Isothermal crystallization of isotactic polypropylene in dotriacontane. II: Effect of nucleating agent addition on growth rate

Isothermal crystallization growth rates of nucleated and non-nucleated isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in dotriacontane were determined experimentally by thermal optical microscopy. Adipic acid was used as the nucleating agent. The Lauritzen and Hoffman analysis was used to determine the fold surface energy of the nucleated and non-nucleated mixtures.     

Non-Isothermal crystallization of isotactic polypropylene in dotriacontane. I: Effects of dilution,cooling rate,and nucleating agent addition on overall crystallization kinetics

The overall non-isothermal crystallization kinetics for nucleated and non-nucleated isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in dotriacontane systems was investigated. Adipic acid was used as the nucleating agent. Crystallization peak temperature was determined via differential scanning calorimetry as a function of the experimentally controlled variables iPP concentration, cooling rate, and nucleating agent concentration. The influence of these variables on crystallization mechanism and spherulitic structure as implied by the Ozawa and Ziabicki analyses was determined. The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics presented here are the first for iPP-diluent systems with and without nucleating agent.     

Isothermal crystallization of isotactic polypropylene in dotriacontane. I: Effect of nucleating agent addition on overall crystallization kinetics

The overall isothermal crystallization kinetics for nucleated and non-nucleated isotactic polypropylene (iPP)-dotriacontane systems was investigated. Adipic acid was used as the nucleating agent. Half-time was determined via differential scanning calorimetry as a function of the experimentally controlled variables dilution, crystallization temperature, and the addition of nucleating agent. The influence of these variables on crystallization mechanism and spherulitic structure, as implied by the Avrami analysis, was determined. The influence of these variables on fold surface energy was examined by the Lauritzen and Hoffman analysis.     

Melting behaviors, isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of nylon 1212

Isothermal crystallization, subsequent melting behavior and non-isothermal crystallization of nylon 1212 samples have been investigated in the temperature range of 160-171 °C using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Subsequent DSC scans of isothermally crystallized samples exhibited three melting endotherms. The commonly used Avrami equation and that modified by Jeziorny were used, respectively, to fit the primary stage of isothermal and non-isothermal crystallizations of nylon 1212. The Avrami exponent n was evaluated, and was found to be in the range of 1.56-2.03 for isothermal crystallization, and of 2.38-3.05 for non-isothermal crystallization. The activation energies (ΔE) were determined to be 284.5 KJ/mol and 102.63 KJ/mol, respectively, for the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization processes by the Arrhenius' and the Kissinger's methods.     

Variation of non‐isothermal crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene with varying β‐nucleating agent content

The non‐isothermal crystallization behavior, the crystallization kinetics, the crystallization activation energy and the morphology of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) with varying content of β‐nucleating agent were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The DSC results showed that the Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny and a method developed by Mo and co‐workers could be successfully used to describe the non‐isothermal crystallization process of the nucleated iPPs. The values of n showed that the non‐isothermal crystallization of α‐ and β‐nucleated iPPs corresponded to a tridimensional growth with homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation, respectively. The values of crystallization rate constant showed that the rate of crystallization decreased for iPPs with the addition of β‐nucleating agent. The crystallization activation energy increased with a small amount (less than 0.1 wt%) of β‐nucleating agent and decreased with higher concentration (more than 0.1 wt%). The changes of crystallization rate, crystallization time and crystallization activation energy of iPPs with varying contents of β‐nucleating agent were mainly determined by the ratio of the content of α‐ and β‐phase in iPP (α‐PP and β‐PP) from the DSC investigation, and the large size and many intercrossing lamellae between boundaries of β‐spherulites for iPPs with small amounts of β‐nucleating agent and the small size and few intercrossing bands among the boundaries of β‐spherulites for iPPs with large amounts of β‐nucleating agent from the SEM examination. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of supercritical carbon dioxide-assisted nano-scale dispersion of nucleating agents on the crystallization behavior and properties of polypropylene

This work aims at using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) to disperse a nucleating agent, sodium 2,2-methylene-bis (4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate, denoted as NA40, in an isotactic polypropylene (PP) on the nanometer scale and at studying the nucleating efficiency of the nano-dispersed NA40 by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and polarized optical microscope (POM). The Avrami equation and a model combining Avrami equation and Ozawa equation were used to describe the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of the nucleated PP, respectively. The results showed a consistent trend: both the isothermal crystallization rate and the non-isothermal crystallization temperature of the PP in which NA40 was dispersed under scCO₂ were higher than those of the virgin PP and the PP in which the same amount of NA40 was incorporated by a classical extruder compounding process. Moreover, the size of the spherulites and the haze of the former PP were smaller than those of the virgin PP and the latter. The trend was reversed in terms of flexural and tensile strengths.     

Effect of rod-like imide unit on crystallization of copoly(ethylene terephthalate-imide)

The effect of the imide unit on the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization, kinetics crystallization of a new family of copoly(ethylene terephthalate-imides) (called copolyesterimides or PETIs) was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. With a combined Avrami and Ozawa equation, one can describe the non-isothermal crystallization process of copolyesterimides, and the results show the same tendency as that in the isothermal crystallization process. These studies show that the processes of crystal nucleation and growth result in mainly three-dimensional growth with a thermal nucleation. In both isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization processes, the crystallization rate of PETIs, with imide content below 0.5%, is higher than that of neat PET, while PETI-3 (0.3 mol% imide) has the highest crystallization rate. This rate is significantly enhanced over PET homopolymer. It is proposed that imide units precipitate from the melt and act as nucleating agents during the crystallization process of these novel copolyesterimides.     

Determining Kinetic Parameters for Isothermal Crystallization of Glasses

Non-isothermal crystallization techniques are frequently used to determine the kinetic parameters for crystallization in glasses. The techniques are experimentally simple and quick, compared with isothermal techniques. However, the analytical models used for non-isothermal data analysis, that were derived from models originally developed for describing isothermal transformation kinetics, are fundamentally flawed. The present paper describes a technique for determining the kinetic parameters for isothermal crystallization in glasses, which eliminates most of the common problems that generally make the study of isothermal crystallization laborious and time consuming. In this technique, the volume fraction of a glass that is crystallized as a function of time during an isothermal hold was determined in a separate experiment using differential thermal analysis. The activation energy (345±10 kJ/mole) and Avrami parameter (0.89±0.09) for crystallization of Li₂O·2SiO₂ glass determined by the present technique are consistent with the similar values reported in the literature.     

Crystallization Kinetics of the LiBO2–Nb2O5 Glass Using Differential Thermal Analysis

The crystallization kinetics in the glass system (100− x )LiBO₂− x Nb₂O₅ (5≤ x ≤20, in molar ratio) prepared via the conventional metal-plate quenching technique have been studied by isothermal and non-isothermal methods using differential thermal analyses. X-ray powder diffraction studies carried out on heat-treated (500°C) glasses reveal the evolution of lithium niobate crystalline phase along with a minor phase of LiBO₂. The exponent n in the Jhonson–Mehl–Avrami (JMA) equation applied to the isothermal process is 2.62, which is in excellent agreement with that obtained under the non-isothermal process (2.67). The activation energies for crystal growth obtained from JMA equation under isothermal condition, modified Ozawa and Kissinger equations under non-isothermal conditions, are 293, 311, and 306 kJ/mol, respectively.     

SEBS-g-MAH对聚乙烯等温及非等温结晶动力学的影响

利用差示扫描量热法结合Avrami方程研究了苯乙烯-乙烯-丁烯-苯乙烯嵌段共聚物接枝马来酸酐(SEBS-g-MAH)对线型低密度聚乙烯(LLDPE)等温及非等温结晶动力学的影响。结果表明,热塑性弹性体SEBS及其接枝物的加入阻碍了LLDPE分子链的规则排列,影响了链段在结晶扩散迁移规整排列的速度,使得结晶速率变慢,对LLDPE晶体生长起了抑制作用;LLDPE/SEBS-g-MAH共混体系的半结晶时间t1/2和结晶活化能E明显增大,Avrami指数n对结晶温度有依赖性,kn值随温度的升高而减小。通过Jeziorny法对非等温结晶过程进行处理,试样的Avrami指数n值均在1.1~1.5,表明LLDPE的结晶成核机理和生长方式没有改变。     

PA1212的结晶动力学研究

采用DSC方法研究了PA1212的非等温和等温结晶动力学。Avrami方程可以适用PA1212的等温结晶过程,其Avrami指数为2．51～2．87,等温结晶活化能为-131．9 kJ/mol;在非等温结晶过程中,结晶速率随降温速率的增大而提高,综合利用Avrami方程和Ozawa方程得到Avrami指数与Ozawa指数的比值为1．31～1．49,非等温结晶活化能为-87．96 kJ/mol。结果表明,与其他聚酰胺相比,PA1212较容易结晶。     

Melting behavior,isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of nylon 1111

The isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of nylon 1111 was extensively studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The equilibrium melting temperature of nylon 1111 was determined to be 188°C. In this article, the Avrami equation was used to describe the isothermal crystallization behavior of nylon 1111. On the basis of the DSC results, the Avrami exponent, n, was determined to be around 3 during the isothermal crystallization process. Nonisothermal crystallization was analyzed using both the Avrami equation as modified by Jeziorny and an equation suggested by Mo. The larger value of the Avrami exponent, n, during the nonisothermal crystallization process indicates that the development of nucleation and crystal growth are more complicated during the nonisothermal crystallization for nylon 1111, and that the nucleation mode might simultaneously include both homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleations. The isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization activation energies of nylon 1111 were determined to be ?132 kJ/mol and ?121 kJ/mol using the Arrhenius equation and the Kissinger method, respectively. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Temperature dependence of the nucleation effect of sorbitol derivatives on polypropylene crystallization

The temperature dependence of the nucleation effect of three sorbitol derivatives on the crystallization of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was studied by means of isothermal crystallization kinetic analysis. Isothermal crystallization thermograms obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were analyzed based on the Avrami equation. The Avrami analysis for the nucleated iPP was carried out with DSC data collected to 35% relative crystallinity, and the rate constants were corrected assuming the heterogeneous nucleation and three dimensional growth of iPP spherulites. A semi-empirical equation for the radial growth rate of iPP spherulites was given as a function of temperature and was used to determine the number of effective nuclei at different temperatures. The number of effective nuclei in the nucleated samples was estimated to be 3 × 10² ∽ 10⁵ times larger than that in the neat iPP. The logarithmic numbers of the effective nuclei decreased linearly with decreasing degree of supercooling in the range of crystallization temperatures tested. The temperature dependence of the effect of the nucleating agents on iPP crystallization was given quantitatively in terms of the deactivation factor defined as a fraction of the particles that are active at a particular temperature but inert at the temperature one degree higher. The nucleation activity and its temperature dependence are considered to be cooperative effects of many factors, including the dispersion and the physical or chemical nature of the agent as well as the interaction between the agent and the polymer. It is suggested that the temperature dependence of the effect of a nucleating agent should be treated as a characteristic of a given polymer/ nucleating agent mixture.     

Influence of a nucleating agent on the crystallization behaviour of isotactic polypropylene and elastomer blends

The influence of a nucleating agent on the crystallization behaviour of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), in their blends with poly(styrene-b-ethylene butylene-b-styrene) (SEBS), and a metallocenic ethylene-octene copolymer (EO) was investigated by DSC, optical microscopy and real-time small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) experiments using synchrotron radiation. In non-nucleated iPP/SEBS blends, the crystallization of the iPP matrix occurred in the presence of the styrenic domains which induced a nucleating effect on the process, as observed in the synchrotron experiments. The metallocenic elastomer did not affect the crystallization behaviour of iPP in the iPP/EO blends in non-isothermal experiments, however, the development of crystallinity in the elastomer was restricted. In the nucleated isotactic polypropylene/elastomer blends a significant increase in the crystallinity and the crystallization rate of the iPP matrix was observed due to the presence of the nucleating agent. However, the nucleating efficiency of the additive was strongly affected by the nature and content of the elastomeric component. The nucleating agent efficiency was higher in the presence of the ethylene-octene component than the styrenic elastomer.     

Comparative investigation on crystallization conditions dependence of polymorphs composition for β‐nucleated propylene/ethylene copolymer and propylene homopolymer

The crystallization conditions dependence of polymorphs composition in β nucleated propylene/ethylene copolymers (PPR) and propylene homopolymers (PPH) were comparatively investigated via wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. It is interesting to note that the amount of β form as a function of crystallization conditions presents an opposite trend for the β nucleated PPR and the β nucleated PPH under the conditions we investigated. For the β nucleated copolymers, the content of β form shows also an opposite tendency with that of γ form with the change of crystallization conditions. The formation of γ form is preferred under lower cooling rates or higher isothermal crystallization temperatures, whereas the amount of β form increased with increasing the cooling rates or decreasing the isothermal temperatures. This opposite tendency could be interpreted in terms of the competition between the β nucleation ability of β nucleating agent and the γ nucleation action of the comonomer defects. The existing comonomer defects that favor the formation of γ form may suppress the nucleation ability of β nucleating agent. A higher proportion of β form in PPR containing a β nucleating agent could be achieved under faster cooling rates or lower crystallization temperatures. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/mica composites

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of pure poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), PET/mica and PET/TiO₂-coated mica composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry with different theoretical models, including the modified Avrami method, Ozawa method and Mo method. The activation energies of non-isothermal crystallization were calculated by Kissinger method and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method. The results show that the modified Avrami equation and Ozawa theory fail to describe the non-isothermal crystallization behavior of all composites, while the Mo model fits the experiment data fair well. It is also found that the mica and TiO₂-coated mica could act as heterogeneous nucleating agent and accelerate the crystallization rates of PET, and the effect of TiO₂-coated mica is stronger than that of mica. The result is further reinforced by calculating the effective activation energy of the non-isothermal crystallization process for all composites using the Kissinger method and the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method.     

研究高聚物结晶动力学的等速升温 DSC 方法

本文把等温 Avrami 方程推广应用于等速升温的非等温结晶过程。从推广的方程可得到Avrami 方程能得到的结晶动力学参数,如 Avrami 指数 n、复合结晶速度常数 K 和结晶半衰期t_(1/2)。等速升温方法可克服用 DSC 进行等温扫描时在实验上的不足,具有实验简单、获取的结晶信息量较大的特点。用 DSC 对 PET 树脂进行了等速升温结晶和等温结晶实验,并分析了实验结果。结果表明,由升温 DSC 方法得到的 n 和 t_(1/2)比等温方法稍大,K 则稍小。等温结晶结果与非等温结晶结果稍有不同的原因之一可能是这两种结晶过程的结晶机理有差别。等温结晶结果与非等温结晶结果的一致性是令人满意的。     

Non-isothermal polymer crystallization kinetics and Avrami master curves

The kinetic crystallization model of Avrami is generally accepted as a starting point for the analysis of isothermal polymer crystallization. It is shown in this paper that, in the case of non-isothermal crystallization kinetics with constant heating or cooling rates, an apparent m -order reaction model is approximately equivalent to the nucleation and growth model of Avrami in the vicinity of the inflection points of the corresponding crystallization curves. Since the apparent m -order reaction model is defined for every real, positive apparent reaction-order m , a distinct Avrami index n , which is valid for the characterization of isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization experiments with constant heating or cooling rates, can always be related to any apparent reaction-order m . Therefore, two types of Avrami master curves, which are dependent merely on the Avrami index n and which describe the isothermal polymer crystallization thoroughly, can be obtained by performing non-isothermal experiments with constant heating or cooling rates.