Lamellae Evolution of Stereocomplex-Type Poly(Lactic Acid)/Organically-Modified Layered Zinc Phenylphosphonate Nanocomposites Induced by Isothermal Crystallization

Stereocomplex-type poly(lactic acid) (SC-PLA)/oleylamine-modified layered zinc phenylphosphonate (SC-PLA/m-PPZn) nanocomposites are successfully fabricated using a solution mixing process. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis reveals that the structural arrangement of the oleylamine-modified PPZn exhibits a large interlayer spacing of 30.3 Å. In addition, we investigate the temperature effect on the real-time structural arrangement of PPZn and m-PPZn. The results indicated that the lattice expansion of m-PPZn with increasing temperature leads to an increase in the interlayer spacing from 30.3 to 37.1 Å as the temperature increases from 30 to 150 °C. The interlayer spacing decreases slightly as the temperature further increases to 210 °C. This behavior might be attributed to interlayer oleylamine elimination, which results in hydrogen bonding destruction between the hydroxide sheets and water molecules. As the temperature reaches 240 °C, the in situ WAXD patterns show the coexistence of m-PPZn and PPZn. However, the layered structures of m-PPZn at 300 °C are almost the same as those of PPZn, after the complete degradation temperature of oleylamine. The morphology of the SC-PLA/m-PPZn nanocomposites characterized using WAXD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrates that most partial delamination layered materials are randomly dispersed in the SC-PLA matrix. Small-angle X-ray scattering reveals that higher crystal layer thickness and lower surface free energy is achieved in 0.25 wt% SC-PLA/m-PPZn nanocomposites. These results indicate that the introduction of 0.25 wt% m-PPZn into SC-PLA reduces the surface free energy, thereby increasing the polymer chain mobility.

Effective enhancement of the creep resistance in isotactic polypropylene by elevated concentrations of DMDBS

We present a method to improve the creep resistance of nucleated PP (polypropylene) by changing the crystalline structure.

Effects of annealing stress field on the structure and properties of polypropylene hollow fiber membranes made by stretching

By adopting three types of annealing stress fields, this work focused on investigating their effects on the microstructural evolution of polypropylene (PP) hollow fiber precursors obtained by the melt spinning process.

Creep-resistant behavior of beta-polypropylene with different crystalline morphologies

This manuscript investigates the creep performance of β-iPP with different crystalline morphologies.

Spatially modulated structural colour in bird feathers

Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) feathers display periodic variations in the reflected colour from white through light blue, dark blue and black. We find the structures responsible for the colour are continuous in their size and spatially controlled by the degree of spinodal phase separation in the corresponding region of the feather barb. Blue structures have a well-defined broadband ultra-violet (UV) to blue wavelength distribution; the corresponding nanostructure has characteristic spinodal morphology with a lengthscale of order 150 nm. White regions have a larger 200 nm nanostructure, consistent with a spinodal process that has coarsened further, yielding broader wavelength white reflectance. Our analysis shows that nanostructure in single bird feather barbs can be varied continuously by controlling the time the keratin network is allowed to phase separate before mobility in the system is arrested. Dynamic scaling analysis of the single barb scattering data implies that the phase separation arrest mechanism is rapid and also distinct from the spinodal phase separation mechanism i.e. it is not gelation or intermolecular re-association. Any growing lengthscale using this spinodal phase separation approach must first traverse the UV and blue wavelength regions, growing the structure by coarsening, resulting in a broad distribution of domain sizes.

Phase densities and lamellar morphologies of semicrystalline polyethylenesviaabsolute small-angle X-ray scattering measurements

With the crystalline volume fraction from small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and the density of the crystalline phase from wide-angle X-ray diffraction, the amorphous phase density of two representative polyethylenes was calculated as a function of temperature using the absolute total SAXS scattering power or invariant. The density of the amorphous phase in semicrystalline polyethylene is crystallinity independent and is lower than melt-extrapolated values reported in the literature. Model-independent SAXS-based crystallinity values can be calculated with the aid of the densities of the crystalline and amorphous phase and the absolute SAXS invariant. Such model-independent crystallinity values can be used in SAXS curve-shape analysis procedures to obtain the average thickness of the crystalline and amorphous layers also in the case of non-ideal lamellar semicrystalline polymer morphologies for which the number-average long period cannot be retrieved from the maxima in correlation functions or interface distribution functions.

Fabrication of Transparent Nanohybrids with Heat Resistance Using High-Density Amorphous Formation and Uniform Dispersion of Nanodiamond

A new technology for the production of transparent material using a "crystalline" polymer is proposed in the present study. Further, transparent and flexible crystalline polymer nanohybrid film containing well-dispersed nanodiamond filler was fabricated. Partially fluorinated crystalline polymer with switchboard-type lamellae results in high transparency as a consequence of the formation of a high-density amorphous structure based on high-temperature drawing just below the melting point at 110 °C. Although the formation of nanohybrid materials composed of fluorinated-polymer/organo-modified nanocarbon is generally difficult, we confirmed the formation, via melt-compounding, using atomic force microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Even though the polymer matrix/nanodiamond hybrid has remarkable aggregation properties, a well-dispersed state was achieved because of improvement in wettability obtained through surface modification of filler. The resulting nanohybrid demonstrates transparency, increased thermal degradation temperature, and enhanced mechanical properties, which seem to be derived from the nucleation effect caused by the adsorption of the terminal polymer chain onto the organic modifier.

Biodegradability of Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate/Bacterial Cellulose Composites under Aerobic Conditions, Measured via Evolution of Carbon Dioxide and Spectroscopic and Diffraction Methods

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and bacterial cellulose (BC) are both natural polymeric materials that have the potential to replace traditional, nonrenewable polymers. In particular, the nanofibrillar form of bacterial cellulose makes it an effective reinforcement for PHB. Neat PHB, bacterial cellulose, and a composite of PHB/BC produced with 10 wt % cellulose were composted under accelerated aerobic test conditions, with biodegradability measured by the carbon dioxide evolution method, in conjunction with spectroscopic and diffraction methods to assess crystallinity changes during the biodegradation process. The PHB/BC composite biodegraded at a greater rate and extent than that of PHB alone, reaching 80% degradation after 30 days, whereas PHB did not reach this level of degradation until close to 50 days of composting. The relative crystallinity of PHB and PHB in the PHB/BC composite was found to increase in the initial weeks of degradation, with degradation occurring primarily in the amorphous region of the material and some recrystallization of the amorphous PHB. Small angle X-ray scattering indicates that the change in PHB crystallinity is accompanied by a change in morphology of semicrystalline lamellae. The increased rate of biodegradability suggests that these materials could be applicable to single-use applications and could rapidly biodegrade in compost on disposal.

Fabrication of a polymer/aligned shish-kebab composite: microstructure and mechanical properties

A shear-induced ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) shish-kebab mat (USKM) has been used as a filler to prepare a reinforced composite and the tensile strength and modulus of the composite are significantly improved.

Hierarchical crystalline morphologies induced by a distinctly different melt penetrating process

It is the first time that hierarchically crystalline morphologies induced by melt penetration of the melt with different interactions.

In situ study of the annealing process of a polyethylene cast film with a row-nucleated crystalline structure by SAXS

The secondary crystallization has more effect on polyethylene crystal thickening than melt recrystallization during the annealing process.

Suppressing the skin–core structure in injection-molded HDPE parts via the combination of pre-shear and UHMWPE

Skin–core structure of a injection-molded high density polyethylene (HDPE) part is largely relieved due to the synergetic effects of pre-shear and UHMWPE, leading to a remarkable increase of tensile strength.

Banded structures in collagen vitrigels for corneal injury repair

There is a growing interest in using collagen vitrigels for corneal injury repair. We recently reported the synthesis and thermal denaturation behavior of these gels. In this paper, the banded structure in these vitrified gels is studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) one-dimensional (1-D) correlation function analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results demonstrate that the collagen vitrigel possess banded structures similar to those of the starting type I collagen, with an average D-spacing of 64nm (by SAXS) or 57nm (by TEM). A combination of SAXS 1-D correlation function analyses and TEM show that overlap and gap distances ranged from 30 to 33nm and from 23 to 25nm, respectively. Changing the vitrification condition does not impact on the banded structure significantly.