Appearance of perfect amorphous linear bulk polyethylene under applied electric field and the analysis by radial distribution function and direct tunneling effect.
Without melting flow, linear ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) provided X-ray intensity curve from only amorphous halo at 129.0 °C (surface temperature, Ts arisen by Joule heat) lower than the conventionally known melting point 145.5 °C on applying electric field to UHMWPE-nickel-coated carbon fiber (NiCF) composite. Such surprising phenomenon was analyzed by simultaneous measurements of X-ray intensity, electric current, and Ts as a function of time. The calculated radial distribution function revealed the amorphous structure with disordered chain arrangement. The appearance of such amorphous phase was arisen by the phenomenon that the transferring electrons between overlapped adjacent NiCFs by tunneling effect struck together with X-ray photons and some of the transferring electron flown out from the gap to UHMWPE matrix collided against carbon atoms of UHMWPE. The impact by the collision caused disordering chain arrangement in crystal grains.
Department of Polymer Material Science, Faculty of Chemical, Environment and Biological Science, Dalian University of Technology , Dalian 116024, China.
Rong
R
Zhang
Yuezhen
Y
Bin
Wenxiao
W
Yang
Shaoyan
S
Fan
Masaru
M
Matsuo