Crystallization of Poly( L ‐/ D ‐Lactide) in the Presence of Electric Fields

We report, for the first time, an enhancement in melt crystallization kinetics of poly(L‐/D‐lactide) (a type‐A1 polymer) in the presence of static electric fields as observed through measurement of the complex viscosity. Static electric fields of varying intensity (0–2.4 × 105 V m−1) are applied directly to the crystallizing polylactide melt at five different temperatures. The crystallization rate enhancement increases both with crystallization temperature and applied electric field intensity. An XRD analysis and optical microscopy studies allows us to attribute this to increased nucleation in the presence of an electric field. A technique allowing for the estimation of the rate of homogeneous nucleation induced by the electric field is developed.