A portable extruder for in situ wide angle x-ray scattering study on multi-dimensional flow field induced crystallization of polymer.

We have designed and constructed a portable extruder with a rotatable mandrel, which can be employed to study the multi-dimensional flow field (MDFF) induced crystallization of polymer combined with in situ wide angle x-ray scattering (WAXS). With the piston driving the melt sample to flow along the channel, a direct axial shear field is achieved. At the same time, the central mandrel keeps rotating under a stable speed, providing the sample with an additional circumferential shear field. By presetting different proportions of the two shear fields, namely, axial and circumferential, various flow states of the sample can be obtained, which makes it capable of investigating the effects of MDFF on polymer crystallization. We have performed an in situ WAXS experiment of MDFF induced crystallization of isotactic polypropylene based on the portable extruder at the beam line BL16B in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The rheological and structural information is collected simultaneously, which manifests the viability of the portable extruder on regulating MDFF and can provide guidance for polymer processing.