| Abstract: | The crystallization behavior of a commercial chain‐extended PET (foam grade) was evaluated and compared to that of bottle‐grade PET. Cold and melt isothermal crystallization were analyzed by using the Avrami' model. The foam grade PET showed a slower crystallization kinetic compared to the bottle‐grade PET. The Hoffman‐Lauritzen analysis showed that the energetic barriers to nucleation and molecular mobility were higher for the chain‐extended PET. This resulted in a lower nucleation rate in both cold and melt crystallization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1966–1972, 2005 |
