Abstract: Fractions of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) were obtained via precipitation from a solution in chloroform. Isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics, crystal structure, and morphology of the PBS fractions were investigated using wide angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning caborimetry, and polarized optical microscopy. It was found that with increasing molecular weight of the fractions and molecular weight distribution, the half crystallization time, and half width of crystallization peak decreased, whereas the degree of crystallinity increased. However, the crystal structure and morphology of various PBS fractions had no evident change.

Key words: poly(butylene succinate), microphase separation, crystallization kinetics