Stretch-Induced Crystal–Crystal Transition of Polybutene-1: An in Situ Synchrotron Radiation Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering Study

Abstract

Deformation induced crystal–crystal transition of polybutene-1 (PB-1) from forms II to I at different temperatures is studied with in situ synchrotron radiation wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). Analyses on the evolution of crystallinity and orientations of forms II and I during tensile deformation show that stretch accelerates the transformation from forms II to I, which is interpreted based on either a direct crystal–crystal transition or an indirect approach via an intermediate state of melt, namely a melting recrystallization process. A three-stage mechanical deformation including linear deformation, stress plateau, and strain hardening is observed in the engineering stress–strain curves, which corresponds to a process of incubation, nucleation, and gelation of form I crystals. It establishes a nice correlation between phase transition and mechanical behavior in this study.