Understanding Non-isothermal Crystallization Behaviors of Polyethylene-Derived Vitrimers

The transformation of polyolefins, including polyethylene (PE), into dynamic networks has become a promising research area in polymer sustainability due to their high availability, low cost, and desirable properties. Within these semicrystalline systems, the interplay between crosslinking and crystallinity becomes important as both factors can directly influence the thermal and mechanical performance of the materials. Furthermore, understanding the crystallization behaviors during processing is imperative, as varying cooling rates and conditions can influence the formation of crystalline regions. This study investigates the impacts of dynamic crosslinking and catalyst presence on the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics and mechanisms of PE-derived vitrimers and analyzes both the crosslinked and non-crosslinked components. All samples exhibited heterogeneous nucleation, and it was observed that crosslinking suppressed crystal growth rates, while the introduction of catalysts for transesterification can act as nucleating agents that influence the crystallization activation energy at various cooling rates.