Abstract
At first it may seem questionable that polymers can set up a crystal at all but after thinking about it a little, it becomes clear how this can be accomplished: In principle, a periodic structure in three dimensions is obtained by choosing identical helical conformations for all polymers, orienting the helical axes of all chains parallel to each other, and then packing the chains laterally in a regular manner. The scheme is applicable for all polymers, provided that they have a linear architecture and a regular chemical constitution. Hence, we may conclude that polymers have the potential to crystallize. As we shall see, they do indeed form crystals, however, this occurs in a peculiar way.
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Further Reading
P. Barham: Crystallization and Morphology of Semicrystalline Polymers in R.W. Cahn, P. Haasen, E.J. Kramer, E.L. Thomas (Eds.): Materials Science and Technology Vol.12 Structure and Properties of Polymers, VCH Publishers, 1993
E.W. Fischer Investigation of the Crystallization Process of Polymers by Means of Neutron Scattering in L.A. Kleintjens, P.J. Lemstra (Eds.): Integration of Fundamental Polymer Science and Technology, Elsevier, 1886
U.W. Gedde: Polymer Physics, Chapman & Hall, 1995.
J.D. Hoffmann, G.T. Davis, J.I. Lauritzen: The Rate of Crystallization of Linear Polymers with Chain Folding in N.B. Hannay (Ed.) : Treatise in Solid State Chemistry Vol.3, Plenum Press, 1976
A. Keller: Chain-folded Crystallisation of Polymers From Discovery to Present Day: A Personalised Journey in R.G. Chambers, J.E. Enderby, A. Keller, A.R. Lang, J.W. Steeds (Eds.): , Adam Hilger, 1991
L. Mandelkern: The Crystalline State in J.E. Mark, A. Eisenberg W.W. Graessley, L. Mandelkern, J. L. Koenig: Physical Properties of Polymers, Am.Chem.Soc., 1984
B. Wunderlich: Macromolecular Physics Vols.1,2,3, Academic Press, 1973
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Strobl, G.R. (1997). Metastable Partially Crystalline States. In: The Physics of Polymers. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03488-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03488-0_4
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