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Morphological Variation of the Poly(ε-caprolactone) Crystals in Bulk, Thin and Ultrathin Films of Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Poly(vinyl methyl ether) Blends

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Abstract

Bulk, thin and ultrathin films with different thicknesses of neat poly(ε-caprolactone) and its blends with poly(vinyl methyl ether) were prepared on silicon substrate by spin coating from dilute solution with various composition ratios. The as-prepared film was melted above the equilibrium melt temperature and subsequently crystallized over wide temperature ranges. For the neat poly(ε-caprolactone) and its blends, the as-prepared films show band morphology with concentric extinction rings. For ultrathin films, the morphology is changed to a different shape depending on the crystallization conditions. The neat poly(ε-caprolactone) crystals show the truncated lozenge-shaped morphology with clear striation lines. For the blends, the truncated lozenge-shaped morphology modified by bending to regular and/or inverted S- or C-shaped crystals with temperature, and the poly(vinyl methyl ether) composition in the blend. For a certain composition ratio of blend, with lowering the crystallization temperature, the bending of the crystals increases significantly. The band to bend morphology of the poly(ε-caprolactone) crystals is found strong dependence on the crystallization temperature, composition ratio of the blends, and the thickness of the film.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank Professor Robert E. Prudhomme, UdeM for his assistance with constructive discussions and manuscript preparation. Additionally, the author wishes to express his gratitude to the Deanship of Scientific Research at UHB, Saudi Arabia for their gracious permission to use their experimental facilities. In addition, the author would like to thank the Department of Dentistry, UdeM, for granting access to the TEM.

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  1. Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, Al Jamiah, 39524, Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia

    Al Mamun

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Al Mamun Morphological Variation of the Poly(ε-caprolactone) Crystals in Bulk, Thin and Ultrathin Films of Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Poly(vinyl methyl ether) Blends. Polym. Sci. Ser. A 64, 297–307 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0965545X22700110

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0965545X22700110

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