The effect of anhydrous ammonia on the crystalline-state deformation of nylons 6 and 6,6

The aliphatic polyamides nylon 6 and 6,6 have been cold drawn by using the new concept of reversible plasticization with NH₃. Two aspects were investigated: the effect of NH₃ plasticization on the stress-strain behavior of nylon 6,6, and the extent of NH₃ absorption as determined by x-ray analysis for the structurally simpler nylon 6. X-ray analysis shows that ammonia is absorbed preferentially by the amorphous phase and that the plasticization has a significant effect on the unit-cell orientation, the small-angle void scattering, and the interplanar spacings between sheets of hydrogen-bonded chains. The effect of plasticization was seen in the lower yield stress, the higher draw ratio (up to 8X) and tensile modulus (10 GPa) not attainable with unplasticized specimens.