Engineering Commons^™

Effects Of Molecular Architecture On Crystallization Behavior Of Pol(Lactic Acid) And Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate, Jeffrey Paul Kalish

Open Access Dissertations

The relationship between polymer chain architecture, crystallization behavior, and morphology formation was investigated. The structures formed are highly dependent on chain configuration and crystallization kinetics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) random copolymers were studied. Sample characterization was performed using a variety of techniques, including spectroscopy, scattering, and calorimetry. In PLA, structural differences between α’ and α crystalline phases were analyzed using cryogenic infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Compared to the  crystal, the ’ crystal has slightly looser packing and weaker intermolecular interactions involving carbonyl and methyl functional groups. Simulations in conjunction with Raman scattering analyzed the …

Self-Nucleated Crystallization Of A Branched Polypropylene, Dhwaihi Alotaibi

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Long chain branched polypropylene (LCBPP) crystallizes rapidly and with high nucleation density. The origin of this fast crystallization process is not well understood. It has been attributed to its complicated molecular architecture. In this research, we explore isothermal crystallization of LCBPP, 5%LCBPP and linear polypropylene (LPP) through rheological, thermal, microscopy and optical measurements at different experimental temperatures. The time resolved mechanical spectroscopy technique was used to predict the liquid-to-solid transition (gel point) at different crystallization temperatures (supercooling rates) in order to understand the structure during the crystallization process.

The crystallization process of LCBPP was completed in time scale less …

Extensional-Flow-Induced Crystallization Of Polypropylene, Erica E. Bischoff White

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

A filament stretching extensional rheometer was used to investigate the effect of uniaxial flow on the crystallization of polypropylene. Samples were heated to a temperature above the melt temperature to erase their thermal and mechanical histories. The Janeschitz-Kriegl protocol was applied and samples were stretched at various extension rates to a final strain of e = 3.0. Differential scanning calorimetry was applied to crystallized samples to measure the degree of crystallinity. The results showed that a minimum extension rate, corresponding to a Weissenberg number of approximately Wi = 1, is required for an increase in percent crystallization to occur. Below …