An Original Model Experiment Designed for High-Pressure Crystallization with a Polymer Processing Concern

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of the inherent link between in-situ growth kinetics of a polymer spherulite and high-pressure constraints under controlled temperature is concerned. As a matter of fact, while the link with temperature is well illustrated, little comprehensive study has been conducted to quantify the effect of pressure. This is yet required to model ‘extreme’ polymer processing conditions.Mainly, the experimental set-ups developed to reproduce the pressure effect can be classified into four families: “simple” cells, dilatometric set-ups, differential thermal analysis and diamond anvil plus in-situ measurement. In this context, an original model experiment, named CRISTAPRESS, has been constructed. The cell design exploits the optical properties of semi-crystalline spherulites. Time-resolved light depolarizing microscopic observations are conducted concomitantly with a fine PVT control, for high pressure up to 200 MPa and temperature up to 300 °C. The physical analysis of isothermal and isobaric holding of a model polymer shows the influence of temperature and pressure on the key kinetic parameters of crystallization, i.e., the growth rate and the number of activated nuclei, as well as on the subsequent morphologies. Simple modeling dealing with the Avrami equation and the Hoffman & Lauritzen theory is established.