Temperature treatment is an important parameter during processing of thermoplastics. Depending on the cooling rate, the molten thermoplastics solidify either completely amorphous or in a semi-crystalline state. The ratio of crystalline to amorphous domains inside a single material is known as the degree of crystallinity.
Within a certain accessible range of heating and cooling rates, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) allows for simulation of processing parameters. Using a set of different cooling rates, the crystallization kinetics will be influenced. The faster the cooling rate, the lower is the degree of crystallinity. This correlation can be confirmed by DSC results. However, the dependency is, of course, first of all depending on the material itself as well as on the cooling rates.
Crystallization kinetics can be studied by means of DSC measurements using both linear cooling rates and isothermal treatments at different temperatures. The results of isothermal crystallization studies will be presented using different thermoplastic materials such as POM, PA66 and LDPE.
