An anomaly in the crystallisation rate of bimodal poly(ethylene oxide) weight distributions

ORAL

Abstract

We present results on the crystallisation of blends of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) of differing molecular weight, $M_{w}$. Previous studies probing PEO blends have mainly focused on blends of low $M_{w},$ for which integral chain folding is important, with very high $M_{w}$. The PEO samples used in this study consist of a blend with both $M_{w}$'s well above the integral chain folding limit. In general, one would expect that such blends should show a monotonic decrease in spherulite growth rate, $G$, as the blend contains more high-$M_{w }$component. Our results however show a clear non-monotonic $G$, with a minimum in a plot of $G$ as a function of the volume fraction. In short, blending a small amount of the low- $M_{w}$ into the High- $M_{w}$ PEO slows the growth kinetics. These results along with a possible mechanism will be discussed.

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Authors

  • Jessica L. Carvalho

    Department of Physics \& Astronomy and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4M1

  • Sara L. Cormier

    Department of Physics \& Astronomy and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4M1

  • Kari Dalnoki-Veress

    Department of Physics \& Astronomy and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4M1, Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Dept. Physics \& Astronomy and the Brockhouse Institute of Materials Research, McMaster University