Effect of molecular weight on spherulite growth rate of poly(ethylene terephthalate) via real-time small angle light scattering

The effect of molecular weight on the spherulite growth rate of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been determined using a real-time small angle light scattering (RTSALS) device equipped with a two-dimensional position-sensitive detector. This detector, the design of which was previously reported, incorporates a CCD camera, a personal computer, and an imaging board as the major hardware components. The device performs real-time analysis of the light scattering pattern and calculates the average spherulite radius as a function of time during the crystallization experiment. Growth rate data were obtained for PET having number-average molecular weights of 18,000, 24,700, and 33,100. Samples were crystallized isothermally following a temperature jump from the glass at room temperature to the desired crystallization temperature, which ranged from 130 to 200°C. Both the temperature and molecular weight dependence were found to be well described by the Hoffman equation. The temperature dependence agrees well with that found by previous workers, but the molecular weight dependence is somewhat different.