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Pressure-induced amorphization and disordering on cooling in a crystalline polymer

Nature volume 353, pages 55–57 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

IN the course of exploring the phase diagram of the polymer poly(4-methyl-pentene-l) as a function of temperature and pressure by in situ X-ray diffraction, we have discovered some unusual phase behaviour. The polymer, crystalline under ambient conditions, becomes amorphous reversibly on increasing pressure in two widely separated temperature regimes (∼20°C and ∼200°C), the transformation occurring via a liquid-crystalline state. This suggests the possibility of 're-entrant' liquid-crystal and amorphous phases as pressure or temperature are varied. In the higher-temperature regime, the melting point shows a maximum as a function of pressure. The lower-temperature amorphous phase becomes crystalline on heating, and reverts to the glassy, disordered phase on cooling. Whereas pressure-induced amorphization has been observed previously in other systems, such as ice, silica and A1PO4, we know of no precedent for the disordering on cooling that we observe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, UK

    Sanjay Rastogi, Mark Newman & Andrew Keller

  2. Department of Physics, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, 226007, India

    Sanjay Rastogi

Authors
  1. Sanjay Rastogi
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  2. Mark Newman
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  3. Andrew Keller
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Rastogi, S., Newman, M. & Keller, A. Pressure-induced amorphization and disordering on cooling in a crystalline polymer. Nature 353, 55–57 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/353055a0

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