Structure development in poly(ethylene terephthalate) quenched from the melt at high cooling rates: X-ray scattering and microhardness study

The structure and microhardness of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) cooled from the melt, using a wide range of cooling rates, was studied. PET thin films rapidly cooled from the melt (cooling rates larger than 5°C/s) show a continuous variation of structure and properties depending on cooling rate. Results highlight differences in the micro-mechanical properties of the glass suggesting the occurrence of amorphous structures with different degrees of internal chain ordering. The comparative X-ray scattering study of two glassy PET samples (7500 and 17°C/s) reveals the occurrence of frozen-in electron density states giving rise to an excess of scattering for the amorphous sample solidified…