====== Polymer crystallization ======

It's been known since the 1930s that polymers (plastics etc) are not entirely random amorphous molecular chains as was once thought. In ordinary plastics for example, between 10 and 80% of the structure is 'crystalline' - or, in other words, atomically arranged in regular repeating patterns.

As might be expected, the 'crystalline' zones can have very different properties to the 'amorphous' zones.

It's known that many different factors - e.g. temperature, physical stresses, and the presence of 'nucleating seeds' (from impurities etc.) - can radically affect the extent and type(s) of crystal formation.

But an overall theory explaining all forms of polymer crystal formation has not yet been found.

>In the last 100 years, the study of polymer crystallization theory has achieved many breakthroughs, and a large number of models and theories have been proposed. However, each of them can only partially explain the crystallization behavior of polymers. A uniform understanding of polymer crystallization remains a huge challenge."\\ \\ Source ://[[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0032386124008000|Polymer, Volume 309, 12,, 127464]]// {{:oa_padlock_red.png?16}}<sup>[ paywalled ]</sup>

A full explantion of all aspects of polymer crystallization might allow the creation of pupose-made large-crystal polymers with very different and useful properties.

Further technical reading : [[https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/7/1/4|A Review on Polymer Crystallization Theories,]] {{:oa_padlock_grn.png?16}}//Crystals, //Volume 7, Issue 1.