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Controlling Morphology Using Low Molar Mass Nucleators

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Controlling the Morphology of Polymers

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the use of low molar mass compounds which self-assemble in to fibrillar structures within a polymer melt. Application of modest shear rate to the system will result in a common alignment of these fibrils which can serve as row nuclei for the subsequent crystallisation of the polymer matrix. Thus the combination of small quantities of a low molar mass compound and modest shear flow leads to a semi-crystalline morphology with a well defined anisotropy and morphology.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal) through project PTDC/CTM-POL/7133/2014 and through the Project reference UID/Multi/04044/2013.

We thank Naresuan University for supporting SW during her Ph.D. programme and the Faculty of Science at Naresuan University for funding subsequent short visits when much of the work described here was performed.

This chapter contains various data recorded at international synchrotron and neutron scattering facilities. We are indebted to those facilities for access and to the beamline scientists for their involvement in these experiments; Dr. Sigrid Bernstoff (Elettra), Dr. Francois Fauth (ESRF), Dr. Sergio Funari (Hasylab), Dr. Jen Hiller and Dr. Nick Terrill (Diamond), Dr. Steve King, Dr. Sarah Rogers, Dr. Ann Terry and Dr. Richard Heenan (ISIS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development, Institute Polytechnic of Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal

    Geoffrey R. Mitchell

  2. Department of Chemistry, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand

    Supatra Wangsoub

  3. Instituto de Estructura de la Materia, CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Aurora Nogales

  4. Department of Chemistry, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AD, UK

    Fred J. Davis

  5. Electron Microscopy Laboratory, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AF, UK

    Robert H. Olley

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  1. Geoffrey R. Mitchell
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  2. Supatra Wangsoub
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  3. Aurora Nogales
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  4. Fred J. Davis
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  5. Robert H. Olley
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Correspondence to Geoffrey R. Mitchell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development, Institute Polytechnic of Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal

    Geoffrey R. Mitchell

  2. Center for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development, Institute Polytechnic of Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal

    Ana Tojeira

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Mitchell, G.R., Wangsoub, S., Nogales, A., Davis, F.J., Olley, R.H. (2016). Controlling Morphology Using Low Molar Mass Nucleators. In: Mitchell, G., Tojeira, A. (eds) Controlling the Morphology of Polymers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39322-3_5

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