Crystallization kinetics of pure and fiber‐reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide)

Isothermal DSC investigations on pure as well as glass, carbon, and aramid fibre‐reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) were carried out in order to obtain informations on the crystallization kinetics, that is, the Avrami exponent, constant, half‐time of crystallization, and (final) degree of crystallinity. PPS is a typical representative of semicrystalline polymers with a maximum degree of crystallinity of about 60%. The Avrami exponent reaches values from n = 2.1–2.7 depending on fibre type but independent of crystallization temperature. The system aramid fibre/PPS has a much shorter half‐time of crystallization than the other three systems that could be attributed to the high nucleation effect of the aramid fibre surface to PPS. As a consequence of the high nuclei density a transcrystalline zone is built up around the aramid fibre. The relatively low value of the Avrami constant was discussed and a computer simulation attempt was made to understand the measured value quantitatively.