Polymer crystallization

Differential scanning calorimetry (dual furnace, null-balance, DSC) and optical microscopy (OM) have been used to study the isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(oxymethylene)-POM. The non-isothermal crystallization of the same material has also been studied by optical microscopy. A very controversial problem is whether the isothermal kinetic parameters may be applied to describe the non-isothermal crystallization. The results show that the kinetic spherulite growth parameters obtained by non-isothermal optical microscopy are, within the experimental errors involved, the same as those obtained by isothermal optical microscopy or isothermal DSC. The importance of this finding is highlighted.