Homogeneous crystal nucleation – Nucleation kinetics and thermal stability of nuclei*

Crystal nucleation in polymer melts at common laboratory cooling rates (< 10 K/s) is typically heterogeneous. Studying homogeneous crystal nucleation in bulk samples requires bypassing the low-supercooling temperature range of pre-dominant heterogeneous nucleation. This became possible with the availability of fast scanning chip calorimetry.
The strategy for studying homogeneous nucleation kinetics by fast scanning calorimetry will be introduced [1]. We will discuss the temperature dependency of the rate of homogeneous nucleation and its relation to the glass transition. We describe a method allowing to investigate the ability of nuclei to stabilize/grow on heating to the crystallization temperature [2] and, finally, to determine the thermal stability of homogeneous nuclei in polymers.
1. Zhuravlev E, Schmelzer JWP, Wunderlich B, and Schick C., Polymer 2011;52(9):1983-1997
2. Zhuravlev E, Schmelzer JWP, Abyzov AS, Fokin VM, Androsch R, and Schick C., Crystal Growth & Design 2015;15(2):786-798