On the origin of transcrystalline morphology in polymers and their composites: Re-evaluation of different views

Rebuilding growth mechanisms through visual observations

“…Therefore, when fibers are immersed in polymer melts, premature nucleation of embryos occurs along their axis and the crowding of spherulites causes fast coalescence with lack of circular shape, forcing the original spherulites to grow further only transversally to the fiber. The easier nucleation process along a fiber axis reflects the common ability of fibers to dissipate heat faster than polymer melts [32]. In other words, in the vicinity of a fiber local temperature decreases are more probable and favour the generation of embryos of solid phase with sufficient size to grow.…”

Growth of spherulites: foundation of the DSC analysis of solidification

“…The process starting solidification, i.e., nucleation, consists in the aggregation of a small number of atoms or molecules due to temperature fluctuations in the melt and, therefore, is generally described as a random process in space. However, the random description applies only when the heat flow rate does not depend on direction, that is, when heat propagation is isotropic [2,15].…”

“…where the first, second and third derivatives of the function area are d 2 AðxÞ dx 2 ¼ 2p À 8 arcsin…”

“…It is worth noting that the crystallization rate of a sample is expressed by the mass (or volume) of substance that solidifies in a time unit [1,2]. The crystallization rate depends on the solidification conditions and, especially for low conductivity substances as polymers, on the mass.…”

Kinetics of Phase Transformation of Indium in the Presence of Polytetrafluoroethylene: Implications for DSC Measurements on Polymers and Their Composites

“…Indeed, the rate of crystallization is recognised to follow a bell-shaped trend relative to time. From mathematical considerations it can be shown that the crystallization rate of a polycrystalline substance increases rapidly before impingement not only because of nucleation but also because of growth [22], achieving the maximum soon after the start of coalescence. When the crystallization rate is maximum, the solid fraction is usually much higher than 50%.…”