The α and β relaxations of a variety of polyethylenes have been extensively studied using lowfrequency dynamic mechanical methods. The main focus of this work has been both the control and the quantitative measurement of the key structural factors that describe semicrystalline polymer systems. The structural factors that have been examined in detail include the level of crystallinity, the crystallite thickness, the interfacial content, and the supermolecular structure. Consequently a variety of other types of supplementary measurements were made to accomplish the necessary characterization. The location of the α transition is found to depend primarily on the crystallite thickness. There also is the distinct possibility that the interfacial structure exerts an important influence. The level of crystallinity and the supermolecular structure do not play a significant role in the location of Tα. A strong correlation is found with the carbon‐13 NMR crystalline T1, which is reported in a separate paper. From analysis of the influence of the different structural factors on the β transition, it is concluded that this transition results from the relaxation of chain units which are located in the interfacial region. The elusiveness of this transition and the contradictory reports that have existed in the literature are given a ready explanation. The enhancement of this transition by branching and copolymerization follows naturally as does its invariance with counit content.

Abstract:The method described by Strobl and Hagedorn to analyze the Raman spectrum internal modes of semi-crystalline polyethylene has been applied to a set of selected polyethylene samples crystallized under controlled conditions. The crystallite structure can be described in terms of the relative amounts of the crystalline orthorhombic phase, the liquid-like amorphous phase and the interracial region. The dependence of the level of crystallinity on molecular weight and crystallization conditions is very similar to that found by other methods. However, this method allows for the quantitative determination of the interfacial content which becomes significant for molecular weights greater than about 1 • 10 5 for linear polyethylene fractions, and for all the branched samples and copolymers. The degree of crystallinity determined from density measurements is equal to the sum of the crystallinity and interfacial content obtained from the Raman analysis while enthalpy of fusion measurements yield values which are equal to just the crystallinity content. The difference between the level of crystallinity obtained from density and enthalpy of fusion is thus found to be primarily due to interfacial contributions.

No abstract

An analysis of the Raman internal modes of dilute‐solution‐crystallized homopolymers and co‐polymers of ethylene has been made, similar to the work previously reported for the bulk‐crystallized polymers. The crystallite structure can be described in terms of the relative amounts of the crystalline orthorhombic phase, the liquidlike amorphous phase, and the interfacial region. These quantities change with the molecular constitution of the chains and the crystallization conditions. The level of crystallinity decreases significantly with increasing counit content as would be expected. In addition, an appreciable interfacial structure develops in copolymers as compared with the homopolymers. A possible relationship between the interfacial content and the relaxation transitions in polyethylene is discussed.

Carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation parameters have been obtained as a function of temperature for a set of branched polyethylenes whose β transition temperatures were determined independently. Resolvable spectra could be obtained at temperatures either corresponding to or very close to the temperature of the β transition. Together with results for other systems, these observations preclude the indentification of the β transition with the glass temperature. From the measured spin relaxation times and nuclear Overhauser enhancements average correlation times were calculated as a function of temperature. The average correlation times were calculated as a function of temperature. The average correlation time is on the order of 10−8−10−9 s at the β transition. These results argue strongly against it being assigned to the glass temperature.