Effect of pressure on the melting and crystallization behaviour of isotactic polybutene-1

Abstract

The formation, melting and phase transition of isotactic polybutene-1 under high hydrostatic pressures were studied by high-pressure d.t.a. and X-ray diffraction up to 5 kbar. The d.t.a. thermogram of melting of form I shows a single endothermic peak up to 5 kbar. Form II crystallized directly from the melt at atmospheric pressure is metastable and it transforms to form I by the application of pressure. Above 900 bar, it transforms to form I completely and the endothermic peak of melting of form II is not observed. On crystallization from the melt under high pressure, the percentage content of form I' increases with crystallization pressure and at 1.6 kbar only form I' is crystallized. Above 2 kbar form II', which shows the same X-ray diffraction pattern as form II, is crystallized from the melt. The percentage content of form II' increases with pressure above 2 kbar, and that of form I' decreases up to 5 kbar. Upon heating under high pressure above 2 kbar, a solid-solid transition from form II' to form I' is observed in d.t.a. traces and the transition is confirmed by high-pressure X-ray diffraction. The melting temperature is expressed in the form of a quadratic equation as a function of pressure for four different forms in IPB-1.