Changes of the Molecular Mobility of Poly(ε-caprolactone) upon Drawing, Studied by Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy

Xiao Yan Yang*, Shao Shuai Liu, Alexander V. Korobko, Stephen J. Picken, Nicolaas A.M. Besseling

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) of poly(ε-caprolactone) with different draw ratios showed that the mobility of polymer chains in the amorphous part decreases as the draw ratio increases. The activation energy of the α process, which corresponds to the dynamic glass transition, increases upon drawing. The enlarged gap between the activation energies of the α process and the β process results in a change of continuity at the crossover between the high temperature a process and the α and β processes. At low drawing ratios the a process connects with the β process, while at the highest drawing ratio in our measurements, the a process is continuous with the α process. This is consistent with X-ray diffraction results that indicate that upon drawing the polymer chains in the amorphous part align and densify upon drawing. As the draw ratio increases, the α relaxation broadens and decreases its intensity, indicating an increasing heterogeneity. We observed slope changes in the α traces, when the temperature decreases below that at which τα ≈ 1 s. This may indicate the glass transition from the ‘rubbery’ state to the non-equilibrium glassy state.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)665-674
Number of pages10
JournalChinese Journal of Polymer Science (English Edition)
Volume36
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2018

Keywords

  • Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy
  • Molecular mobility
  • Semicrystalline polymer

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Changes of the Molecular Mobility of Poly(ε-caprolactone) upon Drawing, Studied by Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this