The Effects of Isothermal Crystallization on the Kinetic and Thermal Behavior of PEO-b-PCL Copolymers

The overall percent crystallinity of a copolymer, like the order of crystallization, affects the macroscopic properties of the polymer such as degradation, chemical and drug release 1,2. Furthermore, the percent crystallinity of each block also dictates how the copolymer will behave under certain conditions. In the case of PEO-b-PCL, since the melting temperatures of both blocks are relatively the same (~60oC), coincident crystallization occurs, and this can cause unforeseen macroscopic properties in the copolymer to be exhibited 4,5. Consequently, the goal of this research project is to investigate the effects of isothermal crystallization on the percent crystallinity of PEO and PCL.