Cold crystallization and thermal shrinkage of uniaxially drawn poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) by solid‐state coextrusion

Abstract

AbstractSolid‐state coextrusion has been used to prepare uniaxially drawn films from isotropic poly(ethylene 2,6‐naphthalate) (PEN) of a minimum degree of crystallinity (ca. 5%) both below and above its glass transition temperature Tg. The onset of cold crystallization (Tc) of the drawn films has been studied as a function of the extrusion temperature (ET) and the draw ratio (EDR). It has been shown that Tc decreases markedly on draw, as much as 95°C, and, at constant draw ratio Tc goes through a minimum in the Tg region. For undrawn PEN, annealing below 153°C has no significant effect on Tc. To evaluate the crystallization rate constant (k) and the activation energy (Ea) of the drawn specimens, a nonisothermal DSC procedure has been used. With increasing EDR, k increases markedly and Ea goes down over threefold compared with the undrawn polymer. At high ET, strain‐induced crystallization has also been shown to play an important role in lowering Ea for cold crystallization. Thermal shrinkage above Tm indicates a high elastic recovery, underlining the efficiency of deformation, ca. 93%, achieved by solid‐state coextrusion.