AN UNUSUAL CRYSTALLIZATION PEAK OF POLY(VINYL CHLORIDE)

Owing to an efficient quenching process that ensure r-poly(vinyl chlor ide) to be amorphous enough, crystallization of rPVC at lower temperat ures has been found in samples with various processing histories. Thro ugh a modified Avrami analysis, kinetics of the isothermal crystalliza tion at these low temperatures was studied, proving that the crystal g rowth in the studied temperature range was controlled by segment mobil ity, which should follow a WLF-type relationship. Such a mechanism is unusual compared to ordinary growth controlled by chain reptation. Als o discussed were implications of the results to further crystallizatio n study of PVC and to that of polymers in general. The treatment disti nguished itself in that it can give out both spacial growth exponent a nd dependency of the dimension on time. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, In c.