Phase Transitions in Polymers: The Role of Metastable States

cover.jpg......Page 1
Foreword......Page 2
Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 5
Macroscopic description of phases......Page 8
Microscopic description of phases......Page 10
Connection between microscopic descriptions and macroscopic properties......Page 14
Definitions of phase transitions......Page 17
Phase equilibrium and stability......Page 19
References and Further Reading......Page 21
Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Phase Transitions......Page 23
An example of liquid-gas transitions: van der Waals gas......Page 24
General descriptions of liquid-gas and crystalline solid-liquid transitions......Page 26
Crystalline solid-solid transitions......Page 30
Transitions involving mesophases......Page 31
Crystallization......Page 37
Crystal melting kinetics......Page 41
Transition kinetics involving mesophases......Page 43
Gibbs phase rule......Page 45
General thermodynamics of binary mixing......Page 46
Liquid-liquid phase separation in binary mixtures......Page 48
Kinetics of liquid-liquid phase separation in binary mixtures......Page 51
Crystalline solid-liquid transitions in binary mixtures......Page 57
Mesophase-liquid transitions in binary mixtures......Page 58
References and Further Reading......Page 62
Ostwald's Stage Rule and Definition of a Metastable State......Page 66
Metastable states in liquid-gas transitions......Page 68
Metastable states in crystalline solid-liquid transitions......Page 70
Appearance of Metastable States Controlled by Competing Kinetics......Page 72
What are the Limitations of the Current Understanding of Metastable States?......Page 76
Concept of Metastability......Page 78
References and Further Reading......Page 80
Metastable States in Phase Transitions of Polymers......Page 82
Supercooled liquids......Page 83
Comments on polymer crystallization theories......Page 86
Primary nucleation process in polymer crystallization......Page 96
Structure of the interfacial liquid near the crystal growth front......Page 99
What is the nucleation barrier?......Page 101
Barriers affected by chemical defects......Page 102
Barriers affected by stem conformations......Page 104
Barriers affected by lamellar thickness and global conformation......Page 106
Barriers affected by the physical environment......Page 109
Superheated crystals......Page 111
Irreversible polymer crystal melting......Page 115
Change of phase transition sequence due to existence of a preordered state......Page 116
Surface-induced metastable polymorphs......Page 207
Polymer crystal melting at elevated pressures......Page 125
Polymer crystal melting kinetics......Page 127
Metastable states in phase-separated polymer blends......Page 129
Kinetics of liquid-liquid phase separation in polymer blends......Page 132
Metastable states in phase-separated block copolymers......Page 135
Polymer crystallization in nano-confined environments using diblock copolymers as templates......Page 141
References and Further Reading......Page 147
Metastable States Observed Due to Phase Transformation Kinetics in Polymers......Page 161
Crystal growth rates along different growth planes......Page 162
Initial transient state in polymer crystallization......Page 172
Nucleation and growth rates affected by chain conformation......Page 177
Phase stability changes in polymorphs at atmospheric pressure......Page 180
Phase stability changes in polymorphs at high pressures and temperatures......Page 190
External field-induced polymorphs......Page 197
Crystallization kinetics enhanced by a preordered mesophase......Page 199
Metastable states introduced by unbalanced surface stresses caused by chain folding......Page 217
References and Further Reading......Page 225
Interdependence of Metastable States on Different Length Scal......Page 240
Phase-stability changes in polymorphs based on phase sizes......Page 241
Examples of phase inversion by crossing over the phase-stability  boundaries......Page 248
Examples of phase inversion without crossing the phase-stability boundaries......Page 259
Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Coupled with Vitrification......Page 263
Liquid-liquid phase separation intervened by crystallization in solution......Page 269
Sequential liquid-liquid phase separation and crystallization in solution......Page 273
Liquid-liquid phase separation intersected by crystallization in polymer blends......Page 277
Sequential liquid-liquid phase separation and crystallization in polymer blends......Page 284
Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Associated with Gelation and Crystallization......Page 289
References and Further Reading......Page 296
Outlook: A Personal View......Page 302
D......Page 305
L......Page 306
P......Page 307
S......Page 308
Z......Page 309