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

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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 τ α ≈ 1 s. This may indicate the glass transition from the ‘rubbery’ state to the non-equilibrium glassy state.

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Acknowledgments

This research forms part of the research programme of the Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI), project#623.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lucky Research Institute, China Lucky Group Corporation, Baoding, 071054, China

    Xiao-Yan Yang & Shao-Shuai Liu

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL, Delft, the Netherlands

    Alexander V. Korobko, Stephen J. Picken & Nicolaas A. M. Besseling

  3. Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI), 5600 AX, Eindhoven, the Netherlands

    Alexander V. Korobko, Stephen J. Picken & Nicolaas A. M. Besseling

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  1. Xiao-Yan Yang
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Correspondence to Xiao-Yan Yang.

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Yang, XY., Liu, SS., Korobko, A.V. et al. Changes of the Molecular Mobility of Poly(ε-caprolactone) upon Drawing, Studied by Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy. Chin J Polym Sci 36, 665–674 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-018-2030-1

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