Time dependence of mechanical and transport properties of drawn and annealed linear polyethylene

Abstract

Abstract Linear polyethylene both as drawn, or drawn and subsequently annealed with free ends, changes its length, density, crystallinity, elastic modulus, sorption, and diffusivity as the sample stands completely unrestrained at room temperature. Most of these changes occur during the first few hours. But they are important on a molecular scale since they suggest strongly that drawn, and drawn and annealed samples are far from equilibrium. As a consequence of the tendency of each mobile tie molecule in the amorphous conformation to retract and to crystallize, the specimen approaches but does not reach complete equilibrium. The transient seems to be caused by slow crystallization of tie molecules which creates crystalline bridges across the amorphous layers.