Monitoring the thermal behavior of polyethylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate using Raman spectroscopy.

This study investigates the thermal behavior of polyethylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate using Raman spectroscopy. The study finds that multiple changes in the Raman spectrum at two different heating rates of 1 and 0.5 K/min provide different information about the thermal behavior of the sample. The study also shows that the derivative of the half‐width of the band at 1737 cm−1, which characterizes the stretching of the C=O double bond of the ester group, allows us to trace back to the DSC thermogram. The crystallinity was followed with quite a good precision and using two different spectral zones around 1029 and 1737 cm−1. The calculated crystallinity rate could be compared with the crystallinity rates obtained by integrating the total heat flow by DSC and that obtained by wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS). As a result, this study also allows us to understand the conformational changes that take place during heating, and especially those responsible for crystallization, which is the great advantage of Raman spectroscopy compared with other standard methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]