| Abstract: | Using recently developed quantitative FTIR methods, the gauche and trans conformer compositions have been measured for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) samples exposed to benzene and acetone. The kinetics of the primary and secondary isomerization stages of the solvent-induced crystallization process have been studied and compared with the thermally crystallized system. The Arrhenius activation energies of isomerization in the primary stage in which Fickian diffusion behavior is followed for the benzene- and acetone-induced PET systems are 8.2 ± 0.4 and 7.7 ± 0.4 kcal/mol, respectively. |
