Thermal Properties of Biobased Polyamide 11

Abstract

Polyamide 11 (PA 11) is a semicrystalline high-performance thermoplastic engineering polymer with increasing production volume due to its balanced property profile and since it is produced from short-term renewable natural resources. In this review comprehensive information about thermal properties are provided. After an introduction in which general information about synthesis, structure, properties, and applications are given, the thermodynamic functions of state of the melt and crystal phase are provided, needed to predict equilibrium structural states at a given temperature. This is followed by a detailed description of structure formation from the relaxed melt, among others, considering different crystal-nucleation routes as a tool to generate PA 11 of largely different semicrystalline morphology, as well as by providing information about shear-induced crystallization which is relevant for understanding structure formation in processing. Application-relevant thermal-mechanical behavior is discussed based on the temperature dependence of Young’s modulus, which is controlled by the initial structure at ambient temperature and which can be further tailored by modifying the polymer with nanofillers. In the final chapter, the thermal stability and current efforts to increase the flame retardancy of this important polymer are summarized.