Abstract
The dynamic mechanical and dielectric relaxation properties of a commercial poly(trimethylene terephthalate) [PTT] have been investigated for both quenched and isothermally melt-crystallized specimen films. The relaxation characteristics of PTT were consistent with those of other low-crystallinity semiflexible polymers, e.g. PET and PEEK. While the sub-glass relaxation was largely unperturbed by the presence of the crystalline phase, both calorimetric and broadband dielectric measurements across the glass transition indicated the existence of a sizeable rigid amorphous phase (RAP) fraction in melt-crystallized PTT owing to the constraining influence of the crystal surfaces over the crystal-amorphous interphase region. A strong increase in measured dielectric relaxation intensity (Δε) with temperature above Tg indicated the progressive mobilization of the RAP material, as well as an overall loss of correlation amongst the responding dipoles.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7085-7094 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Polymer |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 20 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 20 2006 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported in part through a Major Research Equipment Grant awarded by the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Kentucky, and a Kentucky Opportunity Fellowship administered by the University of Kentucky Graduate School. Assistance with sample preparation and calorimetry measurements was provided by Mr. Terry Humphries with support from the University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Studies. We are pleased to acknowledge Shell Chemical Company (Westhollow Technology Center) for providing the polymer resin used in this work.
Keywords
- Dielectric spectroscopy
- Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)
- Rigid amorphous phase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Organic Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry