Nonintegral and integral folding crystal growth in low‐molecular mass poly(ethylene oxide) fractions. I. Isothermal lamellar thickening and thinning

Abstract

The overall crystallization and crystal melting of one low‐molecular mass poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) fraction (MW 3000) have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ small‐angle x‐ray scattering (SAXS). The salient new results indicate that initial transient crystals with nonintegral folding (NIF) chain lengths form over a wide range of crystallization temperatures. This NIF structure subsequently transforms into crystal forms with integral folding (IF). The PEO IF crystals consist of the extended chain (n = 0) crystal and the once‐folded chain (n = 1) crystal, while the NIF has an intermediate fold length. The NIF → IF transformation occurs either by lamellar thickening or thinning. The NIF crystal is less stable than the IF(n = 1) crystal, but its growth is more rapid. Crystallization of the PEO (MW 3000) fraction is thus recognized as a compromise between the direction of the thermodynamic driving force and the kinetic pathway. Some potential consequences of these observations are also addressed.