A new approach for estimating the recrystallization rate and equilibrium melting temperature

Abstract

A method is described for measuring the heat and rate of recrystallization following partial melting. The method uses a specific sequence of temperatures with a differential scanning calorimeter, and the melting and recrystallization processes were confirmed by optical observations. The method was applied to poly(butylene terephthalate). The rate of recrystallization was found to be roughly two orders of magnitude faster than isothermal crystallization from the melt. The melting temperatures obtained from recrystallization were used in the Hoffman–Weeks equation to deduce 236°C as the equilibrium melting temperature for poly(butylene terephthalate). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36 : 133–141, 1998