Influence of the Cross-Link Density on the Rate of Crystallization of Poly(ε-Caprolactone)

Cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a smart biocompatible polymer exhibiting two-way shape memory effect. PCL samples with different cross-link density were synthesized by heating the polymer with various amounts of radical initiator benzoyl peroxide (BPO). Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics was characterized by means of conventional differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC). The latter technique was used to obtain the dependence of the degree of crystallinity on the preceding cooling rate by following the enthalpies of melting for each sample. It is shown that the cooling rate required to keep the cooled sample amorphous decreases with increasing cross-link density, i.e., crystallization process slows down monotonically. Covalent bonds between polymer chains impede the crystallization process. Consequently, FSC can be used as a rather quick and low sample consuming method to estimate the degree of cross-linking of PCL samples.