Changes in defect concentration within polymer crystals: annealing of isotropic and drawn polyethylene

An estimation of the changes in the level of chain defects (branches) accommodated within crystals of undrawn and drawn branched polyethylene, subsequently annealed, is carried out in the light of unit cell expansion data. The results reveal that annealing affects the estimated crystalline defect concentration differently depending on whether the material was drawn or undrawn. Thus, annealing of drawn polyethylene with a defect concentration of 3 % results in a healing of crystal defects, due to a preferential rejection of branches from the crystals. In contrast, annealing of melt crystallized branched polyethylene does not influence the average concentration of chain defects within the crystal despite the increase in lamellar thickness. The branches are trapped into the much wider lamellar crystals with fewer grain boundaries available and defect sequences cannot diffuse out of the crystals.Cordially dedicated to Prof. Dr. H.-G. Kilian on the occasion of his 60th birthday.