Structural features of crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymers

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used polymeric material. In this work, the microstructural features before and after the solid‐state polymerization (SSP) of several DuPont PET products were investigated by low‐voltage scanning electron microscopy (LV‐SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The microstructural features on the cross section of various PET samples included crystallites, voids, boundaries, defects, and amorphous phases. The SEM images revealed layered and stepped structural features at the micron and 10‐micron scales that are highly crystallized at the near‐edge region of the cross section for both linear and branched PET samples after the SSP process. The AFM images demonstrate that the degree of crystallization for the linear and branched PET samples increases gradually from the central area to the edge on the cross section. The linear crystallized PET has a higher degree of orientation than the branched crystallized PET in the 10‐micron to micron scales, but their crystalline structures have no significant differences in the submicron to nanometer scales. The PET crystallization process occurs when the molecular chains in the amorphous phase are aligned and folded to form straight molecular chains at the nanometer scale, and small crystallites are formed. The crystallites aggregate and align together into a polygon rod‐like‐shaped crystallites at the submicron scale. Finally, large crystallites at the micron size are formed that appear on the edge area of the cross section. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 245–254, 2002     

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymers containing nitroterephthalic units. II. Crystallization and conformational studies

The effect of incorporating a nitro side group into the phenylene units of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) on the conformation and crystallizability of this polyester was evaluated. Random poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐nitroterephthalate) (PETNT) copolymers containing 5, 10, and 15 mol % nitroterephthalic units were investigated with reference to PET. All the examined copolymers were semicrystalline and were found to adopt the triclinic crystal structure of PET, with the nitrated units being excluded from the crystallites. Both the crystallinity and crystallization rate of PETNT largely decreased with the content of nitrated units, and the O? CH₂? CH₂? O trans‐to‐gauche conformational ratio increased with crystallization, attaining comparable values for all the compositions. The conformation and crystallinity of isothermally crystallized PET and PETNT samples could be correlated with the size of the crystallites generated in each case. However, a different crystal perfecting mechanism seemed to operate for PET and for the PETNT copolymers when they were subjected to annealing. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2759–2771, 2002     

Fiber property and structure development of polyester blend fibers reinforced with a thermotropic liquid‐crystal polymer

Ternary blend fibers (TBFs), based on melt blends of poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate), poly(ethylene terephthalate), and a thermotropic liquid‐crystal polymer (TLCP), were prepared by a process of melt blending and spinning to achieve high‐performance fibers. The reinforcement effect of the polymer matrix by the TLCP component, the fibrillar structure with TLCP fibrils of high aspect ratios, and the development of more ordered and perfect crystalline structures by an annealing process resulted in the improvement of the tensile strength and modulus for the TBFs. An increase in the apparent crystallite size with the spinning speed was attributed to the development of larger crystallites and more ordered crystalline structures in the annealed TBFs. The birefringence and density of the TBFs increased with increasing spinning speed, the TBFs becoming more oriented and the crystal packing becoming more enhanced. The molecular orientation was an important factor in determining the tensile strength and modulus of the TBFs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 395–403, 2004     

Morphological study on water‐borne conducting polyaniline‐poly(ethylene oxide) blends

Conducting polyaniline‐poly(ethylene oxide) blends were prepared from their aqueous solutions. The blends displayed an electrical conductivity percolation threshold as low as 1.83 wt % of polyaniline loading. As demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, polarized optical microscopy, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction studies, the conducting polyaniline took a fibrillar morphology in the blend, and it existed only in the amorphous phase of poly(ethylene oxide). A three‐phase model combining morphological factors instead of a two‐phase model was proposed to explain the low‐conductivity percolation threshold. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 605–612, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10114     

Crystallization and morphology of poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylate) in the presence of nucleating agents

The crystallization and morphology of poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylate) (PEN) containing, as nucleating agents, a sodium salt of a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid or a sodium salt of a copolymer of ethylene and methacrylic acid, were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and small‐angle light scattering. The nucleating agents accelerated the crystallization rate at high temperatures by decreasing the surface free energy barrier hindering nucleation. Meanwhile, the nucleating agents with flexible chains could also improve the mobility of the PEN chains and increase the crystallization rate at low temperatures. Hedrites were observed when PEN was crystallized at high temperatures, whereas crystallization at low temperatures led to the formation of spherulites. Similar but smaller morphologies were obtained in the presence of nucleating agents. With nucleating agents, the spherulites formed at low temperatures were less perfect, although the optical properties of the spherulites were not influenced. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2387–2394, 2002     

Crystallization and morphology of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) blends. I. Spherulitic morphology and growth by polarized microscopy

The development of the poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) morphology in the presence of already existent poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) spherulites was studied by two‐stage solidification with two separate crystallization temperatures. PVDF formed irregular dendrites at lower temperatures and regular, banded spherulites at elevated temperatures. The transition temperature of the spherulitic morphology from dendrites to regular, banded spherulites increased with increasing PVDF content. A remarkable amount of PHB was included in the PVDF dendrites, whereas PHB was rejected into the remaining melt from the banded spherulites. When PVDF crystallized as banded spherulites, PHB could consequently crystallize only around them, if at all. In contrast, PHB crystallized with a common growth front, starting from a defined site in the interfibrillar regions of volume‐filling PVDF dendrites. It formed by itself dendritic spherulites that included a large number of PVDF spherulites. For blends with a PHB content of more than 80 wt %, for which the PVDF dendrites were not volume‐filling, PHB first formed regular spherulites. Their growth started from outside the PVDF dendrites but could later interpenetrate them, and this made their own morphology dendritic. These PHB spherulites melted stepwise because the lamellae inside the PVDF dendrites melted at a lower temperature than those from outside. This reflected the regularity of the two fractions of the lamellae because that of those inside the dendrites of PVDF was controlled by the intraspherulitic order of PVDF, whereas that from outside was only controlled by the temperature and the melt composition. The described morphologies developed without mutual nucleating efficiency of the components. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 873–882, 2003     

Synthesis and characterization of ABA‐type amphiphilic tri‐block copolymers through anionic polymerization using end functionalized poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers

ABA‐type amphiphilic tri‐block copolymers were successfully synthesized from poly(ethylene oxide) derivatives through anionic polymerization. When poly(styrene) anions were reacted with telechelic bromine‐terminated poly(ethylene oxide) ( 1 ) in 2:1 mole ratio, poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(styrene) tri‐block copolymers were formed. Similarly, stable telechelic carbanion‐terminated poly(ethylene oxide), prepared from 1,1‐diphenylethylene‐terminated poly (ethylene oxide) ( 2 ) and sec‐BuLi, was also used to polymerize styrene and methyl methacrylate separately, as a result, poly (styrene)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(styrene) and poly (methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate) tri‐block copolymers were formed respectively. All these tri‐block copolymers and poly(ethylene oxide) derivatives, 1 and 2 , were characterized by spectroscopic, calorimetric, and chromatographic techniques. Theoretical molecular weights of the tri‐block copolymers were found to be similar to the experimental molecular weights, and narrow polydispersity index was observed for all the tri‐block copolymers. Differential scanning calorimetric studies confirmed the presence of glass transition temperatures of poly(ethylene oxide), poly(styrene), and poly(methyl methacrylate) blocks in the tri‐block copolymers. Poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(styrene) tri‐block copolymers, prepared from polystyryl anion and 1 , were successfully used to prepare micelles, and according to the transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering results, the micelles were spherical in shape with mean average diameter of 106 ± 5 nm. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Total‐reflection X‐ray diffraction study of friction‐transferred poly(tetrafluoroethylene) film

The orientational structure of the friction‐transferred poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) film, which consists of highly oriented polymer strands, was evaluated with energy‐dispersive total‐reflection X‐ray diffractometry. In the film, each PTFE molecule is oriented along the friction direction, and PTFE crystallites have a preferred orientation with respect to the substrate surface. The orientational distribution of the chain direction was quantitatively evaluated. The half‐width of the distribution was determined to be about 3°. The dependence of the orientational distribution on temperature is discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 432–438, 2001     

Effect of crystallization and liquid–liquid phase separation on phase‐separation kinetics in poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol)/glycerol solution

Liquid–liquid thermally induced phase separation of the polymer‐diluent system of poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) (EVOH)‐glycerol was examined under light scattering. For EVOH with an ethylene content of 38 mol % (EVOH38), maxima of the scattered light intensity were observed that indicated that phase separation occurred by the spinodal decomposition (SD). The growth of the structures formed by the general liquid–liquid phase separation obeyed a power‐law scaling relationship in SD. For EVOH with an ethylene content of 32 mol % (EVOH32), the liquid–liquid phase separation resulted from the polymer crystallization. In this case, the structure growth showed the characteristic behavior in which the crystalline particles were initially formed, and then the droplets formed by the liquid–liquid phase separation induced by the crystallization grew rapidly. Furthermore, the growth of the droplet by the phase separation was followed by an optical microscope measurement at a constant cooling rate. The phase‐separated structure formed after the crystallization can grow faster than that formed by the normal liquid–liquid phase separation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 194–201, 2003     

Electron microscopy of high‐pressure crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The high‐pressure crystallized poly(ethylene terephthalate) samples were investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The striation appearance, which is the most common feature of polymer extended‐chain crystals, was clearly observed. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) extended‐chain crystals with thickness up to 17 m were obtained at high pressure. Fibrous crystals were also formed at high pressure. The fracture behaviors, which affected the exposure of the striations, were also discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1612–1616, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene oxide)/polylactide/poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

Poly(ethylene oxide/polylactide/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO/PL/PEO) triblock copolymers, in which each block is connected by an ester bond, were synthesized by a coupling reaction between PL and PEO. Hydroxyl‐terminated PLs with various molecular weights were synthesized and used as hard segments. Hydroxyl‐terminated PEOs were converted to the corresponding acid halides via their acid group and used as a soft segment. Triblock copolymers were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X‐ray diffractometry of PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymers suggested that PL and PEO blocks were phase‐separated and that the crystallization behavior of the PL block was markedly affected by the presence of the PEO block. PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymers with PEO 0.75k had two exothermic peaks (by DSC), and both peaks were related to the crystallization of PL. According to thermogravimetric analysis, PEO/PL/PEO triblock copolymer showed a higher thermal stability than PL or PEO. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2545–2555, 2002     

Synthesis of branch‐ring‐branch tadpole‐shaped [linear‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)]‐b‐[cyclic‐poly(ethylene oxide)]‐b‐ [linear‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)] by combination of glaser coupling reaction with ring‐opening polymerization

A novel amphiphilic branch‐ring‐branch tadpole‐shaped [linear‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)]‐b‐[cyclic‐poly(ethylene oxide)]‐b‐[linear‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)] [(l‐PCL)‐b‐(c‐PEO)‐b‐(l‐PCL)] was synthesized by combination of glaser coupling reaction with ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) mechanism. The self‐assembling behaviors of (l‐PCL)‐b‐(c‐PEO)‐b‐(l‐PCL) and their π‐shaped analogs of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(ethylene oxide)]‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐[poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(ethylene oxide) with comparable molecular weight in water were preliminarily investigated. The results showed that the micelles formed from the former took a fiber look, however, that formed from the latter took a spherical look. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Spherulitic growth in block copolymers and blends of miscible crystalline polymers

Spherulitic morphology and growth rate of block copolymers comprised of miscible crystalline constituents, namely poly(ethylene succinate) (PES) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), were investigated. The results of the copolymers were compared with those of the blends with the same composition and molecular weight. Interpenetrating spherulites, where spherulites of one component grow in those of the other component, were observed in the copolymers as in the blends. Copolymerization, namely the connectivity of the PES and PEO blocks, reduced the spherulitic growth rate in the melt for both components. The growth inside the spherulites of the other component was discussed based on the lamellar and fibrillar (or lamella‐stack) structures, which are influenced by the interblock connectivity. Suppression of molecular mobility in the interlamellar regions resulted in the reduced nucleation and growth rate of the component growing in the spherulites of the other constituent. PES of the copolymer showed dendrites around 60 °C or above. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Synthesis of new amphiphilic diblock copolymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(α‐olefin)

This article discusses an effective route to prepare amphiphilic diblock copolymers containing a poly(ethylene oxide) block and a polyolefin block that includes semicrystalline thermoplastics, such as polyethylene and syndiotactic polystyrene (s‐PS), and elastomers, such as poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐octene) and poly(ethylene‐co‐styrene) random copolymers. The broad choice of polyolefin blocks provides the amphiphilic copolymers with a wide range of thermal properties from high melting temperature ～270 °C to low glass‐transition temperature ～?60 °C. The chemistry involves two reaction steps, including the preparation of a borane group‐terminated polyolefin by the combination of a metallocene catalyst and a borane chain‐transfer agent as well as the interconversion of a borane terminal group to an anionic (? O^?K⁺) terminal group for the subsequent ring‐opening polymerization of ethylene oxide. The overall reaction process resembles a transformation from the metallocene polymerization of α‐olefins to the ring‐opening polymerization of ethylene oxide. The well‐defined reaction mechanisms in both steps provide the diblock copolymer with controlled molecular structure in terms of composition, molecular weight, moderate molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n < 2.5), and absence of homopolymer. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3416–3425, 2002     

Synthesis and crosslinking of vinyl‐terminated biphenyl and naphthalene liquid‐crystalline poly(epichlorohydrin) derivatives: Effect of nonmesogenic nonvinylic units on the mesogenic properties

Two series of vinyl‐terminated side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polyethers containing ethylene oxide or glycidyl aromatic carboxylates as spacers were synthesized. The mesogenic cores were 4,4′‐biphenyl or 2,6‐naphthalene moieties. The polymers were synthesized by chemically modifying poly(epichlorohydrin) or poly(epichlorohydrin)‐poly(ethylene oxide) with the corresponding mesogenic carboxylic acids or with mixtures of these acids and the nonmesogenic non‐crosslinkable analogous 4‐biphenyl‐ and 2‐naphthalenecarboxylic acids. In most cases the degree of modification achieved was higher than 90%. The polymers were characterized by chlorine analysis, IR, and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies; viscosimetry; size exclusion chromatography; multi‐angle laser light scattering; and thermogravimetric analysis. The liquid‐crystal behavior, shown by most polymers, was examined by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy (POM), and X‐ray diffraction on mechanically oriented samples. The crosslinking of most polymers was done by peroxide‐type initiators that led to liquid‐crystal thermosets or elastomers. The freezing of the mesophase organization on the crosslinked materials was confirmed by POM and X‐ray diffraction. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3893–3908, 2002     

Relaxation behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene naphthalene 2,6‐dicarboxylate) blends prepared by cryogenic blending

A method including cryogenic grinding, melt pressing from the molten state, and quenching was used to prepare blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene naphthalene 2,6‐dicarboxylate) (PEN) in which the two phases were highly dispersed. The effect of melt‐pressing times on the thermal properties and relaxation behavior of PET/PEN films were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry and dielectric spectroscopy. For short melt‐pressing times, two glass‐transition, two crystallization, and two melting peaks were observed, indicating the presence of PET‐rich and PEN‐rich phases in these blends. Longer melt‐pressing times revealed a single glass transition and a single α‐relaxation process, showing that PET–PEN block copolymers were likely to be formed during the melt pressing. The experimental findings were examined in terms of the transesterification reactions between the blend components, as revealed by ¹H NMR measurements. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2570–2578, 2002     

Nucleation and growth of gas barrier aluminium oxide on surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polypropylene: effects of the polymer surface properties

The nucleation and initial stages of growth of aluminium oxide deposited on two different polymer surfaces [poly(ethylene terephthalate), (PET) and amorphous polypropylene, (PP)] have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The permeation of water vapor and oxygen through the films has been measured. The initial stages of the growth of the oxide consisted of separated islands on the polymer surface. Further growth of oxide depends strongly on the surface morphology and chemical nature of the polymer surface. Growth on PET follows a layer‐by‐layer mechanism that maintains the native surface roughness of the polymer substrate. Growth on PP, however, follows an island mode, which leads to an increase in surface roughness. This may be due to a lack of chemical bonding between the polymer and the arriving metal–oxygen particles. The oxide layer on PET grows more densely than on PP, providing superior barrier to gas permeation. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 3151–3162, 2000     

Effect of the initial matrix material on the structure of radiation‐grafted ion‐exchange membranes: Wide‐angle and small‐angle X‐ray scattering studies

Seven different fluoropolymer films were used as matrix materials for radiation‐grafted ion‐exchange membranes. The crystallinity and preferred orientation of these membranes were studied with wide‐angle X‐ray scattering, and the lamellar structure of the membranes was examined with small‐angle X‐ray scattering. The crystallinity of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)‐based matrix materials varied between 57 and 40%, and the crystallinity of the sulfonated samples varied between 34 and 23%. The lamellar periods of PVDF‐based matrix materials were about 115 Å, and the lamellar periods of poly(ethylene‐alt‐tetrafluoroethylene) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) were 250 and 212 Å, respectively. When the samples were grafted, the lamellar periods increased. Correlation function analysis showed very clearly that the long‐range order decreased because of grafting and sulfonation processes. For those samples that showed good proton conductivity, the lamellar period also increased because of sulfonation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1539–1555, 2002     

Vinyl ether end‐groups in poly(ethylene glycol)s from the Na2CO3‐promoted degradation of 1,3‐dioxolan‐2‐one polymers

The Na₂CO₃‐promoted polymerization of 1,3‐dioxolan‐2‐one (I) to afford poly(ethylene glycol) III was reinvestigated. The reaction appeared to involve a nucleophilic attack against the carbonyl and methylene groups of I to afford poly(carbonate) II with poly(ethylene glycol) linkages and ethylene oxide IV as a side product (10–22%). As the reaction progressed, poly(carbonate) II decreased and poly(ethylene glycol) III increased. Under some conditions, poly(ethylene glycol)s V and VI with vinyl ether terminal groups were formed unexpectedly. The formation of unsaturated products during the polymerization of I/EO (ethylene oxide) has not been reported in the literature. We believe that vinyl ethers were formed from the degradation of poly(carbonate)s and were accompanied by a reduction in molecular weight. The structures of vinyl ethers V and VI were confirmed by hydrogenation of the double bond into the ethyl ether group in VII and VIII, respectively. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 152–160, 2000     

Surface immobilization of poly(ethylene oxide): Structure and properties

We covalently immobilized poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains onto a fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) surface. On the FEP surface, aldehyde groups were first deposited by plasma polymerization of acetaldehyde or acrolein. Then, amino‐PEO chains were immobilized through Schiff base formation, which was followed by reduction stabilization with sodium cyanoborohydride. The PEO‐grafted polymer surfaces thus prepared were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy, contact‐angle measurements, and protein adsorption. The dramatic increase in the C O intensity of the high‐resolution XPS C 1s spectrum, together with an overall increase in oxygen content, indicated the successful attachment of PEO chains onto the acetaldehyde plasma surfaces. The amount of grafted PEO chains depended on the superfacial density of the plasma‐generated aldehyde groups. The grafted monoamino‐PEO chains formed a brushlike structure on the polymer surface, whereas the bisamino‐PEO chains predominately adopted a looplike conformation. The PEO surface had a regular morphology with greater roughness than the aldehyde surface underneath. Surface hydrophilicity increased with the grafting of PEO. Also, the bisamino‐PEO‐grafted surface had slightly higher surface hydrophilicity than its monoamino‐PEO counterpart. These PEO coatings reduced fibrinogen adsorption by 43% compared with the substrate FEP surface. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2323–2332, 2000