In
this work, the combined effect of particles and flow on the crystallization
of polymers has been investigated, using a rheo-optical approach.
The effect of particle size, concentration, shape, and aggregation
on the kinetics of flow-induced crystallization is investigated. It
is shown that at high enough flow rates, flow will dominate the nucleation
process, independent of the presence of particles, whatever their
size, shape and concentration. Moreover, a framework will be presented
to explain the additive effect of the presence of particles and flow
on polymer crystallization. Finally, possible deviations from this
additive rule (“synergetic effects”) will be discussed.