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Real-time thermo-optical analysis of polymer samples by quantitative polarized optical microscopy

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Abstract

An experimental setup using a polarized optical microscope fitted with a detection module capable of measuring the cross-polarized transmitted light intensity and the transmitted light intensity of the polymer sample being analyzed, together with an accompanying calculation procedure, is proposed in order to characterize in real-time thermal transitions and degree of crystallinity, as well as birefringence (which is a measure of orientation) and turbidity. The experimental assessment of the technique was carried out studying commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) multifilaments with different crystallinity and stretching levels and by direct comparison with the features of conventional DSC curves obtained under similar experimental conditions. While an excellent correlation was found between the type and temperature ranges of thermal events as detected by thermal and optical techniques, the measured birefringence was shown to be sensitive to distinct filament stretching levels, but unaffected by geometrical factors. Contrarily, turbidity is influenced by the latter.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge UNIFI, ECOFABRIL and DOW, Brazil, for donating materials, as well as Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for scholarship to L. A. Bicalho, grant BJT 019/2012 to J. M. J. Silva, grant PVE 30484/2013-01 to J. A. Covas and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for a PQ scholarship 311790/2013-5 to S. V. Canevarolo. The assistance of the technicians from DEMa is also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais – PPG-CEM, Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar, Rod. Washington Luís, km 235, São Carlos, 13565-905, Brazil

    Luciana Assumpção Bicalho & Jorge Manuel Jardim da Silva

  2. Departamento de Engenharia de Polímeros, IPC/I3N, Universidade do Minho, Guimarães, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal

    José António Covas

  3. Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais - DEMa, Universidade Federal de São Carlos - UFSCar, Rod. Washington Luís, km 235, São Carlos, 13565-905, Brazil

    Sebastião Vicente Canevarolo

Authors
  1. Luciana Assumpção Bicalho
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  2. Jorge Manuel Jardim da Silva
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  3. José António Covas
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  4. Sebastião Vicente Canevarolo
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Correspondence to Sebastião Vicente Canevarolo.

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Bicalho, L.A., da Silva, J.M.J., Covas, J.A. et al. Real-time thermo-optical analysis of polymer samples by quantitative polarized optical microscopy. J Therm Anal Calorim 130, 2093–2103 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-017-6714-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-017-6714-5

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