Spherulitic structures in bisphenol-A polycarbonate crystallized at high pressure

Abstract

The high-pressure crystallized bisphenol-A polycarbonate (BAPC) and BAPC / dioctyl phthalate (DOP) blend samples were investigated using wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the rate of the crystallization of BAPC could be greatly increased by the introduction of DOP at high pressure. Morphologies of spherulites of BAPC with different characteristics were observed during the investigation, including ellipsoids ascribed to the liquid-liquid phase separation via spinodal decomposition, sheaf-like and spherical features corresponded to the different stages of spherulitic growth, and stereo-open forms with a three-dimensional structure. The disclosed entities, some of which have potentials in functional applications, may promote the understanding of the formation process and mechanism of polymer spherulites.