Abstract
Cyclic polymers exhibit fascinating crystallization behaviors owing to the absence of chain ends and more compact conformations. In the current simulation, dynamic Monte Carlo simulations were performed to reveal the underlying mechanism of the effect of chain topology and chain length on crystallization of polymer in solutions containing one-dimensional nanofiller. Simulation results suggested that the filled cyclic polymers exhibit higher melting temperature, higher crystallization temperature, and faster crystallization rate than the analogous linear polymers of identical chain length, especially in the systems with relatively short chains. Based on the Thomson-Gibbs equation, we theoretically analyzed the difference in the melting point between the cyclic and linear polymers under different chain lengths, and derived the dependence of the ratio of the melting point of the linear polymers to that of its cyclic analogs on chain length. In addition, it was also observed that the nanofiller can induce the formation of nanohybrid shish-kebab structure during isothermal crystallization of all systems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Auriemma, F.; Alfonso, G. C.; Rosa, C. D. Polymer crystallization I: from chain microstructure to processing. Springer, 2016.
Shin, E. J.; Jeong, W.; Brown, H. A.; Koo, B. J.; Hedrick, J. L.; Waymouth, R. M. Crystallization of cyclic polymers: synthesis and crystallization behavior of high molecular weight cyclic poly(ε- caprolactone)s. Macromolecules2011, 44, 2773–2779.
Su, H. H.; Chen, H. L.; Díaz, A.; Casas, M. T.; Puiggalí, J.; Hoskins, J. N.; Grayson, S. M.; Pérez, R. A.; Müller, A. J. New insights on the crystallization and melting of cyclic PCL chains on the basis of a modified Thomson-Gibbs equation. Polymer2013, 54, 846–859.
Lee, C. U.; Li, A.; Ghale, K.; Zhang, D. Crystallization and melting behaviors of cyclic and linear polypeptoids with alkyl side chains. Macromolecules2013, 46, 8213–8223.
López, J. V.; Pérez-Camargo, R. A.; Zhang, B.; Grayson, S. M.; Müller, A. J. The influence of small amounts of linear polycaprolactone chains on the crystallization of cyclic analogue molecules. RSC Adv.2016, 6, 48049–48063.
Takeshita, H.; Poovarodom, M.; Kiya, T.; Arai, F.; Takenaka, K.; Miya, M.; Shiomi, T. Crystallization behavior and chain folding manner of cyclic, star and linear poly(tetrahydrofuran)s. Polymer2012, 53, 5375–5384.
Wang, J.; Li, Z.; Pérez, R. A.; Müller, A. J.; Zhang, B.; Grayson, S. M.; Hu, W. Comparing crystallization rates between linear and cyclic poly(ε-caprolactones) via fast-scan chip-calorimeter measurements. Polymer2015, 63, 34–40.
Hagita, K.; Fujiwara, S.; Iwaoka, N. An accelerated united-atom molecular dynamics simulation on the fast crystallization of ring polyethylene melts. J. Chem. Phys.2019, 150, 074901.
Zhang, H.; Lv, T.; Li, J.; Liu, B.; Jiang, S. Pendant affected crystallization behaviors of cyclic poly(ε-caprolactone). Cryst. Growth Des.2018, 19, 49–54.
Pérez, R. A.; Córdova, M. E.; López, J. V.; Hoskins, J. N.; Zhang, B.; Grayson, S. M.; Müller, A. J. Nucleation, crystallization, selfnucleation and thermal fractionation of cyclic and linear poly(ε- caprolactone)s. React. Funct. Polym.2014, 80, 71–82.
Zardalidis, G.; Mars, J.; Allgaier, J.; Mezger, M.; Richter, D.; Floudas, G. Influence of chain topology on polymer crystallization: poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) rings vs. linear chains. Soft Matter2016, 12, 124–8134.
Xiao, H.; Luo, C.; Yan, D.; Sommer, J. U. Molecular dynamics simulation of crystallization cyclic polymer melts as compared to their linear counterparts. Macromolecules2017, 50, 9796–9806.
Tezuka, Y.; Ohtsuka, T.; Adachi, K.; Komiya, R.; Ohno, N.; Okui, N. A defect-free ring polymer: size-controlled cyclic poly(tetrahydrofuran) consisting exclusively of the monomer unit. Macromol. Rapid Commun.2008, 29, 1237–1241.
Shin, E. J.; Jones, A. E.; Waymouth, R. M. Stereocomplexation in cyclic and linear polylactide blends. Macromolecules2011, 45, 595–598.
Sugai, N.; Asai, S.; Tezuka, Y.; Yamamoto, T. Photoinduced topological transformation of cyclized polylactides for switching the properties of homocrystals and stereocomplexes. Polym. Chem.2015, 6, 3591–3600.
Iyer, K.; Muthukumar, M. Langevin dynamics simulation of crystallization of ring polymers. J. Chem. Phys.2018, 148, 244904.
Córdova, M. E.; Lorenzo, A. T.; Müller, A. J.; Hoskins, J. N.; Grayson, S. M. A comparative study on the crystallization behavior of analogous linear and cyclic poly(ε-caprolactones). Macromolecules2011, 44, 1742–1746.
Samsudin, S. A.; Kukureka, S. N.; Jenkins, M. J. Crystallisation kinetics of cyclic and linear poly(butylene terephthalate). J. Therm. Anal. Calorim.2017, 128, 457–463.
Lee, K. S.; Wegner, G.; Hsu, S. L. Vibrational spectroscopic studies of linear and cyclic alkanes: CnH2n+2, CnH2n with 24 ≤ n ≤ 288: chain folding, chain packing and conformations. Polymer1987, 28, 889–896.
Coleman, J. N.; Khan, U.; Gun’ko, Y. K. Mechanical reinforcement of polymers using carbon nanotubes. Adv. Mater.2006, 18, 689–706.
Lee, C.; Wei, X.; Kysar, J. W.; Hone, J. Measurement of the elastic properties and intrinsic strength of monolayer graphene. Science2008, 321, 385–388.
Nie, Y. J.; Huang, G. S.; Qu, L. L.; Wang, X. A.; Weng, G. S.; Wu, J. R. New insights into thermodynamic description of strain-induced crystallization of peroxide cross-linked natural rubber filled with clay by tube model. Polymer2011, 52, 3234–3242.
Li, L.; Li, C. Y.; Ni, C. Polymer crystallization-driven, periodic patterning on carbon nanotubes. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2006, 128, 1692–1699.
Li, L.; Li, B.; Hood, M. A.; Li, C. Y. Carbon nanotube induced polymer crystallization: the formation of nanohybrid shishkebabs. Polymer2009, 50, 953–965.
Li, C. Y.; Li, L.; Cai, W.; Kodjie, S. L.; Tenneti, K. K. Nanohybrid shishkebabs: periodically functionalized carbon nanotubes. Adv. Mater.2005, 17, 1198–1202.
Ning, N.; Fu, S.; Zhang, W.; Chen, F.; Wang, K.; Deng, H.; Zhang, Q.; Fu, Q. Realizing the enhancement of interfacial interaction in semicrystalline polymer/filler composites via interfacial crystallization. Prog. Polym. Sci.2012, 37, 1425–1455.
Nie, Y.; Hao, T.; Wei, Y.; Zhou, Z. Polymer crystal nucleation with confinement-enhanced orientation dominating the formation of nanohybrid shish-kebabs with multiple shish. RSC Adv.2016, 6, 50451–50459.
Gu, Z.; Xu, Y.; Lu, Q.; Han, C.; Liu, R.; Zhou, Z.; Hao, T.; Nie, Y. Stereocomplex formation in mixed polymers filled with twodimensional nanofillers. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.2019, 21, 6443–6452.
Liu, R.; Zhou, Z.; Liu, Y.; Liang, Z.; Ming, Y.; Nie, Y.; Hao, T. Competition between interfacial interaction and microphase separation in crystallization of filled block copolymers. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys.2019.
Nie, Y.; Zhang, R.; Zheng, K.; Zhou, Z. Nucleation details of nanohybrid shish-kebabs in polymer solutions studied by molecular simulations. Polymer2015, 7636, 1–7.
Liu, R.; Yang, L.; Qiu, X.; Wu, H.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, Y.; Zhou, Z.; Ming, Y.; Hao, T.; Nie, Y. One-dimensional nanofiller induced crystallization in random copolymers studied by dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. Mol. Simulat.2018, 1–9.
Liu, R.; Zhou, Z.; Liu, Y.; Liang, Z.; Ming, Y.; Hao, T.; Nie, Y. Epitaxial orientation and localized microphase separation prior to formation of nanohybrid shish-kebabs induced by onedimensional nanofiller in miscible diblock copolymers with selective interaction. Polymer2019, 166, 72–80.
Wu, S.; Wu, J.; Huang, G.; Li, H. A shish-kebab superstructure in low-crystallinity elastomer nanocomposites: morphology regulation and load-transfer. Macromol. Res.2015, 23, 537–554.
Pérez, R. A.; López, J. V.; Hoskins, J. N.; Zhang, B.; Grayson, S. M.; Casas, M. T.; Müller, A. J. Nucleation and antinucleation effects of functionalized carbon nanotubes on cyclic and linear poly(ε- caprolactones). Macromolecules2014, 47, 3553–3566.
Liu, K.; de Boer, E. L.; Yao, Y.; Romano, D.; Ronca, S.; Rastogi, S. Heterogeneous distribution of entanglements in a nonequilibrium polymer melt of UHMWPE: influence on crystallization without and with graphene oxide. Macromolecules2016, 49, 7497–7509.
Nie, Y.; Gao, H.; Hu, W. Variable trends of chain-folding in separate stages of strain-induced crystallization of bulk polymers. Polymer2014, 55, 1267–1272.
Nie, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Matsuba, G.; Hu, W. Shish-kebab crystallites initiated by shear fracture in bulk polymers. Macromolecules2018, 51, 480–487.
Wu, H.; Qiu, X.; Zhang, Y.; Yang, R.; Yang, J.; Liu, R.; Liu, Y.; Zhou, Z.; Hao, T.; Gu, Z.; Nie, Y. Formation mechanism of reverse kebab structure inside hollow nanotubes studied by molecular simulations. Comp. Mater. Sci.2018, 153, 348–355.
Qiu, X.; Zhang, Y.; Wu, H.; Yang, R.; Yang, J.; Liu, R.; Liu, Y.; Zhou, Z.; Hao, T.; Nie, Y. Blocked crystallization in capped ultrathin polymer films studied by molecular simulations. Polym. Int.2019, 68, 218–224.
Nie, Y.; Hao, T.; Gu, Z.; Wang, Y.; Liu, Y.; Zhang, D.; Wei, Y.; Li, S.; Zhou, Z. Relaxation and crystallization of oriented polymer melts with anisotropic filler networks. J. Phys. Chem. B2017, 121, 1426–1437.
Nie, Y.; Gu, Z.; Zhou, Q.; Wei, Y.; Hao, T.; Liu, Y.; Liu, R.; Zhou, Z. Controllability of polymer crystal orientation using heterogeneous nucleation of deformed polymer loops grafted on two-dimensional nanofiller. J. Phys. Chem. B2017, 121, 6685–6690.
Qiu, X.; Nie, Y.; Liu, Y.; Liu, R.; Gu, Z.; Zhou, Z.; Hao, T. Monte Carlo simulations of stereocomplex formation in multiblock copolymers. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.2019, 21, 13296–13303.
Xu, Y.; Wu, H.; Yang, J.; Liu, R.; Zhou, Z.; Hao, T.; Nie, Y. Molecular simulations of microscopic mechanism of the effects of chain length on stereocomplex formation in polymer blends. Comp. Mater. Sci.2020, 172, 109297.
Hu, W. Structural transformation in the collapse transition of the single flexible homopolymer model. J. Chem. Phys.1998, 109, 3686–3690.
Hu, W. B.; Frenkel, D. Polymer crystallization driven by anisotropic interactions. Adv. Polym. Sci.2005, 191, 1–35.
Hu, W. Chain folding in polymer melt crystallization studied by dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. J. Chem. Phys.2001, 115, 4395–4401.
Mandelkern, L. Equilibrium concept. In Crystallization of polymers. Vol 1, 2nd edn., Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Flory, P. J.; Vrij, A. Melting points of linear chain homologues: the normal paraffin hydrocarbons. J. Am. Chem. Soc.1963, 85, 3548–3553.
Hu, W. Polymer physics: a molecular approach. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012.
Tao, H.; Gao, F.; Gao, H.; Hu, W. H. Free energy change of crystallisation in single copolymers. Mol. Phys.2018, 116, 3020–3026.
Doi, M. Introduction to polymer physics. Oxford University Press, 1996.
Chen, H. L.; Li, L. J.; Ouyang, W. C.; Hwang, J. C.; Wong, W. Y. Spherulitic crystallization behavior of poly(ε-caprolactone) with a wide range of molecular weight. Macromolecules1997, 30, 1718–1722.
Flory, P. J.; Volkenstein, M. Statistical mechanics of chain molecules. Biopolymers1969, 8, 699–700.
Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21404050) and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (No. KYCX19_1593).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, RJ., Zhou, ZP., Liu, Y. et al. Differences in Crystallization Behaviors between Cyclic and Linear Polymer Nanocomposites. Chin J Polym Sci 38, 1034–1044 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-020-2403-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-020-2403-0