Abstract
AbstractThe effects of solvent‐induced crystallization on the micromechanical properties of thin films of polyarylate (PAr) were studied. Under uniaxial extension amorphous polyarylate was observed to deform exclusively by shear deformation with no evidence of crazing. Upon exposure to methylethyl ketone, vapor, or liquid, PAr crystallizes and is subsequently embrittled. Our transmission electron microscopy results clearly show that this embrittlement results from a transition in plastic deformation mechanism from shear yielding to crazing. A detailed examination of the samples revealed that the crazes formed preferentially within the noncrystalline regions and that the craze tips followed a complex trajectory around the crystallites. In some cases the craze tip advance deviated by as much as ±30 from a direction normal to the tensile axis. Because crazes are inherently more susceptible to forming cracks than shear deformation zones, crystallization reduces the fracture toughness of the polymer. This type of embrittlement, via a transition in plastic deformation mechanism, is believed to be a general behavior for solvent‐crystallizable thermoplastics.
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