DEPENDENCE OF SPHERULITE GROWTH-RATE OF POLY(P-PHENYLENE SULFIDE) ON FILM THICKNESS - LIMITATION ON GROWTH-RATE IN MULTINUCLEATION REGIME

A limitation on the growth rate is proposed in the multinucleation reg ime. Spherulite growth rates of poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS) in thi n films of 1 mu m down to 0.2 mu m are measured in the range of crysta llization temperature from 190 degrees C to 275 degrees C. Dependence of the growth rate on film thickness is also measured at the crystalli zation temperature. Growth rates vary by 4 orders of magnitude and are independent of film thickness. Since the film thickness is nearly equ al to the width of the growth surface under the conditions in this wor k, the growth rate is independent of the width of growth surface. This means that PPS spherulites grow in a multinucleation regime. On the b asis of the Limitation on growth rate we proposed in this paper, the r ange of growth rate has to be less than 10(2) under the conditions inv estigated. Failure of the present nucleation theory is concluded from the results. To explain these results, thermal insensitivity of step v elocity must be discarded. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.