA comb polymer

Poly(L ‐lactide) (PLLA) on poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) backbone was prepared by a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and ring‐opening polymerization (ROP). The structure of the comb polymer was analyzed by wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). WAXD result indicates that the comb polymer has α crystalline modification with a 10₃ helical conformation. Lamellar parameters of the crystalline structure were obtained by one‐dimension correlation function (1DCF) calculated from SAXS results. The calculations show that the thickness of crystalline layer is controlled by annealing temperature and comb structure. DSC was applied to study kinetics of the crystallization and melting behavior. Two melting peaks on melting curves of the comb polymer at different crystallization temperature were detected, and the peak at higher temperature is attributed to the melt‐recrystallization. The equilibrium melting temperature is found to be influenced by the comb structure. In this article the effects of the comb structure on Avrami exponent, equilibrium melting point and melting peak of the comb polymer were discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 589–598, 2008     

Small-angle X-ray scattering study of liquid crystalline polycarbonates based on α-methyl stilbene mesogen and methylene-containing flexible spacer

Crystallization and melting behavior are studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for a series of recently synthesized monotropic liquid crystalline polycarbonates based on α-methyl stilbene mesogen and methylene flexible spacer. The one-dimensional electron density correlation function is used to obtain long period, crystal thickness, and linear crystallinity from the Lorentz-corrected SAXS intensity. Changes in these parameters during nonisothermal crystallization and melting are explained by a model of dual crystal populations. The primary crystals form first using the liquid crystalline phase as crystal nuclei, while smaller and less perfect crystals form later from the isotropic phase at low temperature. The results of the real-time SAXS study of isothermal crystallization also support the view that the nematic phase serves as crystal nuclei for fast crystallization. An odd-even effect in crystal thickness and linear crystallinity is observed in all the SAXS experiments mentioned above. The results of this study and our complementary wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) investigation show clearly that the difference in the position of the neighboring carbonate dipoles on a chain affects structural organization both at the unit cell level and at the level of the crystal in these monotropic LCPs. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

聚己内酯在聚己内酯/苯乙烯丙烯腈共聚物共混体系中的受限结晶

通过示差扫描量热 (DSC)、广角X 射线衍射 (WAXD)和小角X 射线散射 (SAXS)在不同尺度范围研究了聚己内酯 (PCL) 苯乙烯 丙烯腈共聚物 (SAN)共混体系中PCL的结晶行为 .由于该体系中SAN的玻璃化温度高于PCL的熔点 ,从而导致了PCL的结晶行为是一种受限结晶 .研究结果表明PCL的结晶行为从宏观 (DSC结果 )、介观 (SAXS结果 )到微观 (WAXD结果 )都受到了高玻璃化温度SAN的限制 .     

间规1,2-聚丁二烯结晶结构研究

以间规1,2-聚丁二烯(s-PB)为研究对象,通过原位同步辐射小角X射线散射(SR-SAXS)和广角X射线衍射(WAXD)研究其结晶结构的变化过程.SR-SAXS曲线中存在明显的散射峰,表明在等温结晶过程中形成有序结晶结构;在等温结晶后间规1,2-聚丁二烯的片晶厚度、微晶尺寸均正比于1/Tc∞-T,根据高分子结晶中介相机理可以做出合理的解释.     

聚己内酯在聚己内酯/聚乙烯基甲基醚共混体系中的结晶研究

通过示差扫描量热(DSC)、广角X射线衍射(WAXD)、小角X射线散射(SAXS)研究了聚己内酯(PCL)/聚乙烯基甲基醚(PVME)共混体系中PCL的结晶行为.研究结果表明,共混聚合物中PCL的结晶度几乎不随体系的组成而发生变化.共混物中PVME的存在没有改变PCL的晶体结构,但是随着PVME含量的增加,片晶之间的距离则大,这主要是由于非晶层增厚引起的.     

Isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of branched and partially crosslinked PET

The crystallization kinetics of branched and partially crosslinked poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), prepared using trimethyl trimellitate as branching agent was studied using DSC and WAXD. Crystallization rates were retarded with increasing branching agent content. Avrami equation was used in the isothermal crystallization, while for the non-isothermal process the Ozawa model was applied. Isothermal crystallization half-times increased with branching agent content and crystallization peak temperatures during cooling, decreased. WAXD showed big broadening and reduced degree of crystallinity compared to the neat polyester. Though, the crystal lattice parameters did not seem to alter, crystal size reduction was evidenced.     

Multiple Endothermic Peaks Resulted from Different Crystal Structures in an Isomorphous Copolymer Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate

The multiple endothermic peaks of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)(P(HB-co-HV)) in differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) results, as one representative phenomenon of polymer with unique cocrystallization behavior, were generally considered as the results of melting/recrystallization. In this study, wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD) and small angle X-ray scattering(SAXS) experiments were conducted to analyze the phenomena of multiple endothermic peaks in DSC results. The results of these analyses indicated that the multiple endotherms were mainly caused by different lamellae structures. For P(HB-co-HV) with lower HV content, it was comprised of two structures of HV total exclusion and HV partial inclusion in the crystal lamellae. For P(HB-co-HV) with higher HV content, it was also comprised of two structures of HV total inclusion and HV partial inclusion in the crystal lamellae. However, only structure with HV partial inclusion in the crystal lamellae remained existing after first melting peak for all samples.     

Polydispersity of ethylene sequence length in metallocene ethylene/α‐olefin copolymers. II. Influence on crystallization and melting behavior

In this work, crystallization and melting behavior of metallocene ethylene/α‐olefin copolymers were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results indicated that the crystallization and melting temperatures for all the samples were directly related to the long ethylene sequences instead of the average sequence length (ASL), whereas the crystallization enthalpy and crystallinity were directly related to ASL, that is, both parameters decreased with a decreasing ASL. Multiple melting peaks were analyzed by thermal analysis. Three phenomena contributed to the multiple melting behaviors after isothermal crystallization, that is, the melting of crystals formed during quenching, the melting‐recrystallization process, and the coexistence of different crystal morphologies. Two types of crystal morphologies could coexist in samples having a high comonomer content after isothermal crystallization. They were the chain‐folded lamellae formed by long ethylene sequences and the bundlelike crystals formed by short ethylene sequences. The coexistence phenomenon was further proved by the AFM morphological observation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 822–830, 2002     

中介相态丙烯-乙烯无规共聚物在热处理过程中的结构演变

通过熔体淬冷方式制备了中介相态丙烯-乙烯无规共聚物(PPR),综合使用原位红外光谱、原位X-射线散射(WAXD/SAXS)、示差扫描量热分析(DSC)和动态机械热分析(DMA)等方法系统研究了中介相态PPR在升温过程中的微观结构演变.红外光谱研究结果表明,在连续升温过程中,中介相态PPR在30~50?C之间分子链构象发生了变化,其可能源于刚性无定形区(RAF)中部分链段构象的无序化转变,并发现在RAF中存在长度为n≤13(n为31螺旋序列中丙烯单元的个数)的螺旋序列.中介相态PPR在连续升温过程中经历了RAF中链段构象的无序化转变、中介相向α晶的转变、不完善α晶的熔融和α晶的完善化,以及α晶熔融4个转变过程.中介相向α晶的转变是一个异相成核生长过程,其结晶活化能ΔE=67.94 k J/mol.     

Time-resolved synchrotron X-ray study of crystalline phase transition in poly(aryl ether ketone ketone) containing alternated terephthalic/isophthalic moieties

Unique crystallization and melting behavior in poly(aryl ether ketone ketone) containing alternated terephthalic and isophthalic moieties were studied by time-resolved synchrotron x-ray methods. Recently, this material has been shown to exhibit three polymorphs (forms I, II, and III). In this work, we further investigated their distinctive thermal properties and found that form I is the dominating and the most thermally stable phase while form II is favored by fast nucleation conditions and is the least stable phase. On the other hand, form III represents a minor intermediate phase that usually coexists with form I and can be transferred from form II and to form I. Structural and morphological changes in form I have been followed by simultaneous wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD)/small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements during cold- or melt-crystallization and subsequent melting. In all cases, a larger dimensional change was found in the crystallographic a-axis than the b-axis during heating and cooling. This may be due to the greater lateral stress variation with respect to temperature along the a direction of the primary lamellae which is induced by either the formation of secondary lamellae or the preferential chain-folding direction in poly(aryl ether ketone ketone)s. During the phase transitions of form II ← III in the cold-crystallized specimen and form III ← I in the melt-crystallized samples, lamellar variables (long period, lamellar thickness, and invariant) obtained from SAXS remain almost constant. This indicates that the density distribution in the long spacing is independent of the melting in form II or III. For melt-crystallization, the corresponding changes in unit-cell dimensions and lamellar morphology during the annealing-induced low endotherm are most consistent with the argument that these changes are due to the melting of thin lamellar population. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Analysis of the complex thermal behavior of poly(L‐lactic acid) film. I. Samples crystallized from the glassy state

The melting behavior of poly(L ‐lactic acid) film crystallized from the glassy state, either isothermally or nonisothermally, was studied by wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). Up to three crystallization and two melting peaks were observed. It was concluded that these effects could largely be accounted for on the basis of a “melt‐recrystallization” mechanism. When molecular weight is low, two melting endotherms are readily observed. But, without TMDSC, the double melting phenomena of high molecular weight PLLA is often masked by an exotherm just prior to the final melting, as metastable crystals undergo melt‐recrystallization during heating in the DSC. The appearance of a double cold‐crystallization peak during the DSC heating scan of amorphous PLLA film is the net effect of cold crystallization and melt‐recrystallization of metastable crystals formed during the initial cold crystallization. Samples cold‐crystallized at 80 and 90 °C did not exhibit a long period, although substantial crystallinity developed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3200–3214, 2006