Semicrystalline polymers are polymers which under certain processing conditions form polymer crystals. The crystallisation is almost always partial, and the crystals are surrounded by amorphous material. In addition, the exact flow properties under which the crystals form lead to widely different properties, and the crystallisation is very sensitive to some features of oriented polymers, such as the presence of branched chains and very long chains.
A simple representation of a semicrystalline polymer, with crystalline and amorphouse phases
Having developed significant experience in the modelling of amorphous polymers, the present challenge is to extend this work to cover semicrystalline materials. There are many challenges to overcome, and a true predictive tool is still some years away.
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