Cocrystallization phenomenon of polyoxymethylene blend samples between the deuterated and hydrogenated species

The phenomenon of cocrystallization between the deuterated (D) and hydrogenated (H) species of a series of polyoxymethylene blends with various H/D ratios has been established on the basis of the detailed analysis of thermal and infrared (IR) spectral data. The melting and crystallization temperatures were found to shift continuously toward a higher temperature with an increase in the D content. The IR spectra were found to change remarkably depending on the H/D blend content. Both the thermal and the IR spectral observations definitely indicated the cocrystallization between the H and D chains in the common crystallite. These continuous changes could be interpreted by assuming that the arrays of the H and D chains in crystal lattice are random. Polymer Journal (2011) 43, 66-73; doi:10.1038/pj.2010.106; published online 17 November 2010