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Modeling changes in the modulus of poly(ε‐caprolactone) due to hydrolysis and plasticization
Author(s) -
Aitchison G. A.,
Walker G. S.,
Jones I. A.,
Rudd C. D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.27418
Subject(s) - plasticizer , polymer , materials science , composite material , absorption of water , polymer chemistry , fick's laws of diffusion , modulus , flexural strength , moisture , flexural modulus , diffusion , chemical engineering , thermodynamics , physics , engineering
The evolution of the flexural modulus of poly(ε‐caprolactone), prepared with a tin(II) 2‐ethylhexanoate catalyst, was measured in terms of the polymer molecular weight and moisture content. Changes in the polymer molecular weight were observed, but these did not result in a loss of modulus. Fickian diffusion was used to characterize the absorption of moisture into the polymer. The maximum moisture content and moisture diffusivity constant of the polymer were determined to be 0.62% and 2.039 × 10 −5 mm 2 /s, respectively. Reductions in the polymer modulus from 0.5 to 0.4 GPa were attributed to water plasticization. An empirical expression for the polymer modulus as a function of immersion time was developed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008