How entanglements determine the morphology of semicrystalline polymers.

ABSTRACT: Crystallization of polymers from entangled melts generally leads to the formation of semicrystalline materials with a nanoscopic morphology consisting of stacks of alternating crystalline and amorphous layers. The factors controlling the thickness of the crystalline layers are well studied; however, there is no quantitative understanding of the thickness of the amorphous layers. We elucidate the effect of entanglements on the semicrystalline morphology by the use of a series of model blends of high-molecular-weight polymers with unentangled oligomers leading to a reduced entanglement density in the melt as characterized by rheological measurements. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments after isothermal crystallization reveal a reduced thickness of the amorphous layers, while the crystal

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10319027 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature