Rheological properties of phenophthalein poly(ether ether ketone)

The rheological properties of the novel engineering thermoplastic phenophthalein poly(ether ether ketone) (PEK-C) have been investigated using both a rotational and a capillary rheometer. The dependence of the viscosity on the shear rate and temperature was obtained. The activation energy was evaluated both from the Arrhenius and the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equation. An estimate for the proper E_η (dependent only on the chemical structure of the polymer) has been found from the WLF equation at temperatures about T_g + 200°C. Measurements of the die swell have been performed. The first normal stress differences were evaluated from the die swell results and compared with the values obtained from the rotational rheometer at low shear rates.