Crystallization kinetics of high-density polyethylene/linear low-density polyethylene blend

This article presents crystallization kinetics studies on a cocrystallizing polymer highdensity polyethylene (HDPE)/linear lowd-ensity polyethylene (LLDPE) blend. The nonisothermal crystallization exotherms obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were analyzed to investigate the effect of cocrystallization on kinetics parameters, namely the Avrami exponent and activation energy. The regular change of Avrami exponent with blend composition from a value of about 3 corresponding to HDPE to a value of 2 corresponding to LLDPE is observed. A sheaf-like crystalline growth with variation of nucleation depending on blend composition is concluded from these results of DSC exotherm analysis in conjunction with the small-angle light scattering observations. The observed variation of activation energy of crystallization with blend composition suggests the role of interaction of side chains and comonomer units present in the LLDPE. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Novel approach to fibrillation of LCP in an LCP/PP blend

A novel concept of improving shear‐induced fibrillation of liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) in LCP/thermoplastic blend systems was introduced. Silica fillers (SiO₂) were added to an LCP/polypropylene (PP) system to serve as a viscosity thickening agent and to improve the fibrillation of the LCP phase. The formation of LCP fibrils was found to enhance with the incorporation of 5–15 wt % of fillers. The presence of LCP fibrils improved the flow properties of the LCP/PP/SiO₂ composites. It was evident from the rheological and morphological studies that the addition of silica led to an increase of the aspect ratio of the LCP fibrils, which, in turn, should improve their effectiveness as reinforcements and/or toughening agents. Substantial improvement in LCP aspect ratio was achieved by the introduction of hydrophobic SiO₂ fillers in the PP/LCP blends. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2070–2078, 2002     

Crystallization kinetics of compatibilized blends of liquid crystalline polymer with PEEK

A fully aromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester (TLCP) has been blended with poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK). Multiblock copolymer (BCP) was used as the compatibilizer in the concentration at 2 phr. The isothermal crystallization kinetics and morphology of compatibilized blends were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polar light micrograph (PLM). TLCP acted as a heterogenous nucleation sites to accelerate the crystallization for PEEK. However, PEEK crystallization rates decreased with increasing TLCP fraction. Isothermal crystallization exotherms showed that the addition of BCP retarded crystallization of PEEK in PEEK/TLCP blend, which was probably resulted from the constraint effect of BCP as well as the size reduction of PEEK spherulite domain. The equilibrium melting temperature of PEEK for blends was below that of pure PEEK. After adding BCP, it decreased further. Morphological analysis showed that it was difficult to discern the single PEEK spherulites when BCP was added. POLYM. COMPOS., 27:642–650, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Crystallization of a miscible propylene/ethylene copolymer blend

The crystallization behavior and morphological patterns of a miscible blend of two propylene/ethylene (P/E) copolymers that differed in ethylene content were studied. Metallocene-catalyzed P/E copolymers containing 3.1 and 11.0 mol% ethylene were chosen for blending. The difference in ethylene content was small enough to ensure miscibility of the pair in the melt, and the ethylene content was low enough to ensure that both were crystallizable. The blends were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), optical microscopy (OM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The complex melting endotherm of the blends consisted of a broad low temperature peak at T_m1, a high temperature peak at T_m2, and an intermediate peak at which was not characteristic of either constituent and depended on blend composition. The multiple melting peaks arose from distinct crystal populations. All the blends exhibited a mixed morphological texture of α-radial lamellae with short, densely packed γ-overgrowths, interspersed with areas of α-crosshatch. The high temperature peak at T_m2 was assigned to the melting of the α-radial lamellae which formed from chains of the lower comonomer constituent. The broad low temperature peak at T_m1 was attributed to the melting of γ-crystal overgrowths on the radial lamellae. The new peak at was thought to arise from the melting of the α-crosshatch lamellae. The lamellar thickness, and hence , correlated with the crystallization temperature, which decreased as the blend was made richer in the higher comonomer constituent.     

Rheological and physical properties of polyarylate/LCP blend systems

A polyarylate Unitika U-Polymer 100 (PAR) was melt blended with a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) Vectra A950, and the processingmorphology-properties relations were investigated. Inclusion of LCP slightly reduced T_g of PAR. The PAR/LCP blend with the LCP content higher than 50 wt% exhibited a noticeable yield stress, particularly in the vicinity of crystal-to-nematic transition temperature (T_cn). LCP lowered the blend viscosity above T_cn and seemed to play a role as processing aid. The tensile strength of the blends was increased with increasing spin draw ratio and level of LCP, and the spinning temperature influenced tensile strength. The relaxation behavior under dynamic shear and resultant blend morphology based on WAXD and SEM analyses are discussed as well.     

GF增强PPS/LCP复合材料的结晶行为和力学性能

液晶聚合物(LCP)的低熔接线强度是限制LCP应用的重要因素。为了提升LCP材料的力学性能,利用熔融加工方式制备不同LCP含量的聚苯硫醚(PPS)/LCP复合材料。DSC测试结果显示,当复合材料中LCP质量分数小于30%时,LCP的异相成核作用可提升PPS的结晶温度;随着LCP含量的进一步增加,PPS的结晶被抑制,复合材料的结晶温度逐渐降低。对于玻璃纤维(GF)增强PPS/LCP复合材料,随着LCP含量的增加,复合材料的拉伸强度和弯曲强度逐渐降低,弯曲弹性模量逐渐升高;而复合材料的熔接线拉伸强度随着LCP含量增加呈现出先降低后增加的趋势。微观结构观察显示,GF增强PPS/LCP复合材料的性能与PPS/LCP两相界面结合以及树脂/GF之间的界面结合作用较差有关。进一步利用乙烯-丙烯酸甲酯-甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯无规三元共聚物和环氧树脂提升GF增强PPS/LCP复合材料的界面相互作用,结果显示,环氧树脂可以显著提升复合材料的力学性能,同时复合材料的熔接线拉伸强度由31 MPa提升至70 MPa。     

PEEK/PEI共混物的相容性和结晶行为研究

在380℃下熔融挤出制得聚醚醚酮（PEEK）与聚醚酰亚胺（PEI）共混物。采用差示扫描量热仪（DSC）和广角X射线衍射仪（WAXD）研究了共混物的相容性和结晶行为。结果表明,PEEK／PEI共混物完全相容．所有共混物均呈现一个玻璃化转变温度（Tg）,且与组分的关系符合Porch方程;随PEI含量的增加,共混体系的熔点、结晶度、整体结晶速率和结晶能力均降低：而PEEK的结晶度呈现先增加后减小的趋势,当PEI质量分数为50％时,达到最大。     

Crystallization behavior of high-density polyethylene/linear low-density polyethylene blend

Binary blend of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), prepared by melt mixing in an extruder, in the entire range of blending ratio, is studied for crystallization behavior by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction measurements. Cocrystallization was evident in the entire range of blend composition, from the single-peak character in both DSC crystallization exotherms and meltingendotherms and the X-ray diffraction peaks. A detailed analysis of DSC crystallization exotherms revealed a systematic effect of the addition of LLDPE on nucleation rate and the subsequently developed crystalline morphology, which could be distinguished in the three regions of blending ratio, viz, the “HDPE-rich blend,” “LLDPE-rich blend,” and the “middle range from 30–70% LLDPE content.” Variations in crystallinity, crystallite size, and d spacing are discussed in terms of differences in molecular structure of the components.     

Polycarbonate/liquid crystalline polymer blend: Crystallization of polycarbonate

The enhanced crystallization of polycarbonate in the blend of liquid crystalline polymer/polycarbonate/(ethylene-methyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate) copolymer (LCP/PC/E-MA-GMA) was studied by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The LCP/PC/E-MA-GMA 5/95/5 blends annealed at 200 °C, for 2, 4, 6, and 10 h, present an obvious crystalline structure corresponding to PC crystallization. The PC crystal obtained shows two melting temperature, T_m1 of about 214 °C and T_m2 of about 231 °C, with a total heat of fusion of 29 J/g (annealing time = 10 h). The preliminary results indicate that amorphous PC can be induced to crystallization by the synergistic action of LCP dispersed phase and reactive compatibilizer.     

Crystallization behavior of polypropylene in polypropylene/nylon 6 blend

This article describes the crystallization behavior of polypropylene (PP) in the presence of a crystallizable polymer, namely, nylon 6, in the binary blend of PP/nylon 6 in the composition range from 0 to 30 wt % of nylon 6 content in the blend. The crystallization behavior was studied through variation of the crystallinity with the blend composition and changes in the crystallization exotherms were recorded by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the spherulite morphology was observed via polarized light microscopy (PLM). Comparison of the crystallization exotherms and melting endotherms revealed some differences which are attributed to the role of a sufficiently high thermal energy of the nylon 6 crystals on the melting of PP. The crystallinity of PP decreased in the presence of nylon 6, whereas the crystallinity of nylon 6 increased considerably in the presence of PP. The rate of nucleation of PP on addition of nylon 6 decreased rapidly in the region 0–10 wt % nylon 6 content, and, thereafter, at a higher nylon 6 content, decrease of the nucleation rate was relatively slow. PLM observation revealed the presence of composite spherulites with PP spherulites grown on the surface of the already‐formed nylon 6 spherulites. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 1153–1161, 1999     

Crystallization and fiber/matrix interaction during the molding of PEEK/carbon composites

The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of molding conditions (molding temperature, residence time at melt temperature, and cooling rate) on the crystallization behavior and the fiber/matrix interaction in PEEK/carbon composites made from both prepreg and commingled forms. In order to investigate the crystallization behavior of the PEEK matrix, the molding process was simulated by differential scanning calorimetric analysis, DSC. The results show that the prepreg and commingled systems do not have the same matrix morphology; prepreg tape was found to be at its maximum of crystallinity, whereas the commingled system was found to be only partially crystalline. The results show that processing must be carried out at a temperature sufficiently high to destroy the previous thermal history of the PEEK matrix; this is an essential requirement to produce efficient fiber/matrix adhesion in the commingled fabric system. Optical microscopic observations also suggest that matrix morphology near the fibers is dependent on the melting conditions; a well-defined transcrystalline structure at the interface is observed only when the melt temperature is sufficiently high. However, the high temperature of molding can easily result in degradation of the PEEK matrix such as chain scission and crosslinking reactions. Thermal degradation of the matrix during processing is found to affect the crystallization behavior of the composites, the fiber/matrix adhesion, and the matrix properties. This effect is more important in the case of a commingled system containing sized carbon fibers because the sizing agent decomposes in the molding temperature range of PEEK/carbon composites. This produces a decrease of the matrix crystallinity and an elimination of the nucleating ability of the carbon fibers. A transition between cohesive and adhesive fracture is observed when the cooling rate increases from 30°C/min to 71°C/min for the composite made from the commingled fabric. This critical cooling rate is found to closely correspond to a change in the mechanism of crystallization of the PEEK matrix.     

Crystallization kinetics and morphology of poly(butylene succinate)/poly(vinyl phenol) blend

Biodegradable crystalline poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) can form miscible polymer blends with amorphous poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh). The isothermal crystallization kinetics and morphology of neat and blended PBSU with PVPh were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy (OM), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in this work. The overall isothermal crystallization kinetics of neat and blended PBSU was studied with DSC in the crystallization temperature range of 80-88 °C and analyzed by applying the Avrami equation. It was found that blending with PVPh did not change the crystallization mechanism of PBSU, but reduced the crystallization rate compared with that of neat PBSU at the same crystallization temperature. The crystallization rate decreased with increasing crystallization temperature, while the crystallization mechanism did not change for both neat and blended PBSU irrespective of the crystallization temperature. The spherulitic morphology and growth were observed with hot stage OM in a wide crystallization temperature range of 75-100 °C. The spherulitic morphology of PBSU was influenced apparently by the crystallization temperature and the addition of PVPh. The linear spherulitic growth rate was measured and analyzed by the secondary nucleation theory. Through the Lauritzen-Hoffman equation, some parameters of neat and blended PBSU were derived and compared with each other including the nucleation parameter (K_g), the lateral surface free energy (σ), the end-surface free energy (σ_e), and the work of chain folding (q). Blending with PVPh decreased all the aforementioned parameters compared with those of neat PBSU; however, the decrease extent was limited. WAXD result showed that the crystal structure of PBSU was not modified after blending with PVPh. SAXS result showed that the long period of blended PBSU increased, possibly indicating that the amorphous PVPh might reside mainly in the interlamellar region of PBSU.     

Thermophysical Properties and Morphological Changes of PEEK/LCP Blend System on Combined Effect of Polyphosphazene and HNT-COOH

This work explored the structural and morphological changes of poly ether ether ketone/liquid crystal polymer blend system, caused due to combined effect of polyphosphazene and acid-modified halloysite nanotubes. Surface modification of halloysite nanotubes gave these the adequate potential to make an effective combination with polyphosphazene. These were became the most promising factor on enhancement of thermophysical properties of blend system. Surface-treated halloysite nanotubes added nanocomposite drastically improves thermal stability than that of the other untreated nanofiller-based nanocomposites and pure blend. The storage modulus, tensile modulus, and tensile strength values increase due to the superior dispersion of the modified halloysite nanotubes in polymer matrix.     

Molecular orientation of extruded PET/LCP blend films. Part I: Polarized infrared spectroscopy

The polarized infrared (IR) spectroscopy technique was used to evaluate the surface uniaxial molecular orientation of films of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), two thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs), Vectra®A950 and Rodrun®LC5000, and their blends obtained by extrusion. The molecular orientation of the LCP and of the crystalline and amorphous PET phases in the draw direction was evaluated along the transverse section of the films and as a function of the blend composition. A compatibilizer agent was used to improve the interfacial adhesion between the PET and LCPs. The results showed that the surface molecular orientation of both LCPs was very high along the draw direction. However, when blended, the orientation of the LCP phase decreased drastically, it was dependent of its content and varied along the transverse section of the extruded films. The maximum orientation was observed in the blend with 5 wt % LCP content and at the position where the shear rate was maxima. The LCP Vectra®A950 showed higher orientation than the Rodrun®LC5000, as a pure material and as blended. For the PET phases, an alignment of the amorphous phase in the draw direction due to the presence of LCP and compatibilizer agent was observed. The crystalline phase of PET, however, showed no significant orientation in the draw direction. The compatibilizer agent proved efficient for both PET/LCP systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 2241–2248, 2006     

PET/PP共混合金结晶动力学研究

用GJY-3光学解偏振仪测定了PET、PP与PET/PP合金的结晶速度,并且在不同的结晶温度下比较了它们结晶速度的快慢。最后通过Avrami方程对PET/PP(3:1)合金进行了结晶动力学的研究。结果表明,其Avrmi指数为3。     

Crystallization,melting behavior,and morphology of BPP/HDPE blend

The crystallization, melting behavior, and morphology of a low ethylene content block propylene–ethylene copolymer (BPP) and a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) blend were studied. It was found that the existence of ethylene–propylene rubber (EPR) in BPP has more influence on the crystallization of HDPE than on that of PP. This leads to the decreasing of the melting temperature of the HDPE component in the blends. It is suggested that the EPR component in BPP shifted to the HDPE component during the blending process. The crystallinity of the HDPE phase in the blends decreased with increasing BPP content. The morphology of these blends was studied by polarized light microscopy (PLM) and SEM. For a BPP-rich blend, it was observed that the HDPE phase formed particles dispersed in the PP matrix. The amorphous EPR chains may penetrate into HDPE particles to form a transition layer. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 69: 2469–2475, 1998     

PEN／MMT纳米复合材料结晶动力学的研究

采用熔融插层法制备聚2,6-萘二甲酸乙二酯(PEN)/蒙脱土(MMT) 纳米复合材料,用Avrami方程和张志英方法对所得数据进行了等温结晶和非等温结晶动力学的研究.结果表明,在PEN/MMT共混物中由于MMT的加入,降低了PEN/MMT的结晶活化能,导致共混物的结晶速率提高;MMT含量影响共混物的结晶速度,加入少量的MMT可以明显提高共混物的结晶速率;共混物的表面活化能的变化与Avrami方程得出的n值变化相似,MMT的含量影响共混物成核结晶速度.     

Crystallization,tensile, and impact behavior of polypropylene/polybutadiene blend

A blend of isotactic polypropylene (PP) and polybutadiene (PBu), in the composition range 5–35 wt % PBu content, prepared by mixing in a two-roll mill, is studied for crystallization, tensile, and impact behavior. Variations in crystallization behavior and the resulting morphology and structure are observed in both differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction measurements on this blend as a function of blend composition. Impact and tensile properties are studied in the entire blend composition range. Analysis of tensile properties data in terms of the various theoretical models is attempted to obtain better insight into the interphase adhesion and stress concentration effect in this blend. The effects of blend composition on the state of dispersion and morphology of dispersed phase droplets and correlation of tensile properties with the crystallization parameters of PP component are also presented.     

Through-thickness distribution of LCP in PPS/LCP blends

Through-thickness distribution of liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) of blends containing polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and LCP was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of the LCP distribution on the mechanical test was checked through bending testing of the various compositions of the injection molded samples. These studies showed a nonuniform distribution of LCP in the PPS-rich region where the LCP content in the skin layer was higher than in the core layer or boundary between the two layers. The LCP component was uniformly distributed in the LCP-rich region. The increase of bending modulus with increasing LCP content was attributed to the reinforcing nature of the LCP fibrils in the skin layer. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

碳酸锂结晶动力学研究

为了更好地指导生产,采用无蒸发恒容间歇反应器对Li2CO3自LiHCO3溶液中的结晶动力学进行了研究。实验结果表明,温度的升高及质量浓度的增大能显著提高结晶速率,低的系统压力及搅拌有利于结晶反应的进行。根据实验数据拟合得到了该结晶过程的宏观动力学方程。晶体的生长机制表明,扩散控制机制是Li2CO3自LiHCO3溶液中生长的主导机制。