Stability of the γ form and the development of the α form in nylon 6

Abstract The structure of nylon 6 fibers is analyzed by x‐ray diffraction. Our results suggest that only two forms of nylon 6, α and γ, along with lattice distortion and crystallite size, are sufficient to explain the whole range of crystalline structures observed in nylon 6. The γ phase is the preferred initial form in a number of nylon 6 samples. The lattice distortion of the γ form along the chain axis varies from 0.8 to 2.4%, depending on the processing conditions. Upon annealing nylon 6 fibers, the α form is produced primarily by γ‐to‐α conversion in high‐orientation fibers, while additional α form can also crystallize from the amorphous phase in low‐orientation fibers. Finally, we show that α crystallites are favored during conditioning of poorly crystallized fibers in a humid atmosphere, and therefore fibers with α as the major crystalline form are produced upon drawing these conditioned fibers. Fibers drawn without lag time contain primarily the γ phase.