Effect of solvent treatments on the mechanical properties of nylon 6

Abstract The effects of absorbed solvents and chemical agents on the stress‐strain and dynamic mechanical properties of nylon 6 film have been examined. The agents investigated were: water, benzyl alcohol, phenol and iodine. These materials produce changes in the crystalline structure as well as plasticization when they are absorbed. Repeated introduction and removal of phenol indicated that the change of structure takes place completely during the first absorption; after that, the effects of absorption are reversible. The pure plasticizer effect can therefore be observed by comparison of a sample containing plasticizer and a sample from which the plasticizer has been subsequently removed. The general effect of absorbed plasticizer (except for iodine) seems to depend primarily on the amount of plasticizer absorbed, and very little on its exact chemical nature. However, different agents can produce different crystalline forms. A method of analyzing the stress‐strain curve is hypothesized based on the concept of a two‐phase solid state structure consisting of a crystalline lattice imbedded in an amorphous matrix.