Typical fiber structure

Model fibers of polyethylene and nylon 6 were strained in the direction of the fiber axis and the internal deformation of the samples was studied by large-angle and small-angle x-ray diffraction. The compression of samples along the fiber axis was successfully carried out, and the results obtained by x-ray methods yielded more interesting information on the structure of the fibers than was obtained in extension. A model for the structure of the fiber was constructed on the basis of the results on compressed fibers. In this model, crystals are distributed in cylindrical symmetry around the fiber axis keeping a crystal axis tangential to circles in the section normal to the fiber axis. The characteristic crystal axis is the b axis in polyethylene and the a axis in nylon 6. The chain axis of the crystals varies in orientation with respect to the fiber axis. In compression of fibers with such a structure, the crystals rotate around the characteristic axis indicated above. In the case of nylon 6 fiber, only this simple rotation seems to occur, while additional changes occur in polyethylene fibers. However, the simple rotation predominates even in polyethylene fibers. This fiber structure is correlated with the structure of thin films of the materials. This similarity proves the existence of a common mechanism for the origin of the structure of fibers and films.     

Dynamics and mechanism of iodine sorption by polyacetylene

Sorption of iodine by bulk polyacetylene was studied under various I₂ gas pressures at 25°C. The sorption dynamics show that the penetration of iodine into PA is not Fickian and the diffusion coefficient increases with time of sorption. A discontinuous increase in the sorption isotherm is observed at P/P₀ = 0.25 (P is the pressure of the I₂ gas and P₀ is the saturation value at 25°C). It is due to iodine penetration into PA crystals, as evidenced by x-ray analysis. The distribution of iodine within crystals is apparently inhomogeneous: some unit cells are changed into “iodine-PA” cells, while others remain unchanged. The electrical conductivity depends not only on the amount of iodine but also on the I₂ gas pressure under which sorption is carried out. At given iodine content, the conductivity of a sample doped under higher I₂ pressure is greater than that of a sample doped under lower pressure.     

Structural transformation of ultra-high modulus and molecular weight polyethylene fibers by high-temperature wide-angle X-ray diffraction

Wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD) of the ultra-high modulus and molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers at room temperature shows a predominantly orthorhombic structure with trace amount of nonorthorhombic crystals and very low amorphous contents. The calculated unit cell dimensions a and b of the orthorhombic crystals are 7.36 (±0.04) Å, and 4.89 (±0.04) Å, respectively. The apparent crystallite sizes perpendicular to the orthorhombic 110 and 200 reflection planes are 169.8 and 143.4 Å, respectively. The crystallite size perpendicular to the nonorthorhombic 010 reflection is 149.4 Å. The crystal density is calculated to be 1.02 g/cc. With increasing temperature, the thermal expansion coefficient in the a direction is much higher than that in the b direction which explains the structural transformation from the orthorhombic crystals to a pseudohexagonal form. Tension along the fiber axis while being heated during the high-temperature x-ray diffraction (HTWAXD) scanning has shown enhanced structural transformation from the orthorhombic form to the monoclinic form. Structural transformation from the orthorhombic form to the pseudohexagonal phase is not observed on the UHMWPE fibers under axial tension or annealing conditions in HTWAXD. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys, 35: 623–630, 1997     

Lamellar diffusion during heat treatment in meltcrystallized low-density polyethylene

The annealing behavior of low-density melt-crystallized polyethylene is discussed in terms of an unprecedented lamellar diffusion mechanism. For this purpose a combined small-angle x-ray diffraction (SAXS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study has been carried out. The presence of an initial double-lamellar population is directly evidenced by electron microscopy of freeze-cut and stained sections. The intercalation of thinner lamellae within the dominant wide-lamella population gives rise to an x-ray periodicity of 220 Å (structure I). The independent stacking of thinner lamellae within the material contributes to a second periodicity at 110 Å (structure II). During annealing at successively higher temperatures T_A, the low-molecular-weight components from the thin lamellae progressively diffuse out of the double population, reinforcing the stacks of thinner lamellae. At the melting temperature of the thinner crystals a complete segregation of these lamellae takes place, and a new periodicity (structure III) corresponding to stacks of collapsed thick lamellae emerges. The periodicity of structure III increases further with T_A. The thin lamellae of structure II can be extracted by a solvent, removing the corresponding SAXS peak and DSC maxima. The partial removal of thin lamellae from structure I by means of solvent extraction concurrently yields a decrease of the SAXS period. The present results suggest that molecular segregation of a low-molecular-weight fraction, contributing to the population of thinner lamellae, occurs during annealing.     

Thermal annealing of doubly oriented nylon 11 in contact with formic acid

The most striking feature of the mechanism of thermal annealing of doubly oriented samples of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and probably of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a progressive tilt of lamellar crystals around their crystallographic b axis. Such a rotation does not occur on thermal annealing in doubly oriented nylons. However, this rotation mechanism occurs during the thermal annealing of doubly oriented samples of nylon 11 in contact with a solvent below its dissolution temperature. As for oriented samples of polyethylene (PE), a correlation between the changes of macroscopic dimensions and long spacing obtained from the small-angle x-ray pattern is difficult to establish. In doubly oriented samples of nylon 11, the basal faces of the lamellar crystals are parallel to the a axis of the unit cell. Nevertheless, simple Miller indices cannot be assigned to the basal planes of the lamellae. On thermal annealing in formic acid, the basal planes of the lamellar crystals are, in some cases, parallel to (00l) planes. Annealing in formic acid at room temperature induces a phase transition: the chain c axis remains oriented along the rolling direction and the (00l) planes become parallel to the limiting planes of the lamellar crystals. Bulk doubly oriented samples of nylon 11 annealed in formic acid just below the “dissolution temperature” have the same texture of orientation as filter mats of single crystals grown from dilute solution; moreover, as these bulk specimens remain doubly oriented, they can be used for further physicochemical investigations. The usual interpretation of the small-angle x-ray pattern is also discussed on the basis of the results reported in this paper.     

Invariance of the long spacing–crystallization temperature dependence of polyamides precipitated from solution

Previously it was found that the lamellar thickness of solution-grown polyamide crystals as assessed by low-angle x-ray diffraction appeared to be unaffected by crystallization conditions. This point has now been re-examined in detail on nylon 6.6 with crystallization temperature T_c as the main variable. Over a very wide range of T_c the lamellar thickness was invariant; a notable increase could be produced only at the highest T_c. The “invariant” lamellar thickness occurs at larger supercoolings than can be realized in the much-studied polyethylene, which may explain why it has not yet been reported for polyethylene. The existence of this minimum invariant value raises important questions concerning the applicability of the current kinetic theories over such a wide range of supercoolings. Several other polyamides also revealed invariant long spacings after crystallization from solution. This provides the justification sought for comparing, in the paper which follows, the long periods observed for a large number of polyamides.     

Orientation of polymer molecules during melt spinning. II. Orientation of crystals in as-spun polyolefin fibers

Three different polyolefins, a linear polyethylene, an isotactic polypropylene, and an isotactic polybutene-1, were melt-spun into filaments. The degree of orientation of the filaments was measured by polarized-light microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and a retraction technique, and the results were then related to the melt-draw ratio. The increase in the elastic deformation ratio of polymer chains by spin-stretching, estimated by thermal retraction at a temperature above T_m, was monotonic with respect to the melt-draw ratio. On the other hand, as-spun filaments of polyethylene and polypropylene were characterized by a plateau in birefringence over the range of melt-draw ratios from 8 to 80. The change in orientation functions for crystals in these filaments was similar to the change of birefringence. On the other hand, the birefringence and the crystalline orientation functions for polybutene-1 increased smoothly with increasing melt-draw ratio. The most highly melt-drawn filaments of these polymers had a strongly oriented structure, corresponding to that in highly cold-drawn specimens.     

Detection of “memory” effects in polyethylene by magnetic susceptibility

The relevance of diamagnetic susceptibility as a tool for the structure analysis of solid high polymers is stressed in the light of some new examples. The present results complement previous data and offer new aspects on the diamagnetic investigations of longchain hydrocarbons, especially polyethylene (PE). The molecular susceptibility is proportional to the average number of repeat units in the chain. The proportionality factor defines an intermolecular constant μ_k which characterizes different physical states. This was found to be 2.5 × 10^?6 for the liquid and 3.5 × 10^?6 cgs for the crystalline state of paraffins and polyethylene (solution-crystallized). For melt-crystallized material, μ_k, approaches the typical value of the liquid paraffin in agreement with previous results. Such a low μ_k is probably related to the increased disorder of the paracrystalline lattice domains, in contrast to the more ordered microparacrystallites in the so-called “single crystals,” where μ_k = 3.5 × 10^?6. In single crystals of branched PE, μ_k approaches 2.5 × 10^?6 with increasing branching ratio. Like paraffins in the gaseous state, molten PE, with chains longer than 1000 Å, has μ_k = 0. If the solution-crystallized material is molten for 10 min and thereafter cooled, μ_k retains the original value 3.5 × 10^?6 cgs characteristic of the crystalline state. Hence, solution-crystallized polyethylene apparently possesses a kind of “memory.” Such a “memory” can, nevertheless, be partly destroyed when molten PE is stirred for 10 min and then quenched. Aggregates of solution-precipitated crystals with 3% branching concentration give μ_k = 2.9 ± 0.2 × 10^?6 in good agreement with x-ray diffraction data. Finally, experimental details on the magnetic measurements are critically discussed, and various aspects of improvements for further investigations are also described.     

Phase diagram and phase structure of the sodium di-n-pentyl phosphate-water system.1H pulsed-gradient NMR self-diffusion,31P NMR and x-ray diffraction studies

Sodium di-n-pentylphos phate (DPP) has been synthesized, and the phase diagram of the DPP-water system consisting of five regions (I, II, III, IV, and V) has been determined. The phase structure has been investigated by¹H pulsed-gradient NMR self-diffusion,³¹P NMR and x-ray low angle diffraction methods. The results are summarized as follows. In region I, there exist two critical micelle concentrations (CMC), indicating that this region is in a monomer-micelle equilibrium and that variation in the aggregated state occurs at the second CMC. Region II is a two phase area in which regions I and IV coexist. In region III, hydrated crystals and an aqueous solution of DPP coexist. Region IV is a homogenous, transparent and fluid phase and the results of³¹P NMR spectra and x-ray diffraction patterns reveal the formation of a highly organized structure, similar to a lamellar-like structure. Region V is a homogenous, transparent and fluid phase and the self-diffusion coefficient value and³¹P NMR spectra show that its phase structure is very similar to that for the concentrated sample in region I.     

Small-angle x-ray scattering studies of isothermally crystallized bulk polyethylene

A set of isothermally melt-crystallized polyethylene samples was examined using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). Time and temperature of crystallization were the variable parameters used to create the set of samples. Following background subtraction, desmearing, and application of the Lorentz factor to the raw SAXS data it is possible to see many orders of reflection. This suggests that much higher degrees of order are present in isothermally melt-crystallized samples than had previously been thought possible. A combination of SAXS and DSC data indicates that there is no evidence for isothermal thickening in these samples. This study, coupled with data obtained from PE single crystals, produced information concerning the extrapolation of single-crystal data to fit bulk systems. In addition, the equilibrium melting point T determined is somewhat lower than previously claimed. This study also suggests that the surface energy of the mature crystals is always lower than that of the nucleated state and/or the nucleation factor Kσ_en increases with decreasing supercooling.     

Effect of polymorphism on the C?H stretching region of the infrared spectrum of polyethylene

A complex fine structure in the C? H stretching region of the infrared spectrum of deformed polyethylene single crystals is reported. The deformed crystals are shown to be transformed from the orthorhombic crystal form to a monoclinic structure. The previously deduced C_2/m monoclinic structure does not account for the appearance of the new bands. An alternative but similar monoclinic structure is proposed. The symmetry of this structure is consistent with the Fermi resonance interactions required for the observation of these bands.     

Polymorphic forms of nylon 3

The crystal structure of nylon 3 was studied, and four crystalline modifications were observed. Modification I, as determined from the x-ray diffraction pattern of drawn fibers, is similar to the α crystal structure of nylon 6. The unit cell is monoclinic; a = 9.33 Å, b = 4.78 Å, (fiber identity period), c = 8.73 Å, and β = 60°. The theoretical density for nylon 3 with four monomeric units in the unit cell is 1.39 g/cm³, and the observed density is 1.33 g/cm³. The space group is P2₁. The nylon 3 chains are in the extended planar zigzag conformation. Although other odd-numbered nylon form triclinic or pseudohexagonal crystals when oriented, drawn nylon 3 crystals are monoclinic. In addition to modification I, modifications II, III, and IV were studied. Lattice spacings of modifications II and III are equal to those of modification I. However x-ray diffraction intensities are different. Infrared spectra of those forms indicate an extended planar zigzag conformation of the chains. Modification IV is thought to correspond to the so-called smectic hexagonal form. No γ crystals were found, and it appears that polyamide chains with short sequences of methylene groups cannot form crystals of this type.     

Study of crystal texture in pvc gels by x-ray diffraction and infrared dichroism

An enquiry is presented into the nature and origin of thermoreversible gelation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). In line with a previous paper it is demonstrated by direct x-ray diffraction evidence that the origin of the gelation is crystallization, and that this crystallinity can be conspicuously apparent even for the usual technological polymer. In addition some unusual diffraction effects become apparent such as do not obviously follow from existing notions of the PVC structure. Combined infrared dichroism and x-ray studies revealed that these new effects are attributable to a two-component nature of the crystallinity where the components are distinguished by their orientation behavior, lateral extension, and possibly morphology of the crystallites. Some of the crystals orient with their a axes (type A crystals) and some with their c axes (type B crystals) along the stretch direction. Other more complex orientability differences are also manifest during film formation. Crystals B are smaller, and are believed to correspond to the network forming junctions, hence to fringed micellar crystals. Crystals A have a less evident connection with the network and are hypothesized to be of lamellar character, the behavior of which is closely simulated by lamellar crystal additives (stabilizer crystals). High-temperature x-ray work revealed no melting of crystals even in the temperature range where endotherms appear in the thermograms.     

The influence of short chain branch on formation of shish‐kebab crystals in bimodal polyethylene under shear at high temperatures

Formation of shish‐kebab crystals due to the coil–stretch transition under shear in the molten state using a bimodal polyethylene system with high molecular weight (HMW) fraction having different branch content was investigated. In specific, in situ small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques were used to study the structure evolution of shish‐kebab crystals at high temperatures under simple shear. The SAXS results revealed that with the increase of branch content, shish‐kebab crystals became more stable at high temperatures (e.g., 139 °C). However, the shish length of the bimodal PE containing 0.11% branch was shorter than that with no branch. The WAXD results showed that the degree of crystallization for bimodal PE with HMW fraction having 0.11% branch increased with time but reached a plateau value of 1%, while that with no branch increased continuously till 11%. Furthermore, the crystal orientation of bimodal PE with HMW fraction having 0.11% branch was above 0.9 and maintained at a constant value, while that with no branch decreased from 0.9 to 0.1 upon relaxation. This study indicates that even though the crystallizability of the HMW fraction with branch content decreased, they could effectively stabilize the shear‐induced crystalline structure with shorter shish‐kebab crystals. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 786–794     

Polymer deformation. XI. Biaxial deformation of polyethylene single crystals

Uniaxial deformation of polyethylene single crystals has been reported in the previous papers of this series. This paper presents an extension of this study to the simultaneous biaxial deformation of polyethylene single crystals. Diamond-shaped crystals containing {110} fold domains and truncated crystals containing in addition {100} domains were used in these experiments. The results show that these crystals fail at deformations as low as 6%, giving rise to cracks predominantly in the a direction. Electron diffraction patterns suggest that {310} twinning is more favorable than {110} twinning at the lower degrees of deformation. No phase change from orthorhombic to monoclinic unit cell is observed.     

Isomorphic interactions of ethylenic polymers and paraffin wax

The high degree of flexibility of blends containing minor amounts of partly crystalline copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate in paraffin wax seems to be a manifestation of some type of interaction. Low-angle x-ray diffraction of such blends showed a new long spacing intermediate in length between the polymer long spacing and the c axis length of the wax unit cell. This new long spacing appears to be a consequence of isomorphism involving cocrystallization of polymeric ethylene sequences and wax molecules. A lesser type of isomorphic interaction, epitaxy, occurs in polyethylene–wax blends: wax overgrows crystals of already crystallized polyethylene in the same orientation without a change in its c axial dimension.     

The existence of mosaic block structures in polymer single crystals

X-ray line broadening measurements were used to determine the apparent “mosaic block” sizes of randomly oriented polyethylene and polyoxymethylene single crystals. Both dried-down and uncollapsed crystals were examined. PE lamellae were grown at 80, 85, and 90°C by isothermal crystallization from a 0.1% solution in xylene. POM crystals were grown at 125°C by self seeding from an 0.05% solution of the polymer in o-dichlorobenzene. A given preparation was split into two parts. One part was dried down in the usual manner, the other was exchanged to paraffin oil and the crystals never permitted to dry down. Previously reported studies used dried-down crystals and gave crystallite sizes of approximately 300 Å. More recently, using electron microscopy, it has been postulated that PE single crystals are free of “mosaic block” over regions of several thousand angstroms. It is evident from this present study that crystallite sizes in uncollapsed lamellae are significantly larger than those observed for the same crystals dried down. In the case of uncollapsed lamellae, one can explain the observed crystallite sizes solely on the basis of chain obliquity rather than by invoking the “mosaic block” model. It has also been determined that there is an upper limit to the crystallite sizes that can be observed in PE and POM crystals using wide-angle x-ray techniques. This limit may account for discrepancies between x-ray and electron diffraction.     

Deformation and structure of doubly oriented polyethylene

Doubly oriented low-density polyethylene with parallel lamellae was compressed along the initial draw direction (i.e., at right angles to the lamellar surfaces) at 20°C. Wide- and low-angle x-ray diffraction were used to determine the changes in the molecular orientation and in the texture. During the compression, specimens previously annealed at or near 102°C were found to undergo changes in length, in long spacing, and in molecular orientation which were consistent with an (001) chain slip mechanism. In specimens annealed at higher temperatures x-ray diffraction indicated that during compression some series component of the long spacing was compressed by a much smaller amount than the remainder of the long spacing, which deformed by chain slip; in these cases it was found that the macroscopic strain along the compression axis (ε_y) was greater than the strain in the long spacing along that axis (ε_d). It is suggested that the missing strain which makes ε_y greater than ε_d is due to partial melting and the consequent development of amorphous regions between the stacks of lamellae.     

SAXS determination of the amorphous surface layer thickness of polymer single crystals

Polyethylene single crystals were grown from 0.1% solutions in xylene at 80 and 87°C. Oriented mats were made from each preparation and the small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) profiles obtained. Following treatment of the raw data for main-beam position and width, background scatter, and the Lorentz factor, five Bragg reflections were resolved. A one-dimensional lattice was used as a model for the oriented mats of single crystals. This model contains three parameters. An additional parameter G_x was also introduced to demonstrate the general effect of a broadening factor on the model. The effect of each parameter on the calculated diffraction pattern was examined. From this examination it was found that by assuming that the broadening functions are zero we can determine directly from the number of observable peaks the maximum possible thickness of the amorphous surface. Further, we find that the thickness of the amorphous layer must be less than the maximum value calculated if G_x is assigned values greater than zero. A “best-fit” diffraction pattern was generated in order to estimate how much smaller the surface thickness can be such that one can still resolve five diffraction maxima. The range of amorphous surface thicknesses found from the calculated diffraction profile is 12–20 Å. This is in good agreement with complementary studies performed on the same crystal preparations.     

Characterization of the structure and organization of β-form crystals in type III and type IV isotactic polypropylene spherulites

Anisotropic growth of β-form crystals of isotactic polypropylene in type III and type IV spherulites has made possible microanalysis of the unit cell structure, optical properties, and crystal arrangement within the spherulites. Micro x-ray studies of the type III and type IV spherulites show that interspherulitic β-form crystals have a hexagonal unit cell with dimensions; a = 19.08 Å and c = 6.49 Å. The intrinsic refractive indices of these β-form crystals are 1.506 along the a axis and 1.536 along the c axis. The organization of the crystals within the spherulites and the optical properties of the spherulites are also quantitatively evaluated. Both the type III and type IV spherulites have the a axis of the crystal radial while the crystals rotate randomly around the type III spherulite radii and periodically around the type IV spherulite radii. The radial refractive index for both the type III and type IV spherulites has the same value of 1.496. The tangential refractive index of the type III spherulite has a constant value of 1.509; it varies periodically between a minimum of 1.496 and a maximum of 1.519 in the type IV spherulite. Microtechniques such as micro x-ray diffraction, interference microscopy, birefringence, and optical microscopy were required for acquisition of the data.