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The Crystallization Kinetics in Semicrystalline Nanocomposites
Fiore, Kateřina ; Kučera, Jaroslav (oponent) ; Chodák,, Ivan (oponent) ; Lesser, Alan (oponent) ; Jančář, Josef (vedoucí práce)
The crystal growth greatly affects morphology and, thus, mechanical properties of semicrystalline polymers. In this PhD work, the effect of adding high specific surface area silica nano-filler on the crystallization kinetics of linear polyethylene was investigated. In nanocomposites, high specific surface area is able to alter the chain dynamics even at very low filler loadings. It is suggested that in the vicinity of the filler surface, polymer chains exhibit retarded reptation motion due to the chain immobilization caused by either the filler-polymer interaction or by chain confinement between closely packed nanoparticles. The polarized optical microscope equipped with a hot stage was employed to measure the spherulites growth rates in the medium crystallization regime II. It was shown that even weak interaction between PE chains and silica nano-filler above glass transition temperature leads to the substantial decrease of the spherulite growth rates. The measured data are correlated with predictions based on the theoretical models and computer simulations of molecular dynamics in the crystallizing nanocomposite. The observed decrease of spherulites growth rates, G, in dependence on both the silica nano-filler content and polyethylene molecular weight is interpreted utilizing the immobilization theory, thus, reduced reptation motion.
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The Crystallization Kinetics in Semicrystalline Nanocomposites
Fiore, Kateřina ; Kučera, Jaroslav (oponent) ; Chodák,, Ivan (oponent) ; Lesser, Alan (oponent) ; Jančář, Josef (vedoucí práce)
The crystal growth greatly affects morphology and, thus, mechanical properties of semicrystalline polymers. In this PhD work, the effect of adding high specific surface area silica nano-filler on the crystallization kinetics of linear polyethylene was investigated. In nanocomposites, high specific surface area is able to alter the chain dynamics even at very low filler loadings. It is suggested that in the vicinity of the filler surface, polymer chains exhibit retarded reptation motion due to the chain immobilization caused by either the filler-polymer interaction or by chain confinement between closely packed nanoparticles. The polarized optical microscope equipped with a hot stage was employed to measure the spherulites growth rates in the medium crystallization regime II. It was shown that even weak interaction between PE chains and silica nano-filler above glass transition temperature leads to the substantial decrease of the spherulite growth rates. The measured data are correlated with predictions based on the theoretical models and computer simulations of molecular dynamics in the crystallizing nanocomposite. The observed decrease of spherulites growth rates, G, in dependence on both the silica nano-filler content and polyethylene molecular weight is interpreted utilizing the immobilization theory, thus, reduced reptation motion.
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