Blending ionic liquid with crystalline polymer permits the design of new high-performance composite materials. The final properties of these materials are critically depended on the degree of crystallinity and the nature of crystalline morphology. In this work, nonisothermal crystallization behavior of poly(ether-b-amide) (Pebax (R) 1657)/room temperature ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, bmimPF6) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The presence of bmimPF6 can retard the nucleation of Pebax (R) 1657 and lead to the crystallization depression of the PA block and the crystalline disappearance of the PEO block. However, the dilution effect of the IL results in a higher growth rate of crystallization of PA block. The influence of bmimPF6 content and cooling rate on crystallization mechanism and spherulitc structures was determined by the Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny and Mo's methods, whereas the Ozawa's approach fails to describe the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of Pebax (R) 1657/bmimPF6 blends. In the modified Avrami analysis, the Avrami exponent of PA blocks, n>3, for pure Pebax (R) 1657, while 3>n>2 for Pebax (R) 1657/bmimPF6 blends testifies the transformation of crystallization growth pattern induced by bmimPF6 from three-dimensional growth of spherulites to a combination of two- and three-dimensional spherulitic growth. Further, lower activation energy for the nonisothermal crystallization of PA blocks of Pebax (R) 1657 can be observed with the increase of bmimPF6 content. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42137.
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