First measurements by the EDXD-PT technique of the effect of the melting time on polymer crystallization kinetics

A nonconventional energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction method applied to phase transitions (EDXD-PT) was used to measure polymer crystallization rates. It enables one to follow the kinetics of phase transitions by a direct comparison of diffraction patterns collected during the process and suitably normalized with respect to X-ray absorption spectra taken with the same time scan. With this technique, the memory that a polymer retains of its thermal history is investigated by correlating the crystallization rates to the residence time in the melt.