Polymer Features in Crystallization

This review firstly gives an overview on the importance of crystallization in natural and synthetic polymers/macromolecules.Then it introduces the typical features that have been raised by chain-like macromolecules in crystallization,including anisotropic interactions in the thermodynamic driving forces,chain folding in the crystal morphologies,chemical confinement in the copolymer crystallization,and mechanical enhancement in the stretching processes.Four features separately cover the thermodynamics and the kinetics of polymer crystallization,as well as the crystallinity and the mechanical properties of semicrystalline polymers.The review ends up with how these features enhance specific functions of crystalline polymers,which demonstrates polymer crystallization as a challenging yet promising field in the future.