Effect of Nanoscale Confinements on the Crystallization of Poly(ethylene oxide) in the Pores of Polyolefins Deformed by the Crazing Mechanism

Polymer blends of polyolefins with poly(ethylene oxide) are obtained by the deformation of polypropylene and high-density polyethylene films in aqueous-ethanol PEO solutions by the crazing mechanism. The content of PEO with a molecular weight of 4 × 103 in the blends depends on the porosity of polyolefin matrices and grows with an increase in the degree of stretching of the films to 28% in HDPE–PEO blends and to 32% in PP–PEO blends. According to DSC studies, the crystallization of PEO is accompanied by decrease in the melting temperature by 4–6 K in the HDPE matrix and 6–7 K in the PP matrix and reduction in the degree of crystallinity by 24–49% in the HDPE matrix and 44–76% in the PP matrix compared with PEO crystallized in the “free” state. Using X-ray diffraction data, the sizes of crystallites of PEO with М = 4 × 103 in the pores of polyolefins deformed by the crazing mechanism are first calculated, and it is shown that PEO macromolecules orient perpendicular to the axis of stretching of PP and HDPE matrices.