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Transitions of morphological patterns of crystallizing polycarbonate in thin films
Author(s) -
Ye Yuesheng,
Kim Bohyun,
Seog Joonil,
Yong Choi Kyu
Publication year - 2011
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.34920
Subject(s) - polycarbonate , materials science , crystallization , amorphous solid , polymer , acetone , scanning electron microscope , glass transition , thin film , composite material , polymer chemistry , capillary action , chemical engineering , crystallography , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Abstract This article reports the transitions of morphological patterns of polycarbonate crystals in thin films by solvent‐induced crystallization (SINC). As a substrate (silica glass) deposited with an amorphous and micron‐thick bisphenol A polycarbonate polymer film is partially dipped into a liquid acetone bath, acetone penetrated rapidly through the polymer film. The rate of acetone penetration is significantly higher than the predicted by Fickian diffusion or anomalous diffusion model, indicating that the capillary force through stress‐induced cracks may have played a major role in the upward transport of acetone through the polymer films. The morphologies of polycarbonate at different vertical positions on a substrate surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was observed that depending on the local acetone concentration the polymer morphologies showed quite diverse patterns ranging from stress‐induced cracks to fully developed three‐dimensional spherulites. The diverse morphologies developed during the thin film SINC may serve as a useful platform for further detailed mechanistic analysis of structures and crystallization kinetics. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012