Thermally stimulated current characterization of poly(ether ether ketone) [PEEK]

Thermally stimulated current (TSC) spectroscopy was applied to the characterization of poly(ether ether ketone) [PEEK]. The dielectric relaxation mode associated with the glass transition was analyzed as a function of the degree of crystallinity. The aim was to characterize the microstructure of the amorphous phase. The effect of the degree of crystallinity on the coupling of the crystalline and the amorphous phase was investigated. The authors used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a reference technique for determination of the transition spectra. Thermograms were recorded at a scanning rate of 20 K/min^-1 . PEEK was supplied in the form of sheets with a thickness of 0.25 mm; the degree of crystallinity was 10%. A compensation study with sheets having 28% degree of crystallinity was carried out. The dielectric relaxation mode association with the glass transition showed the existence of two amorphous phases