Abstract
The effects of crystallization temperature and blend ratio on the polymorphic crystal structures of poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) in poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/poly(butylene adipate) (PBS/PBA) blends were studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was revealed that the polymorphism of PBA can be regulated by the blend ratio even in a non-isothermal crystallization process. The results demonstrate that high temperature favors flat-on α crystals, while low temperature contributes to edge-on β crystals. It was also found that the effect of blend ratio on the crystallization mechanism of PBA is well coincident with that of the crystallization temperature. The increment of PBS content in the PBS/PBA blend gives rise to more β-form crystals of PBA. For those PBS/PBA blends with low PBA content, the interlamellar phase segregation of PBA makes its molecular chains so difficult to diffuse from one isolated microdomain to another that high crystallization temperature and sufficiently long crystallization time will be required if the PBA α-type crystals are targeted.
Highlights
The method of blending one polymeric material with another, especially for cases of crystalline/crystalline binary polymer blends, has aroused great scientific interest as a means for developing new polymeric materials with desirable property combinations
The crystallization capacity of poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) is dependent on different phase segregation structures. For those poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/PBA blends with low PBA contents (WPBA < 40 wt%), the interlamellar phase segregation of PBA makes its molecular chains difficult to diffuse from one isolated micro-domain to another[23]
The lamellae grow so slow at 35 °C that some of the widened regions remain amorphous even 6 h later. This indicates that for those PBS/PBA blends with low PBA contents, the interlamellar phase segregation of PBA makes its molecular chains very difficult to diffuse from one isolated micro-domain to another
Summary
The method of blending one polymeric material with another, especially for cases of crystalline/crystalline binary polymer blends, has aroused great scientific interest as a means for developing new polymeric materials with desirable property combinations. The differences in melting points and crystallization temperatures of the two components could result in complicated phase structures and various properties. Many crystalline/crystalline polymer blend systems have been widely studied[1−14]. For these binary polymer systems, the confined and sequential crystallization behavior has been paid more attention and studied by differential scanning calorimetry, small-angle X-ray scattering and wide-angle X-ray diffraction[15, 16]. Effects of Crystallization Temperature and Blend Ratio on the Crystal Structure of PBA in the PBA/PBS Blends
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