Special Features of Crazing of Glassy Poly(ethylene terephthalate) in Poly(ethylene oxide) Solutions

The effect of the rate of PET deformation on the mechanism of penetration of flexible-chain macromolecules in the structure of crazes developing in PET has been considered. The penetration of the flexible-chain polymer in the porous structure is affected by the flow rate of the solute, the PEO solution characteristics (the concentration regime), and the porous structure parameters (porosity and pores radius of the crazed PET). PET films deformed via the crazing mechanism in solutions of PEO of different molecular mass have been examined. The influence of the concentration regime (dilute, semidilute unentangled, and semidilute entangled solutions) on the penetration of PEO in the forming porous PET structure has been demonstrated. In the case of PEO penetration from the dilute solution, a fraction of pores becomes accessible only under conditions of the flow-induced deformation at high rate of PET deformation. In the case of the semidilute entangled solution, at low deformation rate, PEO can penetrate in t...