The three-phase structure of isotactic poly(1-butene)

A detailed analysis of the three-phase structure of isotactic poly(butene) was conducted by conventional and temperature-modulated calorimetry. The development of the crystalline, mobile amorphous, and rigid amorphous fractions was analyzed as a function of thermal history, upon isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization. It was found that, under the chosen experimental conditions, the amount of rigid amorphous phase (wRA) in PB-1 ranges from wRA = 0.14 to wRA = 0.23, with higher values formed when the polymer is crystallized at low temperatures or at high cooling rates from the melt. Comparison of total and frequency-dependent reversing heat capacity curves suggested that the rigid amorphous phase of isotactic poly(1-butene) vitrifies after completion of the crystallization process, and that its full mobilization takes place around 50°C. The exact temperature of complete devitrification is slightly affected by the thermal history of the material. An effort to link the mechanical properties of PB-1 to the three-phase structure was attempted, and a correlation of the Young’s modulus with the solid fraction at the temperature of analysis, composed of crystalline and rigid amorphous phases, was proposed.