Crystal structures and viscoelastic behavior in different morphologies of a vinyl alcohol-ethylene copolymer

Abstract

Different morphological structures of a vinyl alcohol-ethylene copolymer with high content (72 mol%) in the former counit are obtained by various physical and chemical routes (annealing, stretching, and residual content of unhydrolyzed acetate groups). The specimens thus obtained are studied by X-Ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis in order to show the influence of the chemical, thermal, and mechanical histories on the crystalline structure, thermal properties and viscoelastic motions of the vinyl alcohol-ethylene copolymer.