Crystallization kinetics of polymer–diluent mixtures. Influence of benzophenone on the spherulitic growth rate of isotactic polystyrene

Abstract

As an extension of earlier work on the crystallization kinetics of isotactic polystyrene, the spherulite growth rate in mixtures of isotactic polystyrene and benzophenone has been measured over a concentration range extending from pure polymer to a mixture containing about 30% benzophenone. The glass transition temperature has been measured over the entire range from pure polymer to pure benzophenone. For the mixtures the dependence of the growth rate on temperature is similar to that of the undiluted polymer. The addition of benzophenone causes a shift of the crystallization range to lower temperatures. For mixtures containing up to about 20% benzophenone, the maximum in the growth rate increases with increasing content of benzophenone. On addition of more benzophenone, the maximum rate is depressed. Taking into account the glass transition temperature of the mixtures, the influence of benzophenone on the melting point of isotactic polystyrene, and the volume fraction of polymer, we can describe the influence of benzophenone on the growth rate in a semiquantitative way.