Multiple melting endotherms in isothermally melt-crystallized poly(butylene terephthalate)

Abstract

The melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) crystallized isothermally for various times was examined using differential scanning calorimetry. After short crystallization times, the DSC analysis gave two melting peaks, but after longer times, the analysis gave three peaks. The latter triplet of DSC peaks can be denoted as low, middle, and high, starting with the lowest temperature endotherm. The DSC peaks were simulated using a measured recrystallization rate and behavior for PBT and an assumed initial melting point distribution. The low and middle peaks represent the original melting peaks arising from isothermal crystallization. The high melting peak arises from recrystallization during the DSC heating scan. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1757–1767, 1998