Etude de la cristallisation des polymères. II. Structure lamellaire et repliement des chaînes du polyoxyéthylène

Abstract

Abstract Three polyethyleneoxide samples of molecular weights ranging from 6,000 to 28,000 have been studied with low‐angle X‐ray diffraction and dilatometry techniques. The thickness of the lamellae, the number of folds of the polymer chains, and the degree of crystallinity have been determined as functions of the crystallization temperature from the melt. A stepwise variation of these parameters has been established for the 6,000 and the 10,000 molecular weight samples. This phenomenon indicates that the chain ends are not located within the crystalline lamellae but are rejected in the thin amorphous layers separating the crystals.