Relationship between rheological and surface properties for the sintering process of polymers.

The aim of the present work is to examine the effect of the rheological behaviour and surface properties on the sintering of various polymers. Model polymers, liquid at room temperature and commercials materials with different viscosities and structures are used. Zero-shear viscosities and relaxation times are extracted from rheological curves. The surface tension of the materials is measured by the sessile drop method when possible. The sintering of two particles put in close vicinity is recorded using a CCD camera at regular intervals time. Two substrates with different surface tension are employed. The effects of viscosity, surface tension and relaxation time on the sintering kinetics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]