Crystallization of polydioxolan. III. Microscopy and dilatometric analysis of the crystallization kinetics

Crystallization kinetics has been studied for a polydioxolan (PDOL) sample, over a wide temperature range, by dilatometry and microscopy. The dilatometry results can be analyzed using the Avrami equation. At temperatures higher than 22°C, the crystallization data must be analyzed in two steps: the first part of the curve corresponds to PDOL with a very disordered morphology (Phase I) while the second part of the crystallization curve is related to a spherulitic morphology (Phase II). The passage from the low to the high crystallization temperature region is associated with a change in the Avrami exponent from 3 to 4. The crystal surface free-energy product σσ_e was found to be 18 × 10² erg²/cm⁴, very close to that of polyoxymethylene. The crystallization kinetics was studied by microscopy over the temperature range?18 to 35°C. Growth and nucleation rates were recorded. Two phases are found only at temperatures higher than 22°C. The appearance of Phase II is related to a decrease in the growth rate of the sample. From the growth rates, the crystal surface free-energy product σσ_e was found equal to 17 × 10² erg²/cm⁴. The detailed analysis of the crystallization of the two phases reveals a complicated process which can be divided into four different steps: (a) growth of a disordered phase, Phase I; (b) nucleation of a higher birefringence structure; (c) propagation of a high birefringence phase; and (d) spherulitic growth, Phase II. The analysis of PDOL crystallization strongly suggests the presence of a hedrite → oval → spherulite transition: the hedrite formation corresponds to step (a), the oval formation to steps (b) and (c), and the spherulite formation to step (d).