Designing polymer crystallinity: An industrial perspective

More than 50% of the thermoplastic polymers applied globally are semi-crystalline, making crystallization part of the material and component design process for these materials. The mechanical and optical performance, but also the long-term stability of the final articles and applications will depend upon three major groups of influence factors: Polymer structure and monomer composition, additive addition (especially nucleation) and blending with secondary components, and processing parameters. In the present review, we try to establish a connection between these three areas, the resulting combination of crystallinity and morphology, and the final application properties. Examples are drawn from the two major polyolefins, polyethylene and polypropylene, technical polymers like polyamide and polyester, but also polymers from renewable sources like poly(lactic acid).