Nucleation and crystallization of PET droplets dispersed in an amorphous PC matrix

摘要

The present work compares the nucleation and crystallization process of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in bulk and when it is finely dispersed in a polycarbonate (PC) matrix. Two types of 80/20 PC/PET immiscible blends were prepared by twin-screw extrusion at different screw rotation rates in order to produce fine dispersions of PET. The results indicate that the finer the dispersion, the greater the inhibition of the crystallization of the PET droplets. These results are explained by demonstrating (through self-nucleation experiments) that a fractionated crystallization process was developed in the dispersed PET, since the number of PET particles was much greater than the number of heterogeneities originally present in the bulk polymer. The dispersion of PET into droplets also affects its crystallization rate during isothermal crystallization at high temperatures and its reorganization capacity during heating. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [References: 28]