A new perspective to enhance the II-I transition of polybutene-1

The bottleneck for application and potential utilization of polybutenen-1(PB-1) with excellent physical and mechanical properties is an inevitable phase transition. An additive (trade name TAB-1) for PB-1 to accelerate the transition was used to enhance the transition and explore the transition mechanism with DSC and X-ray techniques. It was found out that the TAB-1 could enhance the transition efficiently. The sum crystallinity of form II and form I rises in the initial stage of the transition. Crystallization temperature related transition of neat PB-1 and PB-1 containing 2wt% TAB-1 was investigated. Even if the form II was cooled from the same temperature after crystallization at lower and higher temperatures then heating to the same temperature, the “more stable” form II formed at higher temperature transits to form I faster than the “less stable” form II formed at lower temperature. A possible mechanism to understand the crystal transition and enhance the transition of PB-1 containing TAB-1 was proposed and discussed. Formation of form I would be a trigger of the transition and the key of the form I formation is the form II related packed-mesophase during the transition.