Comparative crystallization behavior of polymers and aqueous solutions.

This paper gives a short introduction to the modes of crystallization of polymers and shows, by a series of micrographs, that the resulting morphology is very similar to that of ice crystals growing from aqueous solutions. The similarity is explained by similar conditions of nucleation and growth, leading in both cases to a hindered and partial crystallization. It is shown that the resulting crystal patterns can be qualitatively explained by estimating the relative growth rates in different directions on a developing crystal face as a function of supercooling and concentration.